Thanks, Ray, for explaining the prickly pear mucilage. I was planning to use prickly pear but we've had maybe the driest year on record in this part of New Mexico so far and all my prickly pear stands are shriveled up. Brown, thin, sad looking little guys. Don't know for sure if they'll come back. Not sure where else -- within a hundred miles or so -- I could go and find healthy prickly pear paddles that I could legally harvest.
Suggestions are welcome if other New Mexicans or Coloradans know of a good, legal spot that has healthy cacti right now. (I imagine a higher elevation might, since they did get more snow this winter. But I haven't gone prickly pear prospecting in a hundred mile radius of my property.) Best, -- ken winston caine P.S. Yes, recycled, treated, shredded newspaper pulp is what blow-in cellulose insulation is. And boric acid (only takes a small amount and the stuff is $1 lb. when you buy it in 50 lb. quantities) is the commonly used fire retardant treatment. Bales of recycled newspapers usually are available free for the hauling from your local press. My understanding is that you need about 4 oz. of boric acid per 200 gallon load of newspaper/water/slurry mix in your chopper/mixer. ----- Original Message ----- From: Ray Kornele To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 8:49 AM Subject: Re: [hexayurt] re: questions re: my plans -- was re: Harbor Freight has hot knives... and <snip? I can understand the prickly pear additive. All cacti contain a high percentage of mucilage. Mucilage is used as glue in some applications. When I was in school we used it to bond paper, and craft items. It is non-polluting. As for the insulation, they are using shredded newsprint with a fire retardant in some housing construction. Has an R value of about 35 for 4 inches. KrazyKyngeKorny (Krazy, not stupid) On Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 10:50 PM, ken winston caine <[email protected]> wrote: ... They are mixing prickly pear cactus paddles in with their top coat mix, which is proving to be a really effective sealant -- for up to about 10 years so far. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en.
