In the first months of spring, gardeners begin to actively prepare for a new sowing season. They map out planting on vegetable patches and flower beds, compile buying lists of seeds, seedlings and tools. Many gardeners know that in order to implement all their plans for the garden they need one more important element – unwoven materials. They can help protect the existing and future plants from unfavourable environmental factors, from weeds, pests and diseases, and save time and effort when taking care of the garden.
Such materials are unwoven fabric with a homogeneous and also porous structure which allows the material to pass through water and air. The purpose of the unwoven material is to create a microclimate for plants’ growth and development with the optimal temperature, even distribution of precipitation and constant air circulation. These qualities of the material help us in the garden to protect our plants from many unfavorable situations. When can we use the unwoven materials? First, they are used in greenhouses and hotbeds, where the first planting will take place; in spring, works in a garden begin with the construction of greenhouses. For covering the frames, we use the white Agrotex 42 and 60. In addition to letting water and air pass through, the material of such density smooths over temperature changes. No condensate is formed on the inner layer, and the material does not burn leaves, which is very important for greenhouses in hot months. Greenhouses covered with this material protect plants from return frosts.
Agrotex protects from overheat and sun burns in the hot season, from insects and pests, heavy precipitation and wind. In this case plants are uncovered only during blossoming. Thanks to cooperation with agricultural institutes, we have experimentally identified factors of effectiveness of the Agrotex materials’ use for growing different crops; all application technologies are adapted for each region. For instance, the use of one of our technologies helped increase yields of potatoes and red beets by 12.9%-29% and shorten the time of getting harvests from 60 days to 46. Now this technology will allow not only allotment gardeners and but also many businessmen to receive earlier harvests.
In addition to the white unwoven materials, stores offer black material. What is it for? The black Agrotex 60 is an unwoven fabric that lets water and air pass through, but since it is black, it does not let sunshine go through, which inhibits the growth of plants that are under it. This material is used for mulching soil and also for protecting plants from weeds. This saves time and effort spent on weeding. The material preserves the required moisture level; there is no soil crust under it; weeds do not grow; weeds do not grow, watering and fertilizing can be done without lifting the material. It is used as mulch for beds of strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables. Near-stalk pans are easy- and ready-to-use items from black spunbond with a density of 60 g/m². They are used for mulching soil around stalks of trees and shrubs, as well as sprawling perennials and vegetables. The material can be applied any time during plants’ vegetation. It also prevents contacts of vegetables and berries with soil, which is important for strawberries, marrow squashes, pumpkins and other crops whose fruit or berries are close to or on soil. Thus, crops remain clean and do not rot. The Agrotex mulch is laid down on a prepared bed and fixed on the edges with pegs or other means at hand (1); according to the planting plan X- or O-shaped apertures are made in the material (2), and seedlings are planted into them (3).
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It is very effective to use two materials at the same time: the black unwoven material for mulching plants and the white unwoven material for protecting plants from unfavourable weather conditions (4). Another substantial advantage of unwoven materials is that having bought the covering material this season, you will not have to spend time and money on buying it next year, since the material can be used during three agricultural seasons. After the spring application, the white Agrotex is removed from the beds, folded and kept in a dark place. The material can be used in autumn for winter covering of plants or kept unused until the beginning of the next season. The black Agrotex need not be removed from the beds for the winter season, so that it will imitate the snow cover during snowless frosts and will protect the root system of plants from sudden fluctuations of temperature in spring.
When the time comes for the harvest to ripen, it is very important to prevent its loss due to fact that plants may not withstand their own weight, зcollapse or break. In particular it concerns tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and egg-plants, and many decorative plants and flowers require tying up. For tying, it is necessary to use soft, strong and water-permeable materials, and tying bands from the Agrotex’Sad unwoven material meet these requirements.
In addition to vegetable plantings, gardeners’ plans always include decorative floral compositions. Their implementation and care for the plants can be greatly facilitated if you use the Agrotex’Geo unwoven material for landscaping. In the place where a decorative path or a flower garden is planned, a cut in the ground or the required depth is made. At the bottom of the recess Agrotex’Geo is laid, and the edges of the cloth are bent upwards to the height of the layer of fertile soil. Then soil or a decorative filling is put in. Now plants can be planted out. Agrotex’Geo separates soil layers, suppresses the root growth, protects the imported layer of earth from leaching and mixing and also protects the lower layers of drainage from going into the ground. It is also recommended to apply the material in areas subject to leaching of soil or when using imported soil.
The unwoven materials are irreplaceable assistants on household plots; one material alone performs many useful functions – it protects plants from recurrent frost in spring, from the scorching sun in summer and from ice rains and snowless frosts in winter. The Agrotex materials and items made from it substantially reduce the time and effort spent on caring for the garden and vegetable patch, free up time to sit in a shady corner of the garden, look around and enjoy the results of your work.
