Benefits of Mulching Technique in Agriculture

Benefits of Mulching Technique in Agriculture

Advantages of mulching Dry Mulching Garden Mulch Importance of Mulching Live Mulching Mulch Mulching Films Mulching sheets Newspaper mulching plastic mulching Polythene mulching What is Mulch?

Mulchor Mulching is the common word in most of the agriculture related farming or cultivation. Mulch is basically a protective layer spread on top of the soil to control the effects of local climatic conditions.

Benefits of Mulching :

Mulch helps to adjust soil temperature during hot summer and winter seasons

Mulch helps to retain soil moisture by slowing evaporation process

Some live mulch material help in nitrogen fixing the soil

Mulch helps to control weeds by blocking sunlight

Mulch helps to control soil erosion

Mulch helps to add organic matter and soil nutrients through the gradual breakdown of mulch material used

Two types of mulch material is commonly used to retain water or moisture, they are

Dry Mulch and Live Mulch.

Dry Mulch– Commonly used mulch items are hay, straw, leaves, waste papers, sawdust and wood chips.

Live Mulch– Fast growing cover crops such as velvet beans that will suppress the weeds and help in nitrogen fixing the soil.

Poly mulching sheets, Mulching sheets and films are also available in the market.

Mulching is very useful in the areas where water scarcity is high. Mulch height should be 2 to 4 inches to effectively retain the soil moisture for long period.

See also :

Advantages of Drip Irrigation

Greenhouse Farming and its advantages

Hydroponics Farming Technology

Advantages of Plastic Mulching Sheets

Advantages of Plastic Mulching Sheets

lasagna muclhing films Mulch permaculture plastic mulch

What is a Mulch?

Mulches are loose coverings or sheets of materials placed on the surface of the cultivated soil.

It is also called as lasagna gardening, sheet composting and permaculture gardening.

Basic concept is to place layers of nitrogen and carbon rich materials on top of the soil and break down naturally. Mulching sheet technique suppresses weeds and makes soil fertile. 

It is best to transplant seedlings rather than seeding directly into the mulch as seeds can get lost in the coarse materials.

It is effective for vegetables, shrubs, perennials and trees.

What is meant by Plastic Mulch / Mulch Film?

It’s used similar to mulch suppresses weeds and conserve water in crop production.  It is often used in conjunction with Drip Irrigation.

Crops grow through thin slits or holes in thin plastic sheets.

See also drip irrigation

Advantages of Plastic Mulching Sheets

Soil Moisture Retention

Absorbs water from Rainfall and slows the evaporation from soil.  Improved water retention reduces the frequency of irrigation.

Cost Control

Reduction of overall maintenance of labour

Soil Temperature

Mulching material absorbs sun rays and slows the temperature increase of the soil.  As the temperature fall in winter, the layer of the mulch helps to retain heat.

Reduces Root Damage

Using plastic mulch creates weed free area around the plant, removing the need for cultivation except between the rows of plastic.

See also sprinkler irrigation

Weed Control

Mulch prevents the sunlight from reaching the germinating weeds so they won’t grow.

Soil Nutrients

The decomposed organic material such as woods, leaves adds nutrient-rich organic matter to the soil.

The decomposed material also improves the structure of the soil by adding space between particles in the soil.

Improved Crop Quality

Mulching films keep ripening fruits off the soil.  This reduced contact with soil keeps the fruits and vegetables clean.