Biodegradable Black Plastic Sheeting

Black plastic blocks the.

Biodegradable black plastic sheeting.

Made from natural cellulose fibers from wood pulp it breaks down after one growing season enriching the soil with organic matter. A possible alternative to black plastic mulch is biodegradable film mulches that look and act much like black plastic but instead of ripping them up in the fall you till them into the soil and the microbes degrade the material leaving you a clean field in the. The black polyethylene film is 4 mil thick and can cover up to 200 sq. Plastic sheeting can be used as a cover for outdoor protection a paint drop cloth or to winterize windows.

Black plastic black plastic does not raise soil temperature as high as clear plastic and will not kill pathogens or fungi. But it can be more effective at killing weeds. Rather than remaining stable for hundreds of years the quality for which we prized plastic when we first began using it biodegradable plastics can be broken down by microbes chewed up and. Omri listed for certified organic growing.

Adding a catalyst to conventional plastics to hasten the degradation after exposure is another approach. Farmers estimate it costs 25 100 an acre for labor and disposal of plastic mulch. Whether the latter results in true biodegradation is a matter of hot debate.