I don't want to weed, I'll mulch!
1 June 2019 15:25
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Mulching with film. Simple techniques. Part 1
I don't want to weed, I'll mulch!
Published in "Flora-Price" magazine, June 2004, Saint Petersburg
Considerable areas in many countries are covered with films. One can drive for a long time along the fields, where various crops are grown under the films. These are vegetables, flowers, and fruit plants: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, apples, gooseberries, currants, and many others. Such an agricultural technique - soil mulching with films - has been used worldwide for decades. And it turned out to be economically profitable for a number of significant circumstances.
The word "mulching" comes from the English word mulch - covering something with straw or manure. Vegetable growers "copied" this process from nature. Indeed, in places untouched by human hands, under trees, shrubs, and other plants, the soil is always protected by a layer of decayed leaves, needles, dead plant material. One of the first mulching materials was a mixture of leaves and straw, which was spread around plants to protect their roots from frost. Today the term "mulching" is understood as covering the soil's surface with some material.
Mulching the soil provides following effects:
With the advent of polymeric film materials, they became very widely used for soil mulching. In many foreign countries, film mulching has become a common technological technique for growing plants in open and protected ground. In the USA and other countries, film mulching is used on tens of thousands of hectares of tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, etc.
For many years, research on mulching with a variety of films has been conducted by Russian scientists, including at the Leningrad Agrophysical Institute.
For mulching we use films with different spectral characteristics. Translucent films not only do not suppress, but on the contrary, contribute to the rapid growth of weeds under mulch, which is acceptable only in areas free of weeds, and for normal field conditions, it is necessary to pre-treat the soil with herbicides. Germination of seedlings and growth of weeds is practically not inhibited if the transparency of the films is decreased from 80-99% to 45-50%. With the further decrease in transparency, weed growth slows dramatically, and once 5-10 percent transparency is reached, annual weeds are killed. Perennial rhizomatous weeds (couch grass, thistle, creeper, etc.) completely die off only at zero transparency of the film. Of all the films with the task of suppressing the growth of weeds fully cope only very black light-tight film.
Mulching significantly delays the evaporation of moisture from the soil and thus contributes to higher temperatures. In dry years, mulched soil contains more moisture than unmulched soil. The coefficients of water consumption by plants on mulched soil are the lowest, so mulching of soil is to a certain extent replacement of irrigation.
When the soil surface is dry, its temperature in the open area is always higher than under the film. Consequently, in dry periods of summer, the mulch of black film improves the water regime of the soil and reduces the temperature of the soil surface, which is a positive factor. In northern countries, mulch around plants warms the soil, while in southern countries, it saves them from heat and strong evaporation of moisture.
Mulching prevents the formation of soil crust, which is essential for uniform plant emergence and growth stability because it limits the flow of oxygen to the seedlings, causing them to suffocate. When growing perennial berry crops under black film mulch, soil compaction does not occur even in 4-5 years of continuous use. Mulching the soil with films reduces its compaction by precipitation, especially of the storm type.
This technique has the effect of increasing the biological activity of the soil, largely determining its fertility. The film serves as a protective shelter for representatives of useful soil fauna. When the film is mulched, the food regime improves: nitrate-nitrogen accumulates in the upper soil layers (from the decomposition of weeds). Nitrification under the film continues even in autumn. The soil increases the content of humus and activates the activity of earthworms, as a result, it becomes more loose and is not clogged after rains and watering. Mulching also increases the number and activity of beneficial microorganisms in the soil and reduces the leaching of readily soluble nutrients because the film prevents the soil from being soaked by rainwater.
Some mulches, such as well-decomposed manure and garden compost, provide additional nutrition to plants. However, it is not advisable to replace mulching with fertilizer because the plants may still feel a lack of nutrients. With film mulching, moisture loss by evaporation mainly occurs through the planting holes. At the same time, planting holes serve to infiltrate rainwater into the soil. It has been found that slot holes (longitudinal or transverse film cuts) protect the soil from evaporation and promote better rainfall penetration into the soil than round, square or other shapes.
