Mulches (Plastic and Paper)

Mulches have been used in many forms for years with excellent results for the production of early, high quality vegetables. In addition to controlling weeds, mulches increase soil temperature, allowing you to plant and harvest earlier in the season. Mulches decrease watering frequency and prevent fertilizers from leaching by retaining soil moisture, saving you time and money!

Use the versatile Black Plastic Mulch for tomato, pepper, eggplant, vine crops, and many other crops. Specialty mulches have gained in popularity in recent years and are available in a variety of colors for specific purposes. Red Mulch is designed to increase yields of early season tomatoes and strawberries. Blue Mulch has been shown in studies to increase yields up to 20% in vine crops like cucumbers, melons, and squash. White on Black Mulch works great on cool season crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and greens by keeping soil temperatures low while increasing the amount of light reflected back to the plant. The black underside on this mulch does not allow light through, providing effective weed control. Metallic Mulch disorients insects, reducing populations of insects in the field, and thereby insect damage and the spread of diseases from plant to plant.

Translucent mulches, such as Olive Mulch, increase soil temperature higher than black plastic mulch, and is best for crops like melons and other vine crops. Brown Mulch combines the best of black and olive mulches by raising soil temperatures higher than black mulch, and providing better weed control than olive mulch. Use Clear Mulch to get a jump start on sweet corn production, or our Photo-Degradable Clear Mulch to reduces costly clean up.

In short:
• Black Plastic Mulch for tomato, pepper, eggplant, vine crops, and more.
• Blue for melons and squash.
• Brown for higher soil temperatures.
• Clear Mulch, SRM Olive for higher soil temperatures for crops such as vine plants.
• Metallic for insect control.
• Paper Mulch for crops that would normally benefit from other mulches, without the need for expensive labor to remove it at the end of the season, as it will degrade.
• Red for early, cool season tomatoes.
• White on Black for cooler temperature crops such as lettuce, cauliflower, and broccoli.
• Solar combined benefits of a black and clear mulch.