A recent post about plastic mulch got me to doing a little thinking about the subject.
I think we all know the quick arguments for benefits for using a colored mulch: Earlier better quality fruit, Increase soil temperature, more efficient Weed Control, Decrease leaching of fertilizers, Reduce labor for cultivation around plants, etc.
The Most common types are:
Black Tomato, peppers, eggplant, vine crops, etc.
Brown Used for Higher Soil Temperatures
Red Early Cool Season Tomatoes
Blue Melons and Squash
White Cool Crops like Cauliflower and Broccoli.
Silver or Metallic Better insect control and lover soil Temp.
What I found important is that there is yield difference for what color you use.
According to GrowingTaste.Com
"Pepper - this crop appears to respond better to silver mulch (as compared to black), with an average 20% increase in marketable fruit yield and fruit size over a 3-year period. The lowest yields of marketable peppers at this location were harvested from plants grown on either white or light-blue mulch. In more southerly climates, below North Carolina, pepper response to white mulch would be entirely different. Pepper plants grown on green IRT had marketable-fruit yields similar to plants grown on black mulch."
So why does The Silver Metallic Mulch seems to be better -
This highly reflective metallic silver mulch, made of 1.0 mil thick HDPE (high-density polyethylene plastic), disorients and repels insects such as thrips, aphids, flea beetles, and white flies by reflecting light of a particular wavelength and illuminating the normally shady underside of the leaves. With a black co-extruded bottom side, it suppresses weeds and retains moisture, but will also cool the soil from -2 to -6°F less than black plastic. Its inherent reflectivity also causes the canopy to absorb more light, resulting in up to 20% higher crop yields for particular crops, such as peppers.
In studies at the University of California Kearney Ag Center, tests show that plants grow better and more rapidly over reflective mulch than ones without any mulch. Both harvest yields and coloring of fruit increased with silver mulch. Silver mulches reflect sunlight up into the undersides of the canopy thereby increasing photosynthesis, leading to rapid growth. Mulches in general also hold temperatures at consistent levels.
In another study by the same group, aphid and whitefly numbers were lower in plants grown on reflective mulches. Reflective mulches were also shown to lower the numbers of cucumber beetles by 6 times in a study written up in Hort Technology. Apparently, insects are confused by the amount of sunlight being reflected up by silver mulch, so they are less likely to land on these plants. Silver mulch is also effective in weed control and temperature control and prevents snails from crawling across it if the shiny side is laid up.
This film is metalized one side and it is designed so the metal side (shinier side) should be face upwards. This polyethylene film is 20% stronger than other typical low-density films.
http://www.agriculturesolutions.com/Row-Covers-and-Mulching/Metallic-Silver-Mulch-1.0mil-4-x-50.html
Here is an interesting conclusion from a study from The University Of Tennessee
Silver Mulch Produces More Peppers. Black Mulch produces Bigger Peppers.
THE USE OF DIFFERENT COLORED MULCHES FOR YIELD AND EARLINESS -University Of Conn
The Silver Metallic Mulch is slightly more expensive
As of 10-18-2011 @ Harrisseeds.com
Prices for 4 X 600 x 1.00 mil Black Mulch $64.95
Prices for 4 X 600 x 1.25 mil Silver Mulch $78.95
Most of this is cut and paste but the reference links are included for you to draw your own conclusion. For me if Silver Mulch disorients and repels insects such as thrips, aphids, flea beetles,, and I can Increase Yield- sign me up.
Martin
I think we all know the quick arguments for benefits for using a colored mulch: Earlier better quality fruit, Increase soil temperature, more efficient Weed Control, Decrease leaching of fertilizers, Reduce labor for cultivation around plants, etc.
The Most common types are:
Black Tomato, peppers, eggplant, vine crops, etc.
Brown Used for Higher Soil Temperatures
Red Early Cool Season Tomatoes
Blue Melons and Squash
White Cool Crops like Cauliflower and Broccoli.
Silver or Metallic Better insect control and lover soil Temp.
What I found important is that there is yield difference for what color you use.
According to GrowingTaste.Com
"Pepper - this crop appears to respond better to silver mulch (as compared to black), with an average 20% increase in marketable fruit yield and fruit size over a 3-year period. The lowest yields of marketable peppers at this location were harvested from plants grown on either white or light-blue mulch. In more southerly climates, below North Carolina, pepper response to white mulch would be entirely different. Pepper plants grown on green IRT had marketable-fruit yields similar to plants grown on black mulch."
So why does The Silver Metallic Mulch seems to be better -
This highly reflective metallic silver mulch, made of 1.0 mil thick HDPE (high-density polyethylene plastic), disorients and repels insects such as thrips, aphids, flea beetles, and white flies by reflecting light of a particular wavelength and illuminating the normally shady underside of the leaves. With a black co-extruded bottom side, it suppresses weeds and retains moisture, but will also cool the soil from -2 to -6°F less than black plastic. Its inherent reflectivity also causes the canopy to absorb more light, resulting in up to 20% higher crop yields for particular crops, such as peppers.
In studies at the University of California Kearney Ag Center, tests show that plants grow better and more rapidly over reflective mulch than ones without any mulch. Both harvest yields and coloring of fruit increased with silver mulch. Silver mulches reflect sunlight up into the undersides of the canopy thereby increasing photosynthesis, leading to rapid growth. Mulches in general also hold temperatures at consistent levels.
In another study by the same group, aphid and whitefly numbers were lower in plants grown on reflective mulches. Reflective mulches were also shown to lower the numbers of cucumber beetles by 6 times in a study written up in Hort Technology. Apparently, insects are confused by the amount of sunlight being reflected up by silver mulch, so they are less likely to land on these plants. Silver mulch is also effective in weed control and temperature control and prevents snails from crawling across it if the shiny side is laid up.
This film is metalized one side and it is designed so the metal side (shinier side) should be face upwards. This polyethylene film is 20% stronger than other typical low-density films.
http://www.agriculturesolutions.com/Row-Covers-and-Mulching/Metallic-Silver-Mulch-1.0mil-4-x-50.html
Here is an interesting conclusion from a study from The University Of Tennessee
Silver Mulch Produces More Peppers. Black Mulch produces Bigger Peppers.
THE USE OF DIFFERENT COLORED MULCHES FOR YIELD AND EARLINESS -University Of Conn
The Silver Metallic Mulch is slightly more expensive
As of 10-18-2011 @ Harrisseeds.com
Prices for 4 X 600 x 1.00 mil Black Mulch $64.95
Prices for 4 X 600 x 1.25 mil Silver Mulch $78.95
Most of this is cut and paste but the reference links are included for you to draw your own conclusion. For me if Silver Mulch disorients and repels insects such as thrips, aphids, flea beetles,, and I can Increase Yield- sign me up.
Martin
