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  • From: "Rob Wallbridge" <rob AT songberry.ca>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Bio degradable mulch
  • Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 17:26:05 -0400

Good points all around, Rivka -- it definitely doesn't work in all systems.
We're lucky enough to have a mulch layer that usually keeps the drip tape
low enough to prevent the problems you describe (which I had happen to me in
the first year in spots), though it's definitely not top-of-the-line, but we
don't have rocks to deal with either. We also have a mechanical waterwheel
transplanter, so I generally lay a roll or so of plastic at a time, then
plant it within a day or two.

It does seem to truly biodegrade -- my organic certifier accepts it, too,
which is not true of most "biodegradable" mulches.

Don't get me wrong -- this mulch does work to suppress weeds for the bulk of
the season, well past the point when they would pose any threat to the crop
-- you're just not going to see pristine rows of crop and plastic come fall.
Also, you don't actually see it breaking down in hot, humid weather (I'd be
in huge trouble this week!) -- the difference is observable at the end of
the season when comparing from year to year. I've also heard that they've
developed a much heavier film designed to last more than one season, and I
may try that out next year with some strawberries.

Bottom line is that it's got to fit into your system, and you can't expect
it to perform like regular plastic.

Rob Wallbridge
Songberry Organic Farm
24 Sixth Line, Bristol, QC J0X 1G0
email: rob AT songberry.ca
web: www.songberry.ca
facebook: become a fan of "Songberry Organic Farm"


-----Original Message-----
From: Road's End Farm [mailto:organic87 AT frontiernet.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 4:52 PM
To: rob AT songberry.ca; Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Bio degradable mulch


On Jul 8, 2010, at 3:57 PM, Rob Wallbridge wrote:

> 1) It's best to lay it in cool weather (early mornings work well).

I suppost most of the time we could pull that off if we tried hard.
Sometimes the best way to fit the job into the rest of the week is to
do it in the afternoon during a hot spell, though.

> 2) Plant it soon after laying it to maximize lifespan.

I like to lay all the plastic while the soil moisture conditions are
good if possible. If it's too dry, we can run irrigation under the
plastic before planting, though in a dry year it's good to save the
moisture by laying plastic while there's some moisture there to save;
but we often have long stretches of weather during the spring when our
fields are too wet to work with equipment, but if the plastic's
already down we can plant just fine. We plant by hand, and our
planting is often interrupted by other work; also we plant in plastic
some crops intended to go out sooner than others; so plastic can
sometimes be down two or three weeks before it's planted. To plant it
all right after laying it, we'd have to lay only a couple of rows at a
time; which means that we'd have to keep mounting and un-mounting the
mulch layer; and which also means that planting would often be further
delayed because weather prevented us laying the plastic right before
we wanted to plant.

> 3) The bed needs to be relatively firm and smooth to prevent tearing
> and
> holes.

So we'd need to get rid of the rocks, and also need to buy a proper
bedformer, and probably level the field in some areas before even
using that.

> 4) Aggressive perennials like milkweed and quackgrass will push
> through.

Oh, we've definitely got those. Also Canada thistle.

> 5) If drip tape is in contact with the plastic, it will disintegrate
> and
> tear where the tape is touching it.

Drip tape generally winds up in contact with the plastic all the way
down the middle of the row. So I suppose we'd have to get a different
mulch layer (possibly to go with the bed former), in order to bury the
tape deeper; or else all our rows would split down the middle soon
after planting, at which point the wind will pick the plastic up and
land it on top of the small new transplants, probably doing
considerable damage. (I had that happen once, years ago, when I was
experimenting with an old version of supposedly biodegradable mulch.)

> 6) How well it holds up depends a lot on the weather (it breaks down
> noticeably quicker in hot, wet weather).

Which is just when the weeds want to grow the fastest. And which here
is sometimes followed by hot, dry weather; during which we want the
water saving effect of the plastic mulch.

So I don't think we'll be using this stuff anytime soon. Maybe someday
somebody will come up with a biodegradable mulch that a) is actually
biodegradable, and doesn't leave the soil full of tiny bits of plastic
for years with unknown effects on soil life and b) will nevertheless
hold up long enough to last at least most of the season, without
requiring near-perfect conditions in the field to do so. Doesn't sound
like they've done it yet, though.

We mimimize the crops we use it on; but I think we're stuck with the
old plastic mulch for a while.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



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