How to Pick Cotton Lines

Cotton is grown in rows, or lines. Large-scale cotton farms use machines to pick cotton lines. Picking cotton lines by hand is more economical for smaller crop sizes, but also allows pickers to selectively pick cotton that is ripe for picking where machines take the entire bud of all cotton plants in a line. Hand-pickers can also remove leaves from the cotton onsite reducing the need to sift through the cotton later.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Cotton bag

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Don gloves and cotton bag.

   • 2

     Start with the first cotton plant in the line. Assess the plant to see if the cotton bulb has fully bloomed. The cotton tuft will be fully exposed if the cotton is ready for picking.

   • 3

     Hold the base of the bulb with one hand. Loosen the cotton tuft gently from the bulb until it is removed in whole.

   • 4

     Move to each subsequent plant. Repeat Steps 2 and 3. Be careful not to remove cotton from bulbs that aren't fully bloomed.