SLU news

Paper cloth instead of plastic in outdoor cultivation

Published: 18 December 2017

To cover the soil with plastic cloths is a way to create a warmer microclimate for plants such as cucumber and squash for outdoor cultivation. It is also a way to hold back weeds for vegetable crops, especially for organic growers who do not use herbicides. A new biodegradable tissue can be an alternative to plastic.

Plastic cloths that do not break down means plastic waste to take care of and remove after use. Biodegradable plastic film already exists, but a paper cloth that can be used instead has now been developed by the company Artinova. The Nova Mulch cloth is biodegradable and can be incorporated into the soil. The protective cloths can be laid out with a tractor and the holes can be done by hand.

Plastics are used quite a lot in agriculture and professional horticulture, for example for bags, silage and blankets, both in organic and conventional farming. How much of it that is recycled is unclear, but in society as a whole, only a fraction of the plastic is recycled.