The present invention provides a new mulch material that can control weed growth and enhance the fertility and richness of the underlying soil. The mulch material of the invention can decompose and be absorbed into the underlying soil over time. The present invention also provides a method for making such biodegradable mulch material. In one preferred embodiment, the biodegradable mulch comprises biodegradable newsprint and/or newspaper. leaves, and coffee grounds.

A process for making a textile from a feedstock comprising a quantity of post-consumer apparel, each item of apparel having a desired textile composition and devoid of non-textile materials, including shredding the feedstock to obtain textile shreds, providing the textile shreds as a component in at least a first layer of a plurality of stacked layers comprising at least a second layer of supporting material, and feeding the plurality of stacked layers through a needle-felting machine in a plurality of passes, including at least one pass in each of a plurality of different 90-degree offset orientations. The textile shreds, or a mixture of the textile shreds and new textile fibers comprising no more than 15%-20% new textile fibers, may be carded with a carding machine to form a batting. Products made by the process may include a 100% cotton mulch mat for agricultural use.

Methods and processes for producing mulch products are disclosed. A mulch product that includes a fertilizer, at least one seed, and a mulch, and methods and processes for producing mulch products are detailed. The mulch includes wood pellets formed from processed raw sawdust that has been ground. The ground sawdust is formed into pellets, such as by compression. The pellets are then crumbled to form the wood pellets to have a substantially regular outer surface that minimizes engagement with the at least one seed.

Biodegradable mulch of the type used in various agricultural applications is made by multi-layer extrusion from a mixture of two compostable biodegradable polymers that comply with the EN13432 standard and that include potato starch, a black masterbatch and biodegradable recycled polymers. The mulch self-degrades in a short period of time, becoming a compostable material that enriches the soil, avoiding the collecting and cleaning tasks that are necessary in conventional mulches.

A method for making a growing medium includes a step of combining tree bark and/or wood components together to form an initial composition; heating the initial composition to a temperature greater than about 149 C. under steam in a pressurized vessel; processing the initial composition through a refiner with a plurality of opposing disks to obtain the fibrous growing medium, the refiner separating fibers from each other; wherein the growing medium has total porosity of 88 volume % or more.

A method is provided for producing a biochar solution. The method comprises the steps of collecting biochar particles, dispersing the biochar particles in a liquid solution and adding a stabilizing agent to keep the biochar in flowable suspension. The stabilizing agent may be added to the liquid solution or to the biochar prior to placing the biochar in solution.

A method is provided for producing a biochar solution. The method comprises the steps of collecting biochar particles, dispersing the biochar particles in a liquid solution and adding a stabilizing agent to keep the biochar in flowable suspension. The stabilizing agent may be added to the liquid solution or to the biochar prior to placing the biochar in solution.

A compressed growing medium or mulch fiber opener comprising at least one set of adjacent rotating members, the rotating members having a surface and including at least one wire wound around at least a portion of the surface, wherein the wire includes a plurality of projections engaging compressed or partially opened growing medium or mulch fiber, and wherein a distance between the adjacent rotating members is sufficiently small to create at least one pinch point between the adjacent rotating members, the adjacent rotating members separating the fibers as the fibers pass through the at least one pinch point so that the density of the fiber is lowered by at least 50-95%.

A process of comminution of one or more plant biomass materials having a grain direction to produce a mixture of plant biomass particles, by feeding the plant biomass material(s) in a direction of travel either substantially parallel to or substantially randomly to the grain direction one or more times through a counter rotating pair of intermeshing arrays of cutting discs (D) arrayed axially perpendicular to the direction of plant biomass travel.

A mulch collecting and distributing assembly includes a housing having a rear wall and a perimeter wall extending forward of the rear wall. The perimeter wall has a forward edge defining an access opening. The perimeter wall includes an upper wall and a lower wall. A plurality of teeth is attached to the lower wall and extends forward from the forward edge. Each of the teeth is arced upwardly from the lower wall. An upper handle is attached to the upper wall adjacent to the forward edge. A rear handle is attached to the rear wall adjacent to the upper wall. The rear wall has a support formed therein adjacent to the lower wall and extending outwardly away from the rear wall. The teeth and the forward edge are extendable into mulch to fill the interior with mulch.