PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
Marilyn was reading some off-the-wall hype about how red plastic mulch under tomatoes will make them grow better and faster. I, of course, dismissed it as nonsense. js -- PHOTO OF THE WEEK: http://schmidling.com/pow.htm Astronomy, Beer, Cheese, Fiber,Gems, Sausage,Silver http://schmidling.com |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
Jack Schmidling expounded:
Marilyn was reading some off-the-wall hype about how red plastic mulch under tomatoes will make them grow better and faster. I, of course, dismissed it as nonsense. I am also using the red mulch for the first time this year and I have to say I am impressed. The plants are stockier, somehow, greener, and there is absolutely no sign of blight, which is a huge problem for me. I'm on the way to being a true believer, let's see how July and August progress with it. -- Ann, gardening in Zone 6a South of Boston, Massachusetts e-mail address is not checked ****************************** |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
Jack Schmidling wrote:
Marilyn was reading some off-the-wall hype about how red plastic mulch under tomatoes will make them grow better and faster. I, of course, dismissed it as nonsense. The row along the fence looks to have nothing under it but vegetation. In fact, the whole patch looks lush with grass and weeds with significant encroachment on the un-red mulched row. And that's not examining the grass on the outside of the fence. Under the circumstances, I don't see that the positive benefits of red mulch argument has any validity in this case, as you are essentially comparing apples and oranges. |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
Jack Schmidling wrote:
Marilyn was reading some off-the-wall hype about how red plastic mulch under tomatoes will make them grow better and faster. I, of course, dismissed it as nonsense. Your comparison is skewed, you are making your unmulched plants compete with weeds. I would suggest had you kept your unmulched plants cultivated of weeds they would have equaled or surpassed the plants surrounded by red plastic sheeting. Actually any medium that prevents air and moisture from penetrating does not qualify as mulch, that's simply a plastic barrier. I would also suggest that since your red plastic is not in direct contact with the ground it also does not qualify as mulch. You should be embarrassed to present your weed patch as a vegetable garden. |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
Sheldon wrote:
Your comparison is skewed, you are making your unmulched plants compete with weeds..... Agreed but still not a useless experiment. I would suggest had you kept your unmulched plants cultivated of weeds they would have equaled or surpassed the plants surrounded by red plastic sheeting.... That's just a guess with nothing to back it up. Actually any medium that prevents air and moisture from penetrating does not qualify as mulch, that's simply a plastic barrier. I agree but check your seed catalogs... they all call it mulch so I went along with it. You should be embarrassed to present your weed patch as a vegetable garden. Those are your words. It is an experimental plot to see the effect of mulch. We have about 20 tomatoes planted in a proper garden. If nothing else, it proves that "mulch" eliminates the hassle of weeding. It was also pointed out by Ann that it might have an effect on blight which is the biggest loss we have in tomatoes. We used to stop picking at frost time. Now we stop when the plants die, which is weeks before frost. js -- PHOTO OF THE WEEK: http://schmidling.com/pow.htm Astronomy, Beer, Cheese, Fiber,Gems, Sausage,Silver http://schmidling.com |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
"Sheldon" wrote in message ps.com... Jack Schmidling wrote: Marilyn was reading some off-the-wall hype about how red plastic mulch under tomatoes will make them grow better and faster. I, of course, dismissed it as nonsense. Your comparison is skewed, you are making your unmulched plants compete with weeds. I would suggest had you kept your unmulched plants cultivated of weeds they would have equaled or surpassed the plants surrounded by red plastic sheeting. Actually any medium that prevents air and moisture from penetrating does not qualify as mulch, that's simply a plastic barrier. I was recently told by someone using it, that that stuff passes air and moisture. Bob |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
I agree but check your seed catalogs... they all call it mulch so I went along with it. They are probally the same cat's that call elements "plant food". Does that mean we feed plants? mulch would be anything that facilitates the mycorrhizae. The best thing you could use to keep so-called weeds down is composted leaves. Leaves have many benefits as mulch. here is some info on using leaf. Jim has passed away though. Sad. http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/bradley/index.html Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
