How to control weeds? Anti weed ground cover is the solution.
Weed control is essential if crops are to be grown. Weeds hinder our crops from developing since weeds grow much more rapidly and limit the nutrients which are available from the soil for our crops. Thus, weeds are competitors and need to be eliminated in order to assure proper development of our crops. But, how should we control weeds? Below we will introduce you to anti weed ground cover which is a perfect tool for solving these problems. First, let’s get to know what weeds are. If you are new to growing crops, you will have realized that the ground needs to be prepared and most likely a large amount of wild plants are growing in the area to be cropped. Since these plants are not the crop we want to grow, they are called weeds. In reality these plants do not do major damage to our crops, but, in order to avoid problems at harvest time and spending too much on fertilizer, it is preferable to remove them since, as we already mentioned, these plants consume a part of the resources needed by our crops and, being vigorous plants of rapid growth, they tend to overshadow the plants of our crop. In addition, let’s not forget that weeds can encourage contamination by plant pathogens for which reason their removal is an important aspect of good plant health.
How should we deal with weeds? One of the best known and most utilized methods is the application of herbicides. Herbicides are substances which are toxic for plants (yes, for all plants) since they contain compounds that alter the development of and eventually cause the death of plants. Herbicides get applied to the area to be cropped, one waits for them to take effect, what remains of the weeds gets eliminated, and then one waits a little longer before starting a crop just to be sure that the toxic compounds are no longer active in the soil. The use of herbicides tends to be costly and eventually deteriorates the soil, which in the long run can cause complications for plant growth. For this reason, other methods and tools of weed control have been proposed, such as anti weed ground cover fabric.
What is anti weed ground cover fabric?
It’s an anti weed barrier fabricated from polypropylene, which is a very tough material, that gets placed on top of the ground to be cropped. In this way the weeds do not get any sunlight and, therefore, do not grow.
These fabrics are offered in different styles. As for color, they are available in white or black. White anti weed ground cover is able to reflect sunlight and thus diminish excessive heat. To the contrary, black anti weed ground cover favors the accumulation of heat. One should choose the appropriate color in accordance with what is needed and the conditions for the location of the crop. On the other hand, we have ground cover fabric without openings and fabric with openings. The fabric without openings is generally used to cover the ground in greenhouses and the plants of the crop are placed in a support on top of the fabric, whereas the fabric with openings are more common for outdoor crops with the openings providing the space where the plants of the crop will be placed. That way the plants can grow without having weeds around them and without the need for having flower pots, containers, or some other form of support on top of the fabric.
How should anti weed ground cover be used?
It’s time to get down to work, but before using the fabric we first of all need to get it and we will find vendors with a great variety of prices, sizes and styles. We recommend MALAHIERBA® fabric. In black it’s available in different sizes:
- 6x25m (20 X 82 ft)
- 4x6m (13 X 20 ft)
- 4x50m (13 X 164 ft)
- 2x25m (6.5 X 82 ft)
With an excellent range of prices according to your needs, this anti weed ground cover is one of the best.
Once the desired fabric has been acquired, the time to install has come. One of the most fascinating aspects of anti weed ground cover is how simple it is to install, only requiring a few steps. The first is preparation of the ground. Above all, branches and other objects that might puncture the fabric should be eliminated. Then, the fabric gets placed over the desired area, making sure that the desired cropping area gets covered uniformly. Lastly, the fabric gets anchored to the ground, be it with rocks or stakes, in such a way as to assure that strong winds do not lift it.
Among the better aspects of these fabrics that we can mention are:
- Highly efficient. Ground cover fabric does what it is supposed to do very well, which is control weeds. This makes it one of best options for weed control on the market.
- Does not contaminate soil. One of the biggest problems with herbicides is the harm that they do to soil. With anti weed ground cover we don’t run the risk of this happening.
- Easy to handle. This fabric can be installed easily with little labor.
- Low maintenance. The material with which this fabric is manufactured (polypropylene) is very tough and for this reason requires minimal care for maintenance and durability. In fact, it can be reused for several crop cycles.
- Advantages for greenhouses. This fabric can provide a better surface for the base for trellis supports and also improves plant health conditions by preventing the growth of weeds and other undesired organisms in the soil.
- Permeable. One does not need to worry about irrigation. This fabric allows water and gas to pass through: plants do not remain isolated.
Anti weed barrier fabric is thus one of the best options out there that you will find for weed control. With it being easy to use and highly effective, you will be able to rest easy knowing that your crop will not be afflicted with weeds, and this will assure good yield and a quality product. What are you waiting for? Get going and use anti weed ground cover fabric. It’s a good investment with little cost.