Growing cotton

As I recall from studying cotton in elementary school more than 60 years ago, cotton plants require a lot of water and some fertilizer. However, the bolls are damaged if the plant gets rain as the bolls are ripening.

A friend grew some in her home yard just this past summer and got enough to spin a bit. You need way bigger than a backyard crop to get serious with it, though.

Boron

Thanks for that input.

Well that sounds positive. It's good to know that it is possible to grow enough to have a play with it. Next time you talk to your friend could you see if she has any particular cultivation tips please and report back?

Thanks Sheldon.

Good luck growing... do you also knit as well as spin? Cotton knits can be kind of weighty.

Yes, I do knit, but I wasn't thinking of knitting any cotton. Years ago, I knitted one short sleeved top and as you say, it was heavy and too hot for our summers. I was thinking that I might include any cotton I can manage to produce into some weaving project or other.

First I have to actually grow it and the seeds haven't even arrived yet

- hopefully that should be tomorrow or the next day.

Then you've plenty of time to ponder what to do with your crop, perhaps some colorful cotton collages:

I will. Her garden is in Alabama - long, hot & humid summers. Cotton territory.

Boron

Ah. We don't have humid here. Hot yes, but not humid as we're inland. Is humid important for cotton do you know?

Drat, now I've got a song about Alabama running my brain and I'm darned if I can remember who sun it or enough of the lyrics to do a google!!!!

Wow. Stunning work. Thanks for posting that link.

Certainly here in the US cotton was grown under such conditions (its commercial heyday is long gone here) .

Granted, these requirements are mainly for commercial plantings, but a quick Google shows what you see blow...Odd, the list below mentions "dry conditions," but when cotton was king in the south before the Civil war, I assure you, nothing was dry about the climate down there....Mississippi River delta provided the water and the shipping lanes..

Ideal conditions for the cotton plant are:

Long vegetation periods (175 to 225 days) without frost. Constant temperatures between 18 and 30°. Ample sunshine and fairly dry conditions. A minimum of 500 mm of water between germination and boll formation. Deep, well-drained soils with a good nutrient content.

First one that popped into my head...

Nah, it's not 'Oh Susannah' - it's a modern song. I keep wondering if it's Steely Dan or some group like that -it's got a very nasal 'Alabam' repeat refrain in it. Not 'Alabama', but 'Alabam'.

Drat, it'd disappeared overnight but now I've got it running round in my head again!

Nope, that's not it either - good and closer to the right age of the song but it's still not it.

I'm going to have to go and look at the LP collection and then check out the CDs or the old cassettes..................... This is going to drive me nuts till I find it.

Bob

"America" ?