symplastless wrote:
I agree but check your seed catalogs... they all call it mulch so I went along with it. They are probally the same cat's that call elements "plant food". Does that mean we feed plants? Sure. You should see my Snapdragons gobble up iron bars. When they are very young I pulverize it, mix with water and use a doll sized baby bottle. But only after putting a drop on my wrist to make sure it isn't too hot. js -- PHOTO OF THE WEEK: http://schmidling.com/pow.htm Astronomy, Beer, Cheese, Fiber,Gems, Sausage,Silver http://schmidling.com |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
On Jul 6, 10:02?am, "Bob F" wrote:
"Sheldon" wrote in message ps.com... Jack Schmidling wrote: Marilyn was reading some off-the-wall hype about how red plastic mulch under tomatoes will make them grow better and faster. I, of course, dismissed it as nonsense. Your comparison is skewed, you are making your unmulched plants compete with weeds. I would suggest had you kept your unmulched plants cultivated of weeds they would have equaled or surpassed the plants surrounded by red plastic sheeting. Actually any medium that prevents air and moisture from penetrating does not qualify as mulch, that's simply a plastic barrier. I was recently told by someone using it, that that stuff passes air and moisture. All I've seen is just plain old plastic sheeting. I buy lots of stuff from Lee Valley. They say to punch holes by hand so water can pass. I think this red plastic is a gimmick, and an expensive gimmick because it wont last long... adn constant exposure to the sun's UV will change the red to chalky pink. http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page...t=2,2300,33272 |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
Sheldon wrote:
On Jul 6, 10:02?am, "Bob F" wrote: "Sheldon" wrote in message I was recently told by someone using it, that that stuff passes air and moisture. All I've seen is just plain old plastic sheeting. I buy lots of stuff from Lee Valley. They say to punch holes by hand so water can pass. I think this red plastic is a gimmick, and an expensive gimmick because it wont last long... adn constant exposure to the sun's UV will change the red to chalky pink. There is no way any of the plastic stuff can pass air and water. It is a mystery to me how the plants get any water I guess enough moisture seeps over from the uncovered areas and none can evaporate from the covered areas. I assumed the red was a gimmick also and only a side by side test will prove it. We will do that next year but there is some logic to the red light being reflected up to the bottom of the leaves but it needs to be proven. js -- PHOTO OF THE WEEK: http://schmidling.com/pow.htm Astronomy, Beer, Cheese, Fiber,Gems, Sausage,Silver http://schmidling.com |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
.... there could be an explanation... blue and red are the two areas of
the spectrum drives photosynthesis. the reflecting red could put the light under the leaves where sun doesnt usually fall. Ingrid On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 10:44:23 -0600, Jack Schmidling wrote: I assumed the red was a gimmick also and only a side by side test will prove it. We will do that next year but there is some logic to the red light being reflected up to the bottom of the leaves but it needs to be proven. js |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
r-swrote:
... there could be an explanation... blue and red are the two areas of the spectrum drives photosynthesis. the reflecting red could put the light under the leaves where sun doesnt usually fall. Ingrid So what, the bottom portion of leaves do not facilitate photosynthesis, otherwise the leaves would have evolved to be connected to their stems by little universal joints so they could revolve 360 deg at a constant rate, like pinwheels (why would mother nature waste 50pct of their surface area). Dintcha ever notice that only the top portion of leaves synchronize with the postion of the sun (the bottom (underside) of leaves is involved with respiration). And the sun already radiates the full color spectum of visible light (doesn't need any help, hasn't for billions of years)... I think that red plastic is a lot of hooey, designed to attract those with more dollars than brain cells... ask any three year old, they almost always choose the red candy. |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
In article . com,
