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Silver mulch experiment

As far as growing conditions go, the temperatures have been between 100 - 108 for highs and 80-85 at night for lows. The plants do have shade from 10-3. I have been limiting their watering to about 3-4 hours once a week through my drip tape which is .6gph per emitter.

My tomatoes, which are on the same watering zone, are now showing signs of BER as well. The soil they are in was ammended with plenty of calcium to begin with, so FarmerGuy, I am going to take your advice and up the watering.

I have always mostly grown in containers with Pro-Mix so I have been expecting to see the plants wilt when they need watering, which I really haven't seen even with the 100+ temperatures everyday. I am always afraid of overwatering, last year overwatering ruined my crop and gave me tons of pods that werent hot.
 
I figured I would update the thread with a recent picture of what has now become a full on pepper forest. I really thought 4 ft between rows would leave me space to walk, but it hasn't. They still have about 6 weeks of growing season left! Its going to be a nightmare. The tallest plants are just over 5ft now.

pepper forest by GhostPepperStore.com, on Flickr
 
Considering they survived the worst weather I have ever seen, they do look pretty good. A bit of leaf curl here and there, and some damage from the cucumber beetles. These plants are really starting to load up with pods.
 
theghostpepperstore said:
Considering they survived the worst weather I have ever seen, they do look pretty good. A bit of leaf curl here and there, and some damage from the cucumber beetles. These plants are really starting to load up with pods.
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Those plants are beasts! It looks like you got great results! A few questions though... Did you notice any other garden pests in the area besides the cucumber beetles? Do you think the reflective mulch cooled the soil during the hot, dry weather to make the chiles more comfortable? Did you not plant some of your chiles in the reflective mulch as a control group? Not trying to pick apart your results... just feel for the limits of the mulch's effectiveness. Cheers!
 
stickman said:
Those plants are beasts! It looks like you got great results! A few questions though... Did you notice any other garden pests in the area besides the cucumber beetles? Do you think the reflective mulch cooled the soil during the hot, dry weather to make the chiles more comfortable? Did you not plant some of your chiles in the reflective mulch as a control group? Not trying to pick apart your results... just feel for the limits of the mulch's effectiveness. Cheers!
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I do not have what I would consider a control group since there are multiple variables between the groups of plants. This is why I do not have any definitive scientific results posted here. By observation though I think I can answer your questions.

I had no problems with pests that I normally see with the other groups, with the exception of cucumber beetles and a few grasshoppers. These plants had zero aphids, which are the pest I have the most problems with.

The mulch definitely cooled the soil. I did use my soil thermometer 1-2 times a week to monitor and when the plants were still small, and not providing much shade, the difference in soil temperature was 6-7 degrees at midday.

The one problem I did notice with keeping the soil cooler, was that at the height of the drought/heatwave these plants showed no signs of needing watering. Even when it was 105 and they had not been watered for a week, they did not wilt. I was not watering as much as I should have and they developed a calcium defeciency and BER. Once I figured that part out it has been smooth sailing.

I learned when planting out in the Spring the reflective mulch can cause serious hot spots and burn tender plants to a crisp. Also, being anywhere near this stuff when it is sunny, you better wear your shades or risk blindness.
 
DocNrock said:
Very nice. Is there a way to adapt the use of this to potted plants? Not necessary?
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I would think that adapting this to potted plants could have some benefits, especially if you have aphid problems. I would think that you could cut a peice to cover each pot, but you would need to find a way to water under it. Maybe a drip system?

My biggest problem with planting in pots has always been soil temps. It just gets way to hot here in the summer and the plants in pots really suffer. I switched to green and white containers and that has been much better than black ones.

I bought a 600ft roll of this stuff, but I am sure you can find a smaller roll somewhere if you decide to give it a try. If you can't find a small roll, let me know I have some left over I can send your way.
 
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