Cover with film. Polyethylene film and non-woven materials. What processes occur under the film?
About why agriculture Transparent polyethylene film is used, everyone knows. This is the cheapest and most accessible material for sheltering plants from rain, wind, hail and frost, for the construction of temporary greenhouses and stationary greenhouses.
Why do you need black greenhouse film? What benefits can it bring to a gardener?
Made from polyethylene high pressure, stabilized with soot, black greenhouse film differs from transparent film not only in color, but also in its properties, and, accordingly, in its scope. Like regular film, this film is produced in sleeves wound into rolls ranging from one to three meters wide.
After cutting one side and unfolding, the material becomes twice as wide.
Advice. The polymer is easily cut along the fold with a knife or open scissors. But if you need to unroll a very long sleeve, do not rush to unwind the roll - just cut off one edge with a hacksaw or a fine-toothed circular saw.
To satisfy any consumer needs, the film is produced in different thicknesses: minimum - 40 microns, maximum - 200 microns. But even the thinnest one practically does not let sunlight through.
It is this property that is actively used in agriculture and in particular in industrial and home greenhouses.
The price of black film compared to other varieties of this material is much lower, and the benefits from its use are very noticeable, so its use can be considered profitable and practical.
Methods of application in greenhouses
In this chapter we will not talk about all areas of application of the material, although there are many of them. This includes construction, land reclamation, trade, and agriculture.
We are interested in how it is used in greenhouses and greenhouses. It is clear that black ones are completely useless structures, since not a single plant will grow in complete darkness.
However, this property, as well as the material’s ability to accumulate heat and not allow moisture to pass through, can be used for good.
Mulching
Mulching is covering the soil in order to regulate its temperature and humidity characteristics. This method has been practiced in agriculture for a very long time, but until recently, mulch was mainly materials organic origin: humus, peat, straw, dry leaves, mown and dried grass, sawdust, tree bark, etc.
Today, black film for greenhouses is becoming increasingly popular and in demand for this purpose. Its only drawback compared to organics is that it does not improve the composition and structure of the soil, but there are quite a lot of advantages.
For reference. At the end of the season after harvesting, organic mulch is embedded in the ground and rots in it, turning into humus and improving its nutritional properties.
What are these advantages:
- Stopping weed growth. The absolute opacity of the film does not allow the seeds and roots of weeds remaining in the ground to develop. Their absence has a beneficial effect on the growth of cultivated crops and frees gardeners from regular weeding;
- Mold does not form under the black film, which cannot be said about organic mulch;
- Harmful insects do not grow in it, and the impenetrable fabric protects plants from pathogens that are always present in the soil;
- The film better retains moisture underneath, preventing it from evaporating from the surface of the earth, forming a dense, airtight crust. If earlier you had to loosen the “petrified” soil under tomatoes or cucumbers with your own hands after several waterings, now you can forget about it.
Other advantages of film mulching include a reduction in water consumption for irrigation and the fact that after it or after rain, leaves and fruits remain clean, not contaminated with soil.
To be fair, it should be said that it is even more effective to use not film, but black spunbond. Possessing similar abilities, it is stronger and more durable, and also allows water to pass through itself, allowing you to water the beds in any way convenient for you.
Warming up the soil and insulation
Possessing absolute light resistance, black greenhouse film nevertheless attracts the sun's rays, while quickly heating up and transferring heat to adjacent surfaces.
This property is used in greenhouses in the following cases:
- For early soil warming. As you know, the soil takes longer to warm up than the air.
In early spring, under a film or other cover in a greenhouse it may already be quite comfortable for plants, but the ground at this time is still very cold, and at some depth it is completely frozen. To speed up its thawing and warming up, they spread a black film, under which these processes proceed faster.
- For insulating beds. Today, many gardeners have adopted the technology of growing plants in high beds, fenced on all sides with sides.
If these sides are wrapped in black film, it will heat up during the day and give off heat to the ground at night.
How to use mulching film
If, to warm the soil, it is enough to simply spread the film on the ground, pressing its edges, then for use as mulch, different instructions must be followed. First, you first need to prepare the soil by adding all the necessary mineral and organic fertilizers, carefully digging, loosening and leveled.
