Spirogyra cordage?

[spandit]

My new pond has loads of blanket weed in if, which means that the water is clean, which is good. Seeing as it's composed of really thin filaments, I'm wondering if anyone has tried making cordage with it? I'm away at the moment so can't try it out but it's plentiful stuff and wouldn't need further processing

 

[Toddy]

Never heard of it being used, but give it a go and let us know

The thing with water plants is though that they don't need to be tough or have strong/long water carrying cells up the stems. So though they feel turgid, as they dry out they often don't have much strength.

Interested to hear how you get on with it

M

 

[spandit]

Just the lady I had in mind. I'll fish some out when I'm home and dry it to see what happens...

 

[Joonsy]

Too much Blanket Weed can reduce oxygen levels in the water so something to consider if you have fish in the pool. It is actually not a plant but a type of filamentous algae. I don’t know if you can make string from it but it’s also known as ''string algae'' but I imagine that’s because of how it grows.

http://www.blanketweed.info/

 

[Robson Valley]

The genera Spirogyra and Zygnema are filamentous green algae. However, the cells are very short and there's no elongate lignified secondary cell walls to give any strength
to a fibrous cord. Fibers made into cordage are really individual bundles of overlapping elongate cells.

However, wool staple is no longer. Carded and spun, you might be able to make a yarn suitable for weaving as a belt or knitting.
There is absolutely no reason not to do the experiment.

 

[spandit]

Could be the next big thing! Most of the stuff online is about how to get rid of it. I personally try to see weeds as useful plants

 

[Toddy]

Me too it's quite amazing how many of them prove to be good food, or medicinal, or brilliant cordage
An old lady told me as a child that weeds were just plants growing where the wind put them and not people.

I think there'd be a lot more healthy people if they ate their weeds instead of spraying poison on them.

Hear ? while I mind, the pignut seeds that I planted in a pot that bloomed last year….their own windblown seeds have sprouted in the gravel of the back path but that gravel is on top of heavy duty semi-permeable membrane, so they'll never get their roots down as they ought and I'll need to move them. If you want pignuts, they'll come from seed, just sprinkle them on an empty bit of damp underneath gravel and keep the other plants down until they take

M

 

[spandit]

I need to get some planted... desperate to try one!

 

[spandit]

I've eaten silverweed roots - they're quite tasty but not very filling!

 

[Robson Valley]

What is a "weed?" Just a plant in the wrong place.

The more I think about it, teased and carded and spun, it might be as soft as spider silk.

 

[Toddy]

Don't tempt me, I'm trying to clear out fibres and dyestuffs, not acquire more

Spandit, I'll see if this lot pot up safely, and if they do, I'll put them into a plastic bottle and send them down to you. If they don't then I'll save the seed from the pot that's growing.
If no one nearer you offer some of the nuts, I won't promise but I'll see what I can do.

atb,
M

 

[spandit]

There are some good people on this little planet and you're one of them. Thank you!