Soil-biodegradable mulches (BDMs) can be applied using the same tools and equipment used to apply conventional plastic mulch with some modifications to take into account differences in material properties. Mechanical strength of polyethylene (PE) mulch is greater than that of BDMs. It is important to adjust the mulch tension when laying BDMs to avoid tears during the application process. Resources on this page provide guidelines on mulch laying so growers can properly apply BDMs on their farms.
Management of BDMs is similar to other mulches. However, significant rips and tears may need to be repaired if they occur shortly after application and have the potential to interfere with crop performance. Note, however, BDMs will naturally degrade over time and some breakdown is expected before soil incorporation at the end of the cropping season. This breakdown should not be perceived as a “mulch failure”, but is how BDMs are designed to perform.
Fact Sheets & Articles
- Dimensions and Costs of Polyethylene, Paper and Biodegradable Plastic Mulch (PDF)
- Dimensions and Costs of Biodegradable Plastic and Polyethylene Mulches (PDF)
- Mechanically Laying Biodegradable Paper and Plastic Mulch (PDF)
- Mechanically Laying Mulches in Tissue Culture Raspberry (PDF)
- Soil Fumigation and Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Application (PDF)
- Important Considerations for the use of Biodegradable Mulch in Crop Production (PDF)
Videos
- Challenges of Removing and Recycling Plastic Mulch (video)
- Laying Biodegradable Mulch (video)
- Rototilling in Biodegradable Mulch (video)
- Performance and Adoptability of Biodegradable Plastic Mulch for Sustainable Specialty Crop Production: Project Introduction (video)
- Soil Sampling to Assess Biodegradable Mulch Fragments in the Field (video)
Reports
- Biodegradable mulch films: their constituents and suitability for organic agriculture (PDF). American Society for Horticultural Science, Cowan, J., C. Miles, and S. Ghimire, August 7 – 11, 2016. Atlanta, GA.