Hair and waste wool can be used as slow-release fertilizers, according to research reported in the April issue of HortIdeas. Hair was collected from barber shops, wool was from ewes shorn in spring and stored for as long as two years. Average analyses (on a weight basis; the first of each pair of numbers refers to hair, while the second refers to wool): carbon, 41.3%, 28.3%; water, 7.1%, 7.2%; nitrogen, 0.14%, 0.11%; calcium, 0.25%, 0.11%; sulfur, 9.0%, 5.1%; magnesium, 0.08%, 0.34%; potassium, 0.007%, 3.30%; sodium, 0.019%, 0.12%; iron, 0.004%, 0.02%; copper, 0.002%, 0.001%; manganese, 0.0002%, 0.002%; zinc, 0.02%, 0.05%; phosphorus, 0.01%, 0.08%; boron, 0.0006%, 0.0005%; aluminum, 0.002%, 0.01%. The researcher says that these figures indicate a “more balanced” nutrient composition for wool than for hair, but also the potential for sodium buildup if wool is used as a fertilizer over long periods of time.