On Jun 13, 10:35?am, wrote:
if it is mulch vs bare dirt, correct.

if however it is RED mulch vs ?? the ?? needs to be some OTHER color
of mulch. hell, it can even be shredded newspaper.

I think it is obvious that mulch will cool the soil and keep the soil
moist much longer. no experiment is needed at all.

Actually anything that impedes evaporation keeps the soil from
cooling... evaporation is what cools soil, the more air circulation
the more the soil cools. Most mulches (unless highly reflective and
porous) act to keep soil warmer... dark mulches can kill plants by
causing roots to literally cook. Personally I would never use that
red plastic unlesss they come up with a porous/woven version... air
and water must be able to freely penetrate for any mulch to be
worthwhile... I don't consider any plastic sheeting a mulch,
regardless of color.