Hung up some dried fireweed stalks collected last autumn on the balcony, to ret.
Retting is a process of "controlled rot", where, as I understand it, the dried plant stem is exposed to water, creating a bacteria-friendly environment. Those bacteria eat away at the materials that bind the bast fibres to the rest of the plant.
There is a sweet spot, I am told, where the fibres can peel off easily. Too much retting though, and the fibres also start to degrade.
My idea is that, since it's rainy season in the pacific northwest, these stalks will get exposed to plenty of moisture.
So, we'll see what happens! :D This is my first ret!
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