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  • From: Steve Diver <steved AT ncat.org>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] speaking of mulch
  • Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 09:52:45 -0500

Four practical ideas on alternatives to weedy mulch.
Where hay is going to be used and weed seeds are
a concern:

1.1

Use a sheet mulch. First lay down 6-8 layers of
newsprint and then lay 4-6" in hay on top of this.
The mulch is moistened as you water the crop.

The weed seeds will germinate but the roots won't immediately
peg down into the soil while the newsprint is still intact. They are much easier to pull out of the sheet mulch than
roots established in soil.
It is a lot of work to put spread newsprint first, then mulch.
For quick application of a sheet mulch, look into commercial
rolls of Kraft paper or Paper Mulch.
Weed suppression is noticeably greater when you have
a sheet-barrier against emerging soil-germinating weeds
than than with hay or straw laid directly on top of the soil,
alone.


1.2

Look into an infra-red weeder.
Apply the hay mulch on top of bare ground as usual.

Fast application, thick mulch.

When hay-mulch weeds appear, fry them with a
hand-held infra-red weeder.

See:

Forevergreen Eco-Weeders: "Lady" model
http://www.chemfree-weedcontrol.com/
http://www.chemfree-weedcontrol.com/products/lady.shtml


1.3

Fry the emerging mulch-weeds with natural
herbicides.

Apply the hay mulch on top of bare ground as usual.

Fast application, thick mulch.

When hay-mulch weeds appear, fry them with
a contact natural herbicide.

Many are commercially available as formulations
of acetic acid and other ingredients.

You can also purchase industrial strength
acetic acid vinegar and use it straight or at
diluted rates.


2.0

Finally, look into wheat or rye "hay" as a complete
alternative to weedy hay mulch and straw mulch.

Wheat hay is actually fairly common in Oklahoma
and Kansas, and other parts of the Winter Wheat
Belt.
You simply bale the wheat or cereal rye before
the seeds actually "mature"; for example, bale at
the flowering to watery or milk stage of seed head
development.
Avoid wheat berries!!

Growth Stages of Wheat, Barley, and Wild Oat
http://weeds.montana.edu/crop/Growth_stages_book/p2_3_4_5.htm

Growth and Development Guide for Spring Wheat
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/DC2547.html


A number of market farms keep haying equipment
on hand -- either square bale or large-round bale --
for the purpose of growing their own weed-free mulch.

I hope these ideas are helpful.

Steve Diver
http://www.attra.ncat.org







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