Then they are made, the width of which depends on the type of crops planted on it. The film is laid on top after thorough watering, preferably a few days before planting - so that the ground underneath it warms up well.
Advice. Choose material of a suitable width so that you do not have to cut it or lay two sheets on one bed.
Film thickness is important. If the thinnest soil (40-50 microns) is used to warm the soil, then thicker, stronger and more durable material is used for mulching.
If it will serve no more than a year, a thickness of 60-80 microns is sufficient, but if you are planting a perennial crop, for example, strawberries, it is better to give preference to material with a thickness of 100-120 microns. Using thicker canvases is neither effective nor economical; their scope of application is construction and other industrial sectors.
If you watch the video presented in this article, you will understand how to proceed further even without a description. Everything is very simple: in the film spread on the bed, at specified intervals, cuts are made with a sharp knife - cross-shaped or in the form of the letter V.
By turning the corners inside, you will get square or triangular holes It is clear that the distance between them is chosen depending on what you will plant in the garden bed and how much free space is required for one adult plant.
Advice.
To speed up the process, especially when installing mulch over a large area, you can fold the film several times and burn it through with a hot object, simultaneously obtaining several identical holes. Then spread it out on the garden bed.Seedlings are planted or seeds are sown in these holes. To make your work easier, you can equip a drip irrigation system by connecting a tube with a dropper to each plant.
Conclusion
As you can see, black greenhouse film can bring a lot of benefits if you know how to use it correctly. All the techniques described are suitable not only for greenhouses and greenhouses, but also for growing plants in open ground, where the problems of watering, loosening and weed control are even more pressing.
Many vegetables, for example: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, are native to warm regions. During our short summer they do not have time to fully ripen. With the help of shelters, the growing season can be extended by 2-3 months.
Polyethylene film
Polyethylene film has long been successfully used as a covering material. They cover it. It transmits light well and retains heat.
One of the advantages of polyethylene film is its affordable price.
The soil under the film does not dry out for a long time. There is no need to water the beds every day.
But this material also has disadvantages.
Firstly - fragility. Over the course of a season, the film is destroyed by ultraviolet rays and temperature changes. If the film is used only in spring and autumn, it will last 2-3 seasons. And if the greenhouse is covered with ordinary polymer film, then it will have to be covered every year.
Another disadvantage of a film shelter is that the air in it overheats on a hot day. In the presence of humidity, which is always elevated in a film shelter, fungal infections rapidly develop under the film. And overheating of plants can lead to their death.
But you shouldn’t give up film entirely. Scientists have created several types of agrofilm:
- Hydrophilic film - it contains a special additive, thanks to which condensation does not collect in drops, but gradually flows down the film.
- UV stabilized film is a light converting film. Special additives in the film convert ultraviolet rays into infrared rays. Thanks to this, the film not only protects from frost and overheating, but also photosynthesis is activated under it and plant growth is accelerated.
- Reinforced film - characterized by increased strength. Fiberglass mesh fused into polyethylene prevents the film from tearing.
- Bubble wrap is the warmest of all films. Between the layers of this film there is a bubble of dry air. Thanks to this, the thermal protection of bubble film is 30 times higher than that of regular film.
Non-woven covering material
Non-woven covering material is gaining more and more popularity and is gradually replacing conventional polyethylene film. The process of covering with non-woven material is simpler and easier. The film needs to be secured along the entire length of the canvas, and the covering material in some places.
Excess moisture does not form under the covering material. At the same time, it holds heat well.
Plants do not overheat. Moreover, non-woven materials are used for shading plants.
Modifications of non-woven covering material differ in density: 17 g/m2, 30 g/m2, 42 g/m2, 60 g/m2.
The thinnest covering material is 17 g/m2. You can simply put it on the plants. Denser materials are suitable for greenhouses and tunnel greenhouses. The densest is 60g/m2, covering the walls of stationary greenhouses.
The greater the density of the covering material, the higher its protective functions. Canvas 17 g/m2 will protect from frost down to -2 0 C, and canvas 60 g/m2 - 5 0 C.
Non-woven covering material is easy to work with: it does not break or crack, it is easy to remove and easy to store. If necessary, the covering material can be washed. It is more durable than polyethylene film.
