weeding News
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One Farm’s Spring Update: Herbs, Laying Hens, and Bed-Building
A few weeks ago I asked for you to share what you’ve been doing on your farms with me and I wanted to share this short story of what Bil and Alise of Under The Sun Herbs have been up to on their farm. Below follows their account of their farm projects this spring. It’s really starting to feel like we’re connecting the dots on our farm. In our second season on 10 acres near ...
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Walki develops new biodegradable mulching paper
Walki has developed a new fibre-based soil mulching solution that is completely biodegradable. This organic mulch type, which is used for weed control and to optimise soil conditions and crop yield, is the first of its kind on the market. Walki, a leading global producer of technical laminates and protective packaging materials, has developed the first-ever organic mulching solution that is ...
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Taller, thinner crop beds save money, water, other resources
Looking out over thousands of acres of tomatoes, Miguel Talavera, director of East Coast growing operations at Pacific Tomato Grower, Ltd., marvels at the narrow lanes of fruit that are thriving in the hot Florida sun. Talavera credits increase in yield and a decrease in the use of fumigants to a collaboration with researchers and Extension faculty at the University of Florida Institute of Food ...
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Sandwich system found effective in organic apple orchards
In organic apple orchards, one of the most serious challenges for growers is determining ways to limit weed competition while improving soil quality and ensuring high yields of quality apples. Scientists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences published a study of orchard floor management systems (HortScience, March 2015) that revealed the benefits of using "sandwich systems" in ...
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Living mulch, organic fertilizer tested on broccoli
Cover crops provide many benefits to agricultural production systems, including soil and nutrient retention, resources and habitat for beneficial organisms, and weed suppression. In regions where short growing seasons can hinder the establishment of productive cover crops between cash crop growing periods, living mulch systems may provide vegetable crop growers with opportunities to establish ...
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Organic mulch lets insect pollinators do their job
As interest in organic agricultural and horticultural practices continues to grow, so does the need to identify alternative weed control practices. Mulching, a common practice used to control weeds and reduce the need for tillage, can also reduce insect pollinators' exposure to harmful pesticides; however, finding the right mulch materials that allow pollinators to flourish can be challenging. ...
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Polyethylene mulch, glazing create optimal conditions for soil solarization
Soil solarization, a process that uses solar radiation to rid the soil of pests, is most common in regions with high solar radiation and high temperatures during the summer season. An alternative to soil fumigation, the process is used either alone or in combination with fumigants. To accomplish solarization, solar radiation is used to passively heat moist soil covered with clear plastic ...
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Hemp homecoming: Rebirth sprouts in Kentucky
Call it a homecoming for hemp: Marijuana's non-intoxicating cousin is undergoing a rebirth in a state at the forefront of efforts to reclaim it as a mainstream crop. Researchers and farmers are producing the first legal hemp crop in generations in Kentucky, where hemp has turned into a political cause decades after it was banned by the federal government. Republican U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell ...
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Farm machinery and sustainable agriculture must evolve together
Farm machines have revolutionized agriculture and reduced drudgery for millions of farm families and workers, but the machinery of tomorrow will have to do more than that – it will also have to contribute to agriculture that is environmentally sustainable. A new FAO book Mechanization for rural development, a review of patterns and progress from around the world, explores the inexorable ...
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Farm machinery and sustainable agriculture must evolve together
Farm machines have revolutionized agriculture and reduced drudgery for millions of farm families and workers, but the machinery of tomorrow will have to do more than that – it will also have to contribute to agriculture that is environmentally sustainable. A new FAO book Mechanization for rural development, a review of patterns and progress from around the world, explores the inexorable ...
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Plastic mulching reduces farmland bird numbers and diversity
Using plastic sheeting to encourage early growth of crops reduces the number and diversity of farmland birds, new research from Poland suggests. The study shows that this effect continues even after plastic has been removed. Plastic ‘mulching’ is the use of sheets of plastic to cover vegetables after sowing; this controls weeds and increases the soil temperature, allowing faster ...
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Plastic mulching reduces farmland bird numbers and diversity
Using plastic sheeting to encourage early growth of crops reduces the number and diversity of farmland birds, new research from Poland suggests. The study shows that this effect continues even after plastic has been removed. Plastic ‘mulching’ is the use of sheets of plastic to cover vegetables after sowing; this controls weeds and increases the soil temperature, allowing faster ...
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Bayer CropScience Introduces Bayer Specticle G
Environmental Science, a division of Bayer CropScience LP, has launched Bayer Specticle® G – a versatile, pre-emergent herbicide that provides green industry professionals up to six months of broad-spectrum weed control for use in landscapes, including mulched areas and around ornamentals, and in warm-season turf. The company will feature Bayer Specticle G at the upcoming 2013 Golf ...
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New Yorkers recycle Christmas trees into wood chip mulch
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe today fed branches from the giant Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center into a chipper, converting them to mulch. The officials crafted the occasion to announce the 12th annual MulchFest, a citywide event where New Yorkers can recycle their Christmas trees by converting them into wood chips. This ...
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