SB: Re:strawbale contents

["Leanne" <motorinn@caliph.net.au>]

hi all
thanks for your input regarding my numerous queries..
>But, it can still depend on where you are and what is the climate. Wet
area: could be back >news (leaves decompose easily). Very dry area (nearly
all the time, not just now): could work >nicely.
>What part of the world are you located in?

my location is south east queensland, australia, where it's dry a lot of
the time, but with occasional flood conditions (every two or three years),
and of course very occasionally we have years when the rain is just regular
and everything's green - no simple answers here!  it's not dry ALL the
time, so i can't use a material that's appropriate for only dry season.

>Most "prairie grass" that I have seen has large blade leaves and thick,
rigid, hollow stems. >Except for the blades, it is just like straw. After
all, straw is just what is left from a tall grass->like grain plant.

the grass in question is mainly leaf, with virtually no hollow stem part,
so perhaps inappropriate regarding insulation values, and possibly
inappropriate regarding internal combustion, although with this hot dry
windy weather we've been experiencing, i don't imagine it would take
anything very long to dry out (and not long to combust, either, looking out
over the hills right now there are several smoky pillars):

>Baled grass, if wet, also has a higher potential to self-combust - as 
>it decomposes, it generates heat just like your compost pile should. 
>Pack a bunch of insulation around that and you can make fire.
 
so, the baled grass idea may not be usable, but i'll keep looking into it,
actually i noticed in bill + athena's book (sb house) they mention using
grass in bales, but maybe it's because of a different  structure to the
grass over there. i really do appreciate having this forum to bounce ideas
around in - thank you all, and of course, any more responses will further
my thinking base on the matter.

***leanne





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