Despite all the positive qualities, the covering material has a drawback - the ground under it dries out quickly. And if it is enough to water plants under film cover once a week, then under covering material they need to be watered more often.
There are plants that do not tolerate plastic film: beans and zucchini. The seedlings of these plants die under the film.
Slow-germinating crops: parsley, carrots, dill are best covered with film after sowing.
The hypermarket catalog page presents protective film for various purposes, release paper, film rollers and masking foil.
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Take part in. You will learn a lot about the design of residential, office, commercial and other spaces. Order development. We will take into account your wishes, prepare sketches and projects, calculate required amount building materials.
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Weeding is a time-consuming procedure, and chemicals can accumulate in plant tissues, which makes their fruits hazardous to health. Meanwhile, there is a technique that allows you to reduce labor costs when growing garden crops and at the same time eliminate the possibility of the negative impact of herbicides. Modern enterprises started producing a special black weed film. This material is relatively inexpensive and can save a summer resident a lot of time and effort.
Does black film help with weeds?
Using this material is quite simple. In spring it spreads out on the ground. Next, holes are made in it for planting plants. One of the features of black film is that it does not transmit sunlight at all. As a result, weeds that do not receive ultraviolet light stop developing.
In Europe, film and roofing felt have been used for weed control for a long time. Moreover, this is done not only by private individuals, but also by large farms. In this part of the world, black film is considered to be very effective against weeds. Many domestic gardeners also speak well of this method. But some summer residents are still skeptical about this technique. So, does black film help control weeds? Let's look at this in more detail.
What processes occur under the film?
Weed control with black film can actually be quite successful. The edges of this material lying on the ground are usually covered with soil. As a result, a special microclimate is created in a garden bed mulched in this way. The soil under the film warms up very quickly. Therefore, weeds accelerate their development at the first stage. However, when germinating, the grass rests against a film heated by the sun. The result is the death of the surface part of the plant. After some time, the roots of the weed also rot.
Where can I use it?
The use of black weed film (photos of such beds are presented on the page) is allowed both in open ground and in greenhouses. Very often this material is used for the development of virgin lands. In this case, the film is laid directly on top of the weeds and left there for a long time (1-2 months). As a result, the grass rots along with the root system. The soil under the film becomes loose and easy to work. Subsequently, even in the absence of film, weeds in the area do not grow as actively.
Benefits of use
Thus, weed control with black film can reduce labor costs in the garden, greenhouse or nursery. Compared to in the usual ways, this mulching technique also has the following advantages:
- early warming of the soil in spring;
- better heat retention by soil in winter;
- reduction of irrigation costs;
- no need for loosening;
- acceleration of plant development.
Since the black film is an airtight material, the soil underneath it warms up very quickly. Therefore, plants in the spring with such mulch begin to develop at an accelerated pace. This material also reduces the risk of crop death during recurrent frosts.
The film does not allow moisture to pass through. Therefore, you can water plants in beds covered with this material less often. As moisture evaporates, in this case it condenses on the film and flows down again. This material is more convenient to use than many other types of mulch. All that is needed in this case is to spread the film over the area once.
Also, the advantages of using this material include the fact that, unlike organic matter, mold almost never forms under it. The air entering under the film through the holes made is quite enough for this.
Disadvantages of use
Of course, such material has not only advantages. Most gardeners consider the main disadvantage of using black weed film to be the inability to replenish the soil in the beds. Organic mulch is usually dug up in the fall, which increases the humus content in the soil. The film does not have this advantage.
In addition, spreading it on the ground is quite a troublesome task. In addition, this material is also quite easily damaged. The film on the beds has to be replaced after just a few years. This procedure is also quite labor-intensive. This is especially true for perennial plantings. Indeed, in this case, when disposing of the film, you need to try not to damage the plants.
In virgin lands, this material is also sometimes impractical to use to remove weeds. Usually only fairly soft grass rots under the film. Tough weeds often cannot be eradicated in this way. After all, sometimes for such grass even, for example, asphalt is not an obstacle.
What to look for when purchasing material
Protection against weeds with black film will be effective, of course, only if it is chosen correctly. Many companies produce this covering material today. At the same time, the black mulching film itself may vary in technical characteristics.
