2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Recently, mulching has become a fairly common operation in our garden plots. Increasingly, we read information about new mulching materials and try everything on our site. Why is mulching so popular?
Because it allows you to reduce the amount of watering (the soil covered with mulch dries out longer), get rid of weeds, and also serves as a good protection against various pests, protects planted plants from seasonal temperature fluctuations and improves the composition of the soil, because straw and sawdust are often used as mulching material or ash. But nowadays there is a modern material - a film for mulching.
What a miracle is this film?
Mulching film is a polyethylene tape (sometimes, it is true, it is made of non-woven material) with holes through which moisture, air and fertilizers enter the plant roots. Such a film accelerates the heating of the soil, does not allow it to cool quickly and does not allow weeds to grow.
What kind of mulching film is there?
Mulching films differ in the following characteristics: thickness and color.
In terms of thickness, the film is very thin (up to 30 microns thick) and dense (from 30 to 60 microns). A very thin film does not withstand long-term use and withstands a maximum of one season, therefore it is not recommended to purchase it. We need a thicker film (one that is 30 to 60 microns thick) as it lasts longer and performs better.
The color of mulching films can be transparent, black and even two-color. On plots in zones with a temperate climate (for example, the middle zone of Russia), black film is mainly used, it retains heat well and protects against weeds. Also, a black film is good for cleaning a previously untreated area from various weeds: for this, just cover the desired area with black film for a couple of months, after this period, the film is removed, getting a clean area with loose soil and without spending time and effort to clear the land of unnecessary plants …
For hotter areas, a light-colored film with a black backing is preferable. And a brightly colored film is needed to protect against pests, since it is believed to disorient harmful insects.
Advantages of the film over other mulching products
Perhaps one of the most important advantages of artificial film over any organic mulch is that mold does not appear under the artificial material. Also, harmful insects will never start in it, and a dense impenetrable film will not give an opportunity to develop diseases in the soil.
Another advantage is that weeds completely stop growing under the black artificial film. The lack of light does not allow the seeds of unnecessary plants in the soil to germinate, and also does not allow the development of weeds already on the site, and they eventually die from a lack of light. This means that gardeners do not have to waste time and energy on regular weeding of the beds on the site. Note. That the transparent film will not protect the area from weeds, because it transmits light, which means that weeds can perfectly develop under it.
In addition to all of the above, a plot covered with a mulching film requires much less water for watering plants than a plot without mulch, since the film perfectly retains moisture in the soil, preventing it from evaporating. This means that you will have to spend less energy on watering and pay less for water. Well, because of the film, a dense crust does not form on the soil surface, which completely eliminates the need to loosen the beds.
Well, and a nice bonus - after the rain, the leaves and stems, as well as the fruits of the plants in the area with the mulching film, remain absolutely clean.
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