In winter, mulched soil retains heat better, which is important when growing perennial plants. In frosty snow-free winters, film-covered seedbeds freeze less because film mulch is a moisture-proof material that traps moisture vapor from deeper, warmer soil layers. At sub-zero temperatures, moisture condenses on the film's interior surface, forming a layer of loose frost, that acts like an "artificial snowdrift". Thermal protection is increased by 5-100C compared to open soil. It is especially important for fruit trees on dwarf rootstocks, whose frost-resistance of the root system is not high enough, and garden strawberries, the roots of which are at a small depth.
Mulch films have another valuable property, namely, to inhibit the development of diseases of various crops, which is especially important for strawberries. Fighting grey rot in strawberries has been an important objective in the application of film mulching. Studies in the U.S. have shown that mulching the soil surface significantly reduces nematodes.
A significant feature of film mulch is the ability to suppress weed growth without using herbicides, because it is not selective to weed species, destroys them at any phase of growth - from seedlings to adult plants and does not pollute the environment.
After removing the film, which has been on the soil for several months, weeds grow again even without loosening the soil. Sustained weed suppression only occurs under black film after years of continuous use, for example, in mulching fruit and berry crops. For these crops, films with a long service life are usually used.
Also, black mulch film is used to develop virgin land. To do this, cover the film overgrown with weeds, and in 1-2 months, remove it - the soil is loose, and weeds are absent, and it can be easily processed.
In this regard, the black mulch film has the following requirements: it must not let the light in, must be thin and elastic so that it fits tightly to the soil surface, and the temperature (reaching 50-70 deg. C) burned out the weeds under it. It is also important that the film be strong - to contain the growth of weed shoots with sharp leaves.
With mulching, you can significantly reduce the time you spend on tending your garden plants (watering and weeding) and at the same time increase the yield. Various materials - both organic and polymeric - are used for mulching. They have different textures and colors, and therefore have other properties which affect plant growth and vitality. Find out how to choose the suitable mulching material in the next issue.
N. Alexeeva, NPF "Shar"
Published in "Flora-Price" magazine, June 2004, Saint Petersburg
Considerable areas in many countries are covered with films. One can drive for a long time along the fields, where various crops are grown under the films. These are vegetables, flowers, and fruit plants: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, apples, gooseberries, currants, and many others. Such an agricultural technique - soil mulching with films - has been used worldwide for decades. And it turned out to be economically profitable for a number of significant circumstances.
The word "mulching" comes from the English word mulch - covering something with straw or manure. Vegetable growers "copied" this process from nature. Indeed, in places untouched by human hands, under trees, shrubs, and other plants, the soil is always protected by a layer of decayed leaves, needles, dead plant material. One of the first mulching materials was a mixture of leaves and straw, which was spread around plants to protect their roots from frost. Today the term "mulching" is understood as covering the soil's surface with some material.
Mulching the soil provides following effects:
- weed suppression and elimination without the use of herbicides;
- saving manual labor for weeding;
- soil moisture retention;
- prevents the formation of soil crust;
- improvement of the soil temperature regime;
- protection of the root system of perennial plants from severe frosts in winter in the absence of snow;
- increasing the biological activity of the soil;
- accelerating the ripening of crops under cultivation;
- increasing yield;
- fertilizer savings;
- suppression of disease development in various crops.
With the advent of polymeric film materials, they became very widely used for soil mulching. In many foreign countries, film mulching has become a common technological technique for growing plants in open and protected ground. In the USA and other countries, film mulching is used on tens of thousands of hectares of tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, etc.
For many years, research on mulching with a variety of films has been conducted by Russian scientists, including at the Leningrad Agrophysical Institute.
For mulching we use films with different spectral characteristics. Translucent films not only do not suppress, but on the contrary, contribute to the rapid growth of weeds under mulch, which is acceptable only in areas free of weeds, and for normal field conditions, it is necessary to pre-treat the soil with herbicides. Germination of seedlings and growth of weeds is practically not inhibited if the transparency of the films is decreased from 80-99% to 45-50%. With the further decrease in transparency, weed growth slows dramatically, and once 5-10 percent transparency is reached, annual weeds are killed. Perennial rhizomatous weeds (couch grass, thistle, creeper, etc.) completely die off only at zero transparency of the film. Of all the films with the task of suppressing the growth of weeds fully cope only very black light-tight film.
