Why do you need to use black plastic mulch to grow watermelons?
Question:I was reading this site, http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/wat... , and it says to put black plastic mulch. Why does it need to be black? Can it be a different colour and be as effective?
Answers:
You don't want to use the clear plastic for sure as this will allow the sunlight through to the surrounding soil and lead to weeds that will compete hard with the watermelons and you want be able to get to them. The reason for the black plastic is a couple of reasons one is to prevent weeds from coming up around your watermelons as the only plant that will get the direct sunlight will be the watermelon through the small hole in which you transplanted the plant. Another reason is that watermelons love heat and black will absorb the rays from the sun and heat the soil under the plastic where the roots of the watermelon is to a higher temp than the soil not covered and the last and one of most important reasons is that watermelons require a lot of moisture when produding their fruit and the ground covered will retain moisture far longer than the soil that isn't. You should however have some way of watering underneath the plastic for best results like the use of trickle irrigation tape or a soaker hose that is placed under the plastice before securing it down with soil. There are other colors of agriculture plastic mulches that may work like green, red and white but they are generally more expensive and are these different colors for other reasons as with white is for growing cooler season crops but still benefit from weed control and moisture retention of the soil but being white it want heat the soil as much as with black. I hope this helps you understand a little more as to why the recommend black plastic and for sure don't use the clear as it will cause some serious issues.
They like heat.
I would think that the black would attract more sunlight so therefore hold more moisture.
The black attracts heat, which watermelons love. But the main thing is that with no plastic mulch, the weeds will take over before your melons have a chance. I think that another color may be a little less effective, but still do the job.
More Related Questions & Answers...