Exploring compostable horticultural mulch films.
Crops are often planted through holes in plastic films known as mulch films, which provide natural positive impacts for the crops. The problem with regular mulch films is that they take so much time to dispose of or left in the film and degrade into microplastics. With our biodegradable, compostable mulch film, this can all be solved.
Biodegradable mulch films offer an environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional polyethylene (PE) mulch. Our compostable agricultural mulch film is made from a material called Bio-Flex®, the Bio-Flex® grade used for our horticultural film is a starch based biopolymer that is certified to home compostable standards. Home compostable mulch film is a must have for every farmer, gardener, and allotment owner. The mulch films can be used from anything as big as crop fields, to smaller projects like nursery gardens or personal alotments.
Benefits of our biodegradable agricultural mulch film:
-High Strength & Tear Resistance
-Prevents the chance of weeds & pests
-Naturally composts into organic matter
-Irrigation control & saves water
-Minimises soil erosion
-Increases early readiness of crops leading to higher yields
-Saves time, labour and money
-No mess, waste, or harmful chemicals
-Suitable for both flat and raised beds.
-Custom sizing available
How to use biodegradable mulch film:
Purchase your biodegradable mulch film. Home compostable is the best option for your mulch film because it saves time, money and resources whilst giving the benefits of regular mulch film without impacting on the planet.
Rake/hoe the soil where you want to plant.
Lay the mulch film down, by rolling it out, over the section you prepared. You should weigh down the edges to prevent wind blowing the film away.
Stake the edges of the film to hold it in place. You can alternatively tuck in the film, or even cover the edges with soil to hold it down.
Once the film is in place, cut some size appropriate holes in the film for the plants to grow through. These holes shouldn’t be too close to each other to allow sufficient growth. The holes should also not be too large, if they are too big, birds and pests have more of a chance of getting in and heat escaping.
Loosen the soil underneath the holes you just made, and plant your seeds/plants.
Treat like regular plants, water, feed etc.
When finished with the mulch film, you can either remove existing residue and dispose of it in a compost bin/or in soil, or you can simply leave the mulch film residue, as it will biodegrade by itself over a short period. The residue will turn into carbon dioxide, biomass and water, and leaves no harmful chemicals behind.
So, through this blog, we’ve learnt that agricultural mulch films can be used in a variety of circumstances, providing some amazing benefits for you and your garden/crops. We hope this blog gave you some insight on why we love mulch film, maybe you’ll love it just as much as us! Try it out, head to our shop to learn more or purchase.
-Solutions 4 Plastic Team.