Colorful Plastic Mulch Might Be the Best Thing For Your Garden

Here at Crop Insurance Solutions, we’re here to help guide you through the best solutions to not only protect your crop but to help it flourish. We provide interesting tips, tricks, and facts about farming and crop insurance in hopes to help you achieve the best possible crop and health. While organic solutions always seem like the best option for your crop, what if we told you that plastic might take your crop to the next level?

What is organic mulch?

No matter if you choose organic or inorganic mulch, the results you hope to yield are often similar. You want healthy crop, less weeds, and moist soil. Natural material mulches are anything that decomposes naturally, such as bark chips, grass clippings, straw, leaves, compost, rice hulls, sawdust, or grape pomace. While most people stick with wood clippings, any of these natural materials will help create a barrier for your crop, and are often inexpensive options.

What is inorganic mulch?

The appeal of inorganic mulch is that it provides many of the same benefits as organic, with additional benefits depending on the color and texture of the mulch. It often is more expensive than organic mulch, but also more customizable, durable, and can offer a longer growing period by keeping the soil warm. Farmers and gardeners can enjoy tailored insect repellants and increased crop yield and quality. Additionally, plastic mulches are often more effective with weed control when compared to organic counterparts. It’s important to note that the research on plastic mulch is not conclusive, which is why most plastic mulches are sold with a “for trial use only” caveat.

Black Mulch

Often the widely used, available, and inexpensive colored mulch, the black plastic mulch is often said to have superior weed prevention due to its opacity. Weeds aren’t able to receive the sunlight they need to burst through the plastic, leaving you with the cleanest crop lines. As the color absorbs sunlight, many farmers opt for black plastic when they hope to warm the soil during the growing season. (Note: If keeping soil warm is your first priority, clear plastic is more effective at absorbing heat. Black plastic combines heat absorption with superior weed control, which is why most farmers opt for black over the clear option.)

Silver Mulch

Many farmers and gardeners opt for reflective silver mulch to use as a deterrent to aphids and whiteflies in an attempt to keep the viral diseases they carry at bay. These insects dislike the reflective property of the plastic, and will often choose your neighbors crop over yours if you use silver mulch. If you grow cucumber or squash and are struggling with beetles, its time to invest in silver mulch.

White Mulch

While black mulch fights to keep soil warm, white mulch has the opposite effect. Many farmers stay clear of white mulch when they live in cool weather climates and face short seasons. While white mulch accomplishes the common benefits of any mulch such as keeping weeds restricted and keeping soil moist, white mulch is able to keep crop cool when grown in hot climates. If you grow peas, broccoli, cabbage, or cauliflower, you should consider opting for white mulch.

Red Mulch

With red mulch, many crops perform better when compared to those grown with black mulch. For example, tomatoes yield 20% more fruit when grown in red mulch, and had an overall better taste. Eggplants and peppers also tend to grow larger and yield a better taste when grown in red mulch. Essentially, if your goal isn’t to keep soil warm or battle against your weed problems, but to produce the most succulent fruit, red mulch is the best option for you.

Brown Mulch

Relatively new to the market, brown Infrared Transmitting (IRT) warms soil better than any black plastic or clear plastic. IRT combines the weed suppressing properties of black plastic with the heat absorbing properties of clear plastic, creating a super mutant of a plastic mulch. Keep in mind that not all brown mulch is IRT, so be sure to consult your supplier if you’re hoping to enjoy the benefits of the infrared transmitting mulch.

What about the planet?

Many people stay away from plastic mulch due to fear of harming the environment. Plastic mulch would be extremely detrimental to the environment if it was torn up every harvest and replaced. Luckily, depending on the color, size, and quality of the mulch you purchase, your plastic mulch will last for years to come so you won’t have to worry about emitting excess amounts of plastic into the world on an annual basis. However, if you’d rather opt for something more organic, there are artificial biodegradable mulches that you can experiment with.

If you’ve already figured out your mulch preferences, but need help with your crop insurance, call us today! We’re here to help you with all of your crop insurance questions by matching you with the best solutions for your needs.