About Red Plastic Mulch
- Light is made up of different wavelengths of color. Materials that are differently colored will absorb different colors of light and reflect others. Black plastic absorbs all colors and heats the ground more efficiently, while white plastic reflects all colors and does not warm the ground as well. Different colored mulches help to create micro-climates according to the colors they reflect and attract. Different colored mulches help to change the way plants grow by changing the temperature of light that they reflect onto a plant.
- Most plants absorb colors of light that are in the red and blue spectrum very well and do not absorb colors in the yellow and green spectrum. This is why plants appear green in color. Red mulches help to reflect more red spectrum light onto a plant so that it will absorb more light for photosynthesis. This will help the plant to flourish better and produce crops more abundantly.
- Studies by the University of Minnesota Extension have shown that different colored mulches can affect the flavor and yield of various plants. For example, basil planted with yellow mulch around it will be more flavorful and tomatoes planted with a red plastic mulch that reflects light onto the plant will produce between 10 to 30 percent more fruit than plants with no mulch beneath them.
- Studies performed with red mulch at the Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca, Minnesota indicate that red mulch will benefit plants by heating the soil so that plants may be planted sooner as well as changing the quality of light reflected onto plants from below. The plants that grow best in red plastic mulch include tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and onions. Red mulches are primarily used in commercial gardens, although home gardeners may also use the mulch. gardeners should start with a smooth seedbed and place the mulch directly onto the soil.