Mulching significantly delays the evaporation of moisture from the soil and thus contributes to higher temperatures. In dry years, mulched soil contains more moisture than unmulched soil. The coefficients of water consumption by plants on mulched soil are the lowest, so mulching of soil is to a certain extent replacement of irrigation.
When the soil surface is dry, its temperature in the open area is always higher than under the film. Consequently, in dry periods of summer, the mulch of black film improves the water regime of the soil and reduces the temperature of the soil surface, which is a positive factor. In northern countries, mulch around plants warms the soil, while in southern countries, it saves them from heat and strong evaporation of moisture.
Mulching prevents the formation of soil crust, which is essential for uniform plant emergence and growth stability because it limits the flow of oxygen to the seedlings, causing them to suffocate. When growing perennial berry crops under black film mulch, soil compaction does not occur even in 4-5 years of continuous use. Mulching the soil with films reduces its compaction by precipitation, especially of the storm type.
This technique has the effect of increasing the biological activity of the soil, largely determining its fertility. The film serves as a protective shelter for representatives of useful soil fauna. When the film is mulched, the food regime improves: nitrate-nitrogen accumulates in the upper soil layers (from the decomposition of weeds). Nitrification under the film continues even in autumn. The soil increases the content of humus and activates the activity of earthworms, as a result, it becomes more loose and is not clogged after rains and watering. Mulching also increases the number and activity of beneficial microorganisms in the soil and reduces the leaching of readily soluble nutrients because the film prevents the soil from being soaked by rainwater.
Some mulches, such as well-decomposed manure and garden compost, provide additional nutrition to plants. However, it is not advisable to replace mulching with fertilizer because the plants may still feel a lack of nutrients. With film mulching, moisture loss by evaporation mainly occurs through the planting holes. At the same time, planting holes serve to infiltrate rainwater into the soil. It has been found that slot holes (longitudinal or transverse film cuts) protect the soil from evaporation and promote better rainfall penetration into the soil than round, square or other shapes.
In winter, mulched soil retains heat better, which is important when growing perennial plants. In frosty snow-free winters, film-covered seedbeds freeze less because film mulch is a moisture-proof material that traps moisture vapor from deeper, warmer soil layers. At sub-zero temperatures, moisture condenses on the film's interior surface, forming a layer of loose frost, that acts like an "artificial snowdrift". Thermal protection is increased by 5-100C compared to open soil. It is especially important for fruit trees on dwarf rootstocks, whose frost-resistance of the root system is not high enough, and garden strawberries, the roots of which are at a small depth.
Mulch films have another valuable property, namely, to inhibit the development of diseases of various crops, which is especially important for strawberries. Fighting grey rot in strawberries has been an important objective in the application of film mulching. Studies in the U.S. have shown that mulching the soil surface significantly reduces nematodes.
A significant feature of film mulch is the ability to suppress weed growth without using herbicides, because it is not selective to weed species, destroys them at any phase of growth - from seedlings to adult plants and does not pollute the environment.
After removing the film, which has been on the soil for several months, weeds grow again even without loosening the soil. Sustained weed suppression only occurs under black film after years of continuous use, for example, in mulching fruit and berry crops. For these crops, films with a long service life are usually used.
Also, black mulch film is used to develop virgin land. To do this, cover the film overgrown with weeds, and in 1-2 months, remove it - the soil is loose, and weeds are absent, and it can be easily processed.
In this regard, the black mulch film has the following requirements: it must not let the light in, must be thin and elastic so that it fits tightly to the soil surface, and the temperature (reaching 50-70 deg. C) burned out the weeds under it. It is also important that the film be strong - to contain the growth of weed shoots with sharp leaves.
With mulching, you can significantly reduce the time you spend on tending your garden plants (watering and weeding) and at the same time increase the yield. Various materials - both organic and polymeric - are used for mulching. They have different textures and colors, and therefore have other properties which affect plant growth and vitality. Find out how to choose the suitable mulching material in the next issue.
N. Alexeeva, NPF "Shar"
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