[CH] Mulches
Byron Bromley (Byron.Bromley@gsd-co.com)
Wed, 10 May 2000 11:23:37 -0400
There is a newer mulch, It is made from paper, has holes in it like a screen
to allow water and air to pass thru. It is also bio-degradeable, It starts
to rot down after about 3 months. Might be a better choice.
IR Mulches, At Seminars with Dr Otho Wells, UNH and Dr Richard Ashley of
UCONN.
IR mulch works well with tomatoes, because tomatoes respond to it as weed
competition and will grow faster.
However peppers do not respond to weed competition. Yeild increases of
peppers and IR mulch were less than 1%.
Dr Ashley and Dr Mike Orzolek at Penn State show a yeild increase of about
5% in peppers using green mulch.
White/Aluminum mulches will reduce aphids, but will also bake your plants
when it gets hot.
Yellow will attract aphids
Blue attracts thrips.
Black, warms soil in cool weather, but bakes the roots and dries the soil in
hot weather.
My choice, None
Byron