Mulching is a very useful technique for horticulturists and practically essential for professional market gardeners.
The benefits it brings are numerous, you can read them in detail in the article dedicated to the why of crops under mulch, the key point being to prevent weeds from growing around our vegetable plants. Conventional plastic sheets must be boycotted: they are not ecological materials, derived from petroleum, with a high environmental impact and when the residues remain in the ground they do not biodegrade. This is why it is important to choose a natural mulch.
A recently popular stuffing material is jute, offered by Jutatex. Burlap is strong enough, stretches well, and can be cut with a knife for transplanting garden seedlings. It is a functional solution to cover the ground and keep weeds away.
Contents
Characteristics of jute fabric
The most interesting feature is the excellent permeability: water passes through the fabric, the floor breathes and is optimally oxygenated, which reduces mold and fungus problems. Only straw among all the possible mulches guarantees this exchange of air.
Compared to classic black sheets, which come in both plastic and compostable cornstarch, the jute cover has a nicer visual appearance and heats the ground less. Therefore, it is suitable for summer crops, especially those grown in hot areas or in fields with high sun exposure.
Jutatex sheets are environmentally friendly because they use recycled materials: felt from food bags, especially coffee bags. The fabric is made using mechanical needles, without the use of glue or other chemicals, so it’s all natural and can easily degrade in the garden. At the end of cultivation, the work of collecting the tissue is avoided: simply grind, mix the jute residue with the soil, thus enriching the soil with the organic substance that will nourish future plants.
The benefits of cover fabric
The upholstery fabric has some advantages over straw: the main one is ease of use . Compared to straw or sheets, the sheet is certainly more practical to put on, since you just have to unroll it. In professional agriculture, since there are systems of mechanization very effective in addition to some stretch, fabric is still used.
the towel is optimal for transplanting plants : first the towel is spread out and then it is perforated to put the plants. There are pre-perforated sheets or with useful indications to have the precise planting scheme. In the case of field planting, it is much more troublesome to mulch the leaves.
Another big advantage of the blade is the fact that it is very efficient in heating capturing the rays of the sun, this if the very popular black blade is chosen.
It is recommended always use sheets of natural materials : in this case the jute, which also has the advantage of not requiring shrinkage work, since it degrades on the ground.