AFTER the success of using wool in pellet form as a garden fertiliser and pest controller to launch her business, Sherri Symons started putting her mind to other potential uses for low-grade wool 18 months ago and came up with an idea that scooped her the Robert F.Stewart Best Innovation award at Sheepvention this year.

Marketed as an alternative to plastic pots for seedlings and offering a four-to-six-week biodegradable path when put straight into soil, Sherri said her 20-year background in wool classing – “understanding all the properties and characteristics of wool and how good it is for the environment” – led to the clever innovation.