When choosing this material, you should pay attention first of all to its thickness. A thin film is only suitable for warming the soil in spring. Actually, for mulching, you should take material that is stronger, more durable and thicker. Perennial crops, for example, strawberries, are usually protected from weeds with a 100-micron black film. It is not advisable to use thicker material even in this case. A very thick film is expensive and is mainly suitable only for construction work.
If annual crops are to be mulched, fairly thin material can be used. In this case, the 80 micron option is most often used.
How to lay black weed film
Technologically, laying this material is a simple procedure. However, there are some rules to follow when performing this operation. You can lay the film on the ground only after the soil has warmed up well enough in the spring. The area must first be cleared of debris and dirt. Most attention should be paid to sharp objects that can damage the material - dry branches, glass, stones. If there are already weeds on the site, it is advisable to remove them.
The film should be spread in such a way that it fits as tightly as possible to the soil surface. In those places where air “bubbles” remain, weeds may subsequently begin to develop. Of course, they will not grow too actively, and their color will not be green, but white - but still.
After the material is laid out on the ground, its edges should be pressed down with some kind of weight. This could be, for example, stones, bricks, or even just soil. Next, cross-shaped or slot-shaped holes are made in the film for planting plants. Round or square slits should not be made. Experienced summer residents have noticed that with this method of cutting, the plants subsequently develop worse. The distance between the holes is selected depending on the type of garden crop. For example, for strawberries this figure will be 30-35 cm.
As soon as shoots appear on the bed covered with film, several semicircular holes should be made in the material on the south side. Without normal air exchange in the soil, plants are known to develop worse. In addition, in this case, acidification of the soil may occur. The holes will provide air access under the film. In addition, if they are present, the soil under such covering material will not overheat too much.
How to water plants under film
Moisture under such covering material, as already mentioned, is retained well. However, it is, of course, necessary to water plants mulched in this way throughout the season. This can be done either by the “root” method or by sprinkling. Water will freely pass through the holes cut in the film under the plants and be distributed throughout the bed.
Useful tips
Cling film is one of the most important things for those who want to keep food fresh.
However, there are some very unusual ways to use it that you may not have heard of.
In this collection you can familiarize yourself with the use of transparent film and, perhaps, rp there is something for yourself.
What can you do with cling film?
1. No cracks or gaps in the windows.
Even the smallest crack or gap in a window can let in a blast of icy air in the winter.
Cut several pieces of cling film to the required size, stack them one on top of the other to create one thick layer, and glue them to a place on the window where there is strong wind.
2. Don't let your brushes and rollers dry out.
If you have painted, for example, a wall, and are going to continue painting the next day, then to maintain the softness of the brush and roller, wrap them in PVC film (cling film). The same can be done with a can of paint.
Use of polyethylene film
3. Quickly clean the refrigerator.
Cover all shelves in the refrigerator with cling film. When it's time to clean them, you simply remove the film and replace it with a new one.
4. No unexpected spills.
We all know the situation when we put a bottle of liquid (water or cosmetics) in a bag or backpack, and when we decide to take it out, some of the contents spill varies on your things in your bag.
This can be prevented by removing the lid, carefully covering the neck with a thin film, and closing the lid.
You can also wrap cosmetics in film. before packing them into a suitcase. This will prevent any possible spills.
PVC film
5. Hand protection.
If you decide to work with rake or a shovel, then to protect your hands you can wrap the handle with cling film, thereby protecting your hands from calluses.
6. Delicious ice cream.
To prevent ice cream from crystallizing in the freezer, first wrap it in cling film. The next time you take it out, it will look great and won't crystallize.
Transparencies
7. Fresh bananas last a long time.
8. Clean house.
If you frequently walk around the house (for example, if You If you remember that you forgot to take something and don’t want to take off your shoes), store the film close to the door. We came in, quickly wrapped our shoes in film, and we were ready to move on.
Transparent PVC Film
9. Making a sippy cup.
Fill the glass with liquid, cover with film and insert a straw.
10. Fresh bouquet for a long time.
If you wrap the ends of the flower stems with a cloth napkin and then wrap them tightly with cling film, the flower bouquet will remain fresh for a longer period.
