Due to the differences in cotton varieties, growth environment, planting and harvesting methods, the cotton produced also has considerable differences in fiber characteristics and prices. Among them, the most critical factors affecting the quality are the fiber length of cotton and the harvesting methods.
Long fiber cotton vs. short fiber cotton
When people think of cotton, they will immediately think of the white fiber spherical flowers growing on the branches in the cotton field. This white structure, like a flower, is called a “ball”. It is actually the fruit of the cotton tree. It is the appearance of the cotton seed after the cotton flowers are pollinated and produce cotton seeds. The fuzz on the cotton seed grows from the cotton seed skin, gradually fills the inside of the fruit, and finally breaks the fruit skin.
It is generally known that cotton is formed after flowering and bearing, and finally the fiber from the cotton seed breaks the shell of the fruit.
Cotton fibers grown on cotton seeds can be divided into 2.5 to 6.5 mm long fiber cotton, 1.3 to 3.3 mm long fiber cotton, and 1 to 2.5 mm short fiber cotton according to their length.
Generally speaking, the longer the fiber is, the softer and thinner the fabric is because the yarn is spun with fewer exposed fiber heads, which is suitable for making high-grade clothing, intimate bed sets, towels, etc., while the shorter the fiber is, the rougher the yarn is spun with more exposed fiber heads, so it is often made into wear-resistant and washable daily clothes
Hand picking vs. machine picking
In addition to the fiber length of cotton, the harvesting method will also affect the quality of cotton. High grade cotton products are almost all made of hand picked cotton, not only because the cotton harvested by hand can completely preserve the cotton fiber, but also because the cotton fruit matures from the lower end of the plant. The cotton harvested by hand can be harvested at the lower end of the plant first, and then the cotton harvested at the upper end again a month or two later, rather than being pulled up like a machine, which is not only easy to damage the fiber, but also the oil Dust may also contaminate fibers.
To harvest cotton manually, you must grasp the bottom of the cotton bell with five fingers to minimize the damage to the fiber.
In the process of machine harvesting, dead branches, sand and other impurities will be mixed into cotton, which will greatly damage the fiber.
———————————————————————————————————From Fabric Class
Post time: Oct-24-2022