Comparison of weed control techniques to establish three ground cover species

Abstract

Weed control strategies for establishing three ground cover species were investigated by planting them in late spring then assessing eight different control treatments during the following 14 months The prostrate woody Coprosma acerosa Taiko established best with black weed mat mulch and EcoCover paper mulch although bark mulches also gave reasonable establishment rates The brittle succulent Sedum mexicanum Acapulco Gold also established well with black weed mat and paper mulch although a sawdust mulch was particularly suitable The frostprone Polygonum capitatum which regrows readily from seed did best with soil kept bare by handhoeing or selective herbicides although the paper mulch also rated well Thus the best weed control strategy varied depending on the characteristics of the ground cover being established Other considerations including relative costs are also discussed

On-farm Evaluations of Wood-derived, Waste Paper, and Plastic Mulch Materials for Weed Control in Florida Container Nurseries

“…HW mulch provided similar control to plastic and PB on many evaluation dates and overall in terms of reductions in weeding time and weed weight. Mulch degradation was not assessed in this study, but mulch durability will have a significant effect on weed control over time (Foo et al, 2010;Ruggeri et al, 2016). Greater durability likely contributed to higher levels of control with the larger particle materials such as PB and HW, in addition to the plastic mulch at later evaluation dates.…”

“…Sawdust is not a commonly used mulch material in container plant production in Florida, and different depths have not been evaluated. However, several growers have implemented sawdust as a mulch at depths of %1 inch with the goal of causing nitrogen immobilization as the sawdust degrades in the top portion of the pot where weed seeds are germinating (Foo et al, 2010). The paper slurry treatment has not been evaluated previously in container plant production, but we found through preliminary trialing that a depth of 1 inch would create the desired hard ''crust'' after drying, thus 1-inch depth was used for the paper slurry treatment.…”

Management of Bio-Waste by the Paper Mulch

“…Air movement (wind velocity) is reduced to nil at the soil surface. Soil moisture moves by capillary action to the surface and considerable losses may occur if the soil surface is not covered by a mulch [8,9].…”

Bio-Waste Management in Razi University by production of Leaf Mulch for the first time in world

“…Therefore, it will be necessary to use new methods to increase the crop in a sustainable state, without turning more natural areas into agricultural lands. One of the methods of sustainable development is the design and implementation of cover mulches to protect water and soil that can be referred to as plastic [1] and paper [2] mulches.…”