A background to Mulching and Mulching techniques
Mulches are natural [organic] or man-made [inorganic] materials which are placed over the soil surface to maintain soil moisture, improve soil quality and reduce or eliminate weed growth.

Specific benefits can be listed as:

1. Maintained water retention
2. Reduced water consumption
3. Controlled and maintained soil temperature
4. Inhibition of certain plant disease
5. Inhibition of certain plant pests

Whilst inorganic mulches do not improve soil structure by the addition of organic material, they do improve the soil environment for the better utilization of organic material already present in the soil through the improved control of temperature and moisture.

Excessive organic mulching can be harmful – recommended depth 50 – 100mm. Care must be taken to avoid the creation of mulch volcanoes. Mulch volcanoes are the description given to piling mulch round the base of trees, shrubs and plants. The practice of top dressing mulch that looks weathered and discoloured to make it look good creates an unhealthy situation for plants. Further, certain mulches whilst containing water and improving soil quality create breeding grounds for unwanted pests.

Problems which result from improper mulching:

1. Deep mulching:
..... Excess water in the root zone = root rot / stressing of the plant

2. Mulch Volcanoes:
..... This practice can damage stem tissue and result in lowered resistance to disease.

WATCH THIS SPACE AS WE ADD TO INFORMATION ON MULCHING!


Some interesting Mulching information
A study carried out by Unger and Parker [1976] compared some typical organic mulches for effectiveness in decreasing evaporation from the soil surface:

1. Straw is twice as effective as sorghum stubble
2. Straw is four times as effective as cotton stalks

The reasons for these differences lies in the ratios between residue thickness, surface cover and depth of the mulched layer. Sadly the quoted study does not include plastic sheet mulch. However, if one considers the criteria defined in the quoted study to the application of plastic sheet mulch, then it would not take too much thought to understand the difference between the organic mulches and plastic sheet mulch with it’s highly moisture barrier, thickness for thickness.


A thought for the environment
Paul Smith of the Millennium Seed Bank [Kew, United Kingdom] recently reported “we are seeing plant extinctions at about one thousand [1000] times the normal rate.”

Whilst plastic materials are often perceived as pollutants of the environment, a thought should be given as to how this perception has arisen – it is man and man’s misuse of plastic materials that has created the perception. The practice of using inorganic sheet [plastic sheet] to aid in the protection of the environment through the practice of crop mulching is only one example of the beneficial use of plastic material to protect and improve the environment. The reduced moisture requirements, reduced use of herbicides and the lowered potential for erosion are some of the direct and very real results which come from the sensible and correct use of plastic materials.

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Specialty coextruded film is manufactured for bunch covers for bananas. Historically known as Banana Blue. In the early 30’s it was discovered that covering bananas with Hessian bags protected them from winter chilling. Thereafter paper bags were utilized but these damaged the fruit. Plastics were first utilized in the early 50’s .Despite various colours having been used the industry has historically standardized on “Banana”Blue.

Some growers used double covers. A clear cover inside a coloured cover to provide more warmth for winter hanging bunches. By using a coextruded film with different coloured layers, farmers can use a single film. A more reflective layer is put on the outside and a darker colour on the inside . This controls the ripening process and the humidity inside the cover. The darker covers produce more chlorophyll resulting in producing bananas with stronger inner cells which gives them a longer shelf life in supermarkets. Covers are effective in increasing the yield and finger length of bunches. The main advantages of bunch covers are as follows:

• Increased yield
• Increased finger length
• More uniform fullness of fruit
• Protection from mechanical damage while fruit is hanging in the plantation.
• Prevents birds and other insects from spoiling the fruit
• Increased fruit hardness
• Protection from the elements
• Shorter winter cycle for development of fruit.

CFT manufacture Agrilene Blue, Agrilene White Agrilene Blue / White and Agrilene Silver / Brown film for bunch covers as well as Mulchlene Black / White Mulchlene Silver / Grey and Mulchlene Yellow for Mulch applications. The colour utilised is crop dependant. Film can be manufactured in thicknesses from 25 um to 200 um.






C.F.T. has developed advanced film technology which has enabled Hyson Cells(registered trade mark) to introduce an improved variant of their sacrificial formwork that is used in civil engineering to cast interlocking block roads, yards and canal liners.

The new Hyson development has a sperical zone depression in each face of the formwork fabricated during manufacture that is of the order of 10 mm deep . The cast block therefore has an improved mechanical interlock as compared to the well-known earlier product and will show superior field performance for ultra heavy load applications such as container yards.

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