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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Black Plastic Mulch Overheating

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  • From: lucy Owsley <boulderbelt AT voyager.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Black Plastic Mulch Overheating
  • Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 06:48:56 -0400

I believe we get better yield with black than red. Used red for about 5 years and did not see much difference. So now we use black landscape fabric on our maters, peppers and eggplant. The landscape fabric allows a lot more air and water to get to the soil and last 10+ seasons vs one season with the red IRT plastic mulch (actually the plastic itself will last 5+ years as long as it is not removed as I found out by visiting the farm where we started market farming and noticing the IRT we laid down for strawberries in 2001 is still there. But if we were to try and take it up it would stretch and rip making it about impossible to use again) 

We have not had much of a problem with black plastic overheating the soil but we have had it kill seedlings that get shocky and droop onto the plastic so we take small handfuls of straw, grass clippings or soil and put that where the seedlings are drooping so they are on a cool substance and not the hot plastic. As long as the seedlings do not touch the plastic they are good to go.


Lucy Goodman
Boulder Belt Eco-Farm
Eaton, OH







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