Sheldon wrote: r-swrote: ... there could be an explanation... blue and red are the two areas of the spectrum drives photosynthesis. the reflecting red could put the light under the leaves where sun doesnt usually fall. Ingrid So what, the bottom portion of leaves do not facilitate photosynthesis, otherwise the leaves would have evolved to be connected to their stems by little universal joints so they could revolve 360 deg at a constant rate, like pinwheels (why would mother nature waste 50pct of their surface area). Dintcha ever notice that only the top portion of leaves synchronize with the postion of the sun (the bottom (underside) of leaves is involved with respiration). And the sun already radiates the full color spectum of visible light As well as light, which like so many other things Sheldon, that you can't see. (doesn't need any help, hasn't for billions of years)... I think that red plastic is a lot of hooey, designed to attract those with more dollars than brain cells... ask any three year old, they almost always choose the red candy. -- Billy http://angryarab.blogspot.com/ |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
Sheldon wrote:
So what, the bottom portion of leaves do not facilitate photosynthesis..... Pray tell what do you base that factoid on? There is chlorophyll on the bottom as well as the top of all leaves. Chlorophyll does not require direct sunlight to function. If it did, there would be nothing growing under the canopy in a forest. otherwise the leaves would have evolved to be connected to their stems by little universal joints so they could revolve 360 deg at a constant rate, like pinwheels (why would mother nature waste 50pct of their surface area). That is nonsense but the bottom of most leaves is where the stoma are concentrated which is where transpiration is effected. The top of the leaf is a more efficient at photosynthesis but the bottom still works. Dintcha ever notice that only the top portion of leaves synchronize with the postion of the sun (the bottom (underside) of leaves is involved with respiration). Dintcha ever see a Compass Plant? The leaves are oriented North and South with the large surfaces facing East and West. How silly of Mother Nature to waste all that leaf bottom facing the Sun for half the day. And the sun already radiates the full color spectum of visible light (doesn't need any help, hasn't for billions of years)... What does that have to do with the price of milk? Plants don't use the full spectrum. I think that red plastic is a lot of hooey Could be but thinking is not science. It's not even a hypothesis. The idea that reflecting red up is a reasonable hypothesis which needs to be proven, not rejected as "hooey" without some evidence. js -- PHOTO OF THE WEEK: http://schmidling.com/pow.htm Astronomy, Beer, Cheese, Fiber,Gems, Sausage,Silver http://schmidling.com |
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mulch Magic
In article ,
Jack Schmidling wrote: Sheldon wrote: So what, the bottom portion of leaves do not facilitate photosynthesis..... Pray tell what do you base that factoid on? There is chlorophyll on the bottom as well as the top of all leaves. Chlorophyll does not require direct sunlight to function. If it did, there would be nothing growing under the canopy in a forest. otherwise the leaves would have evolved to be connected to their stems by little universal joints so they could revolve 360 deg at a constant rate, like pinwheels (why would mother nature waste 50pct of their surface area). That is nonsense but the bottom of most leaves is where the stoma are concentrated which is where transpiration is effected. The top of the leaf is a more efficient at photosynthesis but the bottom still works. Dintcha ever notice that only the top portion of leaves synchronize with the postion of the sun (the bottom (underside) of leaves is involved with respiration). Dintcha ever see a Compass Plant? The leaves are oriented North and South with the large surfaces facing East and West. How silly of Mother Nature to waste all that leaf bottom facing the Sun for half the day. And the sun already radiates the full color spectum of visible light (doesn't need any help, hasn't for billions of years)... What does that have to do with the price of milk? Plants don't use the full spectrum. I think that red plastic is a lot of hooey Could be but thinking is not science. It's not even a hypothesis. The idea that reflecting red up is a reasonable hypothesis which needs to be proven, not rejected as "hooey" without some evidence. js Uh, js, can I call you js? Sheldon doesn't really function well in the realm of rational thought. He is more of a "fiat" kind of guy. We are all kind of hoping that someone who cares about him will get him some professional help. You know how it is with compulsive disorders. You just know the invectives are in the mail. -- Billy http://angryarab.blogspot.com/ |
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