Source: GTBOP_Archive_Summary_2026-07-23_StockDroughtAndHeat.md (Stage 2)
Character count of the description block below: 3,168 of the 5,000 available
Scaling Note
The Q&A cut was planned before this file was written. The Stage 2 package carries 12 pairs; five appear here, chosen for the findings a grower can act on and trimmed to two or three sentences each. All 21 chapter markers are retained, since chapters are what the description is for. The remaining seven pairs are in the archive summary and the website version.
Wool mulch held at least 5% more soil moisture and a root zone five to seven
degrees cooler across six warm season annuals. Melanie Stock of Utah State
University brings the numbers from a semi-arid state to Georgia growers.
Recorded July 23, 2026 at the Cut Flower Symposium, hosted by UGA Extension
and the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture. Melanie Stock is an associate
professor and extension specialist at Utah State University, where she
directs the Small Farms Lab. Moderated by Gabrielle LaTora.
CEU Categories: [PENDING]
CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome and speaker introduction
0:53 Tips and tricks from the desert: the agenda
2:46 Utah and Georgia compared: zones and elevation
4:22 Organic matter and soil structure
7:04 Holding water in sandy soils
8:45 Adding organic matter without overdoing it
10:22 Reading a compost and manure analysis
12:03 Cover crops and how to fit them in
14:04 Crop residue and residue management
15:03 Tillage: moderation and intention
16:13 Plastic mulch and root zone temperature
17:01 Natural mulches: wood chips and straw
17:48 The wool mulch trial in warm season annuals
19:47 Wool in perennials: growth and water saved
21:00 Choosing crops that take heat and drought
21:52 Day versus night sprinkler irrigation
23:22 Water at establishment, bloom, and dahlia
24:39 High tunnels and a DIY design
25:44 Shade cloth, wind, and stem length
26:30 Summary, closing, and USU survey
27:34 Q&A: wool mulch after harvest
FROM THE Q&A
What did wool mulch do in the annual trial?
Six warm season annuals under a simulated drought, wool against bare soil.
At least 5% more moisture in the soil at any given time, which Stock put at
hundreds of gallons, and a root zone five to seven degrees cooler. Every
crop performed better in wool except statice, which did not care where it
was.
How much water did wool save in the perennial study?
About 30% during establishment last year, against roughly 10% for plastic
landscape fabric compared with bare soil. Growth was greater in wool across
all three crops.
Is it better to run sprinklers at night or during the day?
Three years in turfgrass and zinnia found the opposite of what everyone
assumed. Yield in stems per square yard was much better under afternoon
irrigation, between 3 and 5 p.m., than under pre-dawn irrigation. Watering
in the heat cooled the air and the soil, and night-irrigated soils were the
drier of the two.
What should I watch on a compost analysis if I grow under a high tunnel?
Salinity. Stock said the magic number is two, and used readings of 16 and 11
as reference points for what is genuinely high. Rainfall flushes salts
through the soil; plastic over a tunnel keeps them in.
If I cannot water everything, when does water matter most?
Establishment, and bud through harvest. The vegetative stage between them is
more tolerant, though too much stress there can delay bloom. Group the heavy
drinkers together so a drought response can target them.
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Fact sheets and the compost analysis table: smallfarmslab.com
High tunnel design plans: tunnel.usu.edu
Cover crops: SARE, UGA Extension, and Andrew McGuire's blog at Washington
State UniversityDerived for UGA Center for Urban Agriculture / GTBOP Archives
Source: Stage 2 Archive Package – GTBOP_Archive_Summary_2026-07-23_StockDroughtAndHeat.md