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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] herbicides for use in a cut flower garden

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  • From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] herbicides for use in a cut flower garden
  • Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:34:55 -0400

I want to add to what Shawnee Flowerfarmer said. The last two years I've been trialing a truly biodegradable plastic mulch film for crop production. It performs like any other plastic mulch but does not need removal. It just biodegrades at the end of the season. For those unfamiliar with plastic mulch, it is a plastic strip on a long roll that can be laid and secured on the ground mechanically. The grower plants transplants through holes they make in the film. The mulch provides weed control, moisture retention and boosts plants growth by converting light to heat (greenhous effect). Plants produce more and earlier generally.

The product I used came from Ball Seed. It performed very well. Last year I left it in the ground into Winter. We disced the remains into the soil this Spring. By all appearences it's gone. The product we applied this Spring is deteriorating earlier, probably because we've had 14" of rain in the last 6 weeks. But I'm very pleased with it. I think a cut flower or vegetable grower who uses the plastic film on raised beds with organic mulches between the rows will have a great growing system. Drip irrigation under the mulch would just make it better.

Bill

> > > Which herbicides can be used when growing flowers? > > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > >


William H. Shoemaker
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
St Charles Horticulture Research Center
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

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