Wood Pellets as Kitty Litter

Wood pellets in the cat’s litter box absorb all the moisture and turns into sawdust. This is easily sifted away as shown in the video below (by Kari Kells). This method saves the dry pellets, which are still usable, to cut down on waste. What an economical (and environmentally friendly) idea!

Traditional clay-based litter tracks easily out of the box and into the house – and is also bad for the environment. Wood pellets are 100% natural with no binders or fillers, and the kiln-dried wood fiber soaks up odor and leaves almost no scent behind.

Wood Pellets as Horse Stall Bedding

Although the word “bedding” is used – horses don’t typically need something fluffy like a bed to lay on. Horse bedding is actually used in stalls to absorb urine and moisture, and is a necessary part of properly maintaining clean stalls.

Ideal bedding material makes cleaning up messes easy, and is the least wasteful. Straw and wood shavings are commonly used, but using softwood wood pellets as horse bedding has become a fast growing trend among experienced horse and stable owners. Because wood pellets are made of densely compacted, kiln-dried wood fibers – they are twice as absorbent as shavings and hold four times the odor elimination power.

Pellet bedding is popular in many stables with tight space constraints, because storing wood pellets takes up significantly less space than other alternatives. According to the Equine Facilities Assistance Program, you would need only one bag of wood pellets (1.5 cubic feet) for every two bales of shavings (7 cubic feet).

To use wood pellets as bedding, spread loose pellets out on the cleaned floor of the stall. (Only softwood pellets can be used for horses). However many bags needed is up to the discretion of the user. Next, moisten the pellets with water. This will expand them into a super fluffy bedding that can be spread out evenly on the floor. Any soiled spots will be contained due to the super absorbency, and can be removed easily.

For both kitty litter and horse bedding – only softwood wood pellets should be used. 

Using Wood Pellet Ash in the Garden

In the beginning of Spring, when the soil is dry, wood pellet ash can be used in soil to add natural nutrients, and to reduce soil acidity. It’s important to know your soil’s pH balance before adding ashes, and what kind of plants like the soil to be acidic.

Sprinkling the ashes around plants will act as a barrier against slugs and snails trying to get to them. After a heavy rain, however, the barrier will need to be reapplied.

Stay on the safe side when using ashes in the garden, by using protective gloves, eyewear and mask. Have you had luck by adding wood pellet ash to your garden or compost pile? Let us know!

 Do you have anything to add to this list? We’d love to hear it!