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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] agribon 15

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  • From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
  • To: <bobbett AT alltel.net>, "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] agribon 15
  • Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 13:19:44 -0500


The different grades really reflect the insulation value of the material. The thicker ones (30) are used to protect plants from cold extremes/frost, the middle ones are usually used to generate heat and promote early growth in the Spring (but they will also exclude insects) and the lightest ones are primarily for insect exclusion.

I had negative experiences with it on cole crops but perhaps the lightest grade would work okay without hoops. On summer squash my experience has been pretty good. But the squash need insect pollinators so you'll need to remove the covers at the first sign of flowering. Usually that's okay because the insect problems take a while to develop on the squash and you'll get some harvest in before the damage gets too bad.

I've re-used the materials before but it depends on how well they're handled and what the outside environment does to them. They hold up pretty well but critters do funny things sometimes.

Bill Shoemaker, Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
University of Illinois - St Charles Horticulture Research Center
www.nres.uiuc.edu/faculty/directory/shoemaker_wh.html


btw, is 15 the grade/thickness that most recommend?
Does it need to be propped up, like with hoops, to be put over cole
crops or squashes, or can it lie directly on the ground and then the
plants as they come up?
Do most people leave them on ALL season, or just until the plants are
well established and could probably fend off insects on their own?

And most importantly, if used for say 2-3 months in the Spring, how many
seasons can you get out of them?

Thank you :-)
Bobbett
Certified Naturally Grown
Liberty, KY




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