Sheep fleece mulch?

[WelliesParticipant]

Hi Charles / all,
I have a couple of friends who have sheep. Each year they get rid of a load of rubbish fleeces from sheep that are possibly good for meat production but have wool no good for spinning. There are also bags of daggy bits to be had too. It takes ages to rot down and I am wondering about mulching with these fleeces. I have heard the lanolin in the fleece deters slugs but don’t know if that is true.

I am thinking I might put it around my gooseberries and currents which are tall and woody to stand up through the mulch. They are currently being swamped by grass.
I am a bit concerned that it may keep the base of each plant damp and wondering if that could cause any problems with moulds or canker or similar?

[StringfellowParticipant]

Sounds like you’ll create a slug haven, presuming you’re based in a maritime climate.

[WelliesParticipant]

We are in Pembrokeshire so usually quite damp.
We have millions of slugs. We are enclosing various areas of the garden and then shall have an army of ducks to help with the slugs.

[WelliesParticipant]

I have also found, by feeding our cow, that a sprinkling of rolled barley on the ground attracts hundreds of slugs at night.

[Author]

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