A rare summer resident will allow the growth of weeds on his site. Experienced growers and gardeners know that there is no use for weed grass, and there is a lot of harm. Weeds take food and moisture from crops, releasing toxic substances into the ground. All summer residents are trying to get rid of “uninvited guests” on the site, weeding beds and flower beds throughout the summer period. However, weeds do not give up and reappear after each weeding. It is especially difficult to deal with perennial weeds, breeding rhizomes, creeping shoots or multi-tiered root offspring. Previously, such an “infection” was removed from the site with the help of black plastic film, cardboard sheets, old floor coverings and other materials that did not allow sunlight. Now manufacturers of goods intended for gardening, offer summer residents to use non-woven covering material from weeds, capable of passing air and water, but delaying the sun's rays.
Types of Nonwoven Covering Materials
Non-woven materials are available not only for weed control, but also to protect plants from return frosts and excessively scorching sun rays. Therefore, when choosing a material, you must pay attention to the manufacturer's recommendations. Weed cover material is marketed under various names, such as:
- Agril
- Spanbond
- Lutrasil;
- Agril
- "Agrotex";
- Lumitex;
- "Agrospan" and others.
Regardless of the name, all non-woven covering materials manufacturers are divided into four groups:
- easy;
- average;
- white tight;
- black tight.
Each group is endowed with a specific set of properties and characteristics that affect the way this cover sheet is used. For example, light webs with low density cover the beds to protect seedlings from frost. Growing seedlings raise weightless material with their tops, while remaining under reliable shelter from adverse climate manifestations. Nonwoven fabrics from the fourth group, which have the highest density and are black in color, help in the fight against weeds. Due to the dark color, the material retains sunlight, while perfectly accumulating heat. The listed properties determine the main purpose of the use of non-woven material, which consists in mulching the beds.
Non-woven covering materials have unique qualities that inhibit the growth of weeds and provide free penetration of moisture and air to the root system of plants
How to use covering material?
Mulching agrofibre refers to non-woven polypropylene materials that do no harm to cultivated plants, animals or humans. At the same time, agrofibre does not give a single chance to weeds that die from the lack of light, trying to break through dense material. The density of mulching covering materials is 50-60 grams per square meter.
Scheme of using non-woven covering material from weeds. Cultured plants are planted in holes made with a sharp peg. Weeds die because sunlight is not available to them.
The method of application is as follows:
- black agrofibre is spread on the soil dried up after winter and prepared for planting, in order to prevent weeds from growing throughout the entire area of the bed;
- seedlings are planted in cross-shaped slots made in a covering sheet with a sharp peg or cutting object.
The video shows a method of using non-woven covering material on the example of growing strawberries:
Black agrofibre or two-tone material?
Amateur gardeners, like farmers engaged in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables on a large scale, are exempted from the need to purchase and use herbicides against weeds. Also, they do not have to disappear in suburban areas with choppers, spending a lot of physical effort and time for weeding. There are simply no weeds. Only useful crops grow in even rows.
In addition, the fruits remain clean after rains, as they do not touch the ground. Strawberries grown on aggro-fiber ridges can be harvested immediately after rain. Berries lie on a dry cloth and have a beautiful presentation. They can be served on the table, slightly rinsed with dust, or taken to the market for sale. Using agro-fiber mulching black, you can achieve earlier ripening of the crop. It is possible to reduce the term for growing crops to two weeks due to the early heating of the sheltered land.
The use of mulching agrofibre eliminates the large amount of work to care for planting in the garden, since there is no need to weed the beds
An interesting novelty appeared in the range of covering materials - a two-color mulching agrofibre that surpasses the functionality of ordinary black cloths. The manufacturer improved the product by combining two thin layers of white and black. As a result, on one side the covering material is black, and on the other white. The dark side of the canvas is laid on the ground, and the light surface is on top and reflects sunlight that falls on plants and fruits from below, accelerating their growth and maturation.
Important! The white surface of the mulching two-color agrofibre does not allow the root system to overheat, which affects the growth rate of crops grown on the site and the uniformity of fruit ripening.
Agrofibre or film: which is more profitable?
Most farmers and amateur gardeners "the old fashioned way" continue to use black plastic wrap for weed control. However, it is more profitable to use mulching agrofibre, since this material:
- perfectly passes water, so watering can be arranged by overhead irrigation;
- allows you to freely apply water-soluble fertilizers, which, passing through the canvas, are completely absorbed by plants;
- under agrofibre, passing air, mold and rottenness does not form, which cannot be said about a polyethylene film;
- does not create a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microbes that inhibit the root system of plants;
- protects the soil from drying out, thanks to which the soil the top layer of soil does not compact, and, therefore, does not need loosening;
- interferes with weed growth between rows, reducing labor costs.
Most modern mulch materials are designed to last for several seasons. For example, the mulching covering material from weeds of the AgroLux company can be on the site from a year to three or more years.
When growing strawberries or strawberries, this is beneficial, because after a certain interval of time, planting needs to be updated. At this moment, the covering material also changes, because the resource of the old canvas is fully developed. The service life of the covering sheet depends on the presence of a UV stabilizer in its composition, which protects the nonwoven material from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation.
Mulching the soil with non-woven black materials allows you to grow tomatoes on the garden plot without much hassle and physical effort
The use of non-woven material in the device tracks
So that the paths laid throughout the garden always have a neat appearance, it is necessary to use mulching covering material. This canvas will prevent weeds from growing between individual track elements. Since the non-woven fabric is able to pass water, you will not find puddles on the track after the rain. All moisture is absorbed into the soil, passing through the mulching material. After excavation, the bottom of the trench is leveled and compacted. Then spunbond, agrospan or other inexpensive type of covering material is spread, covering it with rubble, bark, expanded clay, decorative stone or simple gravel. Trunk circles of fruit trees are drawn in a similar manner.
The correct design of the tree trunk circle. So that the grass does not break out from under the crushed stone layer, it is necessary to use a mulching non-woven material
Wherever there is a chance of germination of unwanted grass, it is necessary to lay non-woven covering material of black color. This will solve the problem of the appearance of weeds once and for all. The competent use of non-woven covering cloths increases the attractiveness of the site.
