Mulch Recommendations

[Ruth Bunbury]

Hello,

Mulch seems to be a very complex topic. I will be planting 3 acres of Tuber aestivum var. uncinatum this fall (south-eastern Ontario) and was wondering if anyone might have recommendations based on their own experience. My own research has me leaning towards geotextile fabric, a 2014 study recommends white, however I am reticent considering the location of the orchard. It can get so cold in Canada. Or would that matter considering the trees would be dormant during the late fall and early winter, therefore the developing mycorrhizae systems would be safe? What are your thoughts. I have also looked into plastic mulch, cork mats, which can be very expensive, jute mats, and hardwood mulch, which would not affect the ph of the soil (and may actually help maintain the alkalinity of the soil around the trees). What are your thoughts?

Take Care!

Ruth

 

[Fabrice Caporal]

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Australians recommend for T. melanosporym to use black + white fabric. Black for obscurity and white to prevent over heating. In our orchard with T. melanosporum we used a layer of white fabric covered with lime gravel. In our orchard weeds are over taking the mats in the fourth season. We chose 4’x4′ mats as opposed to full strip for cost saving reasons. We were quite happy with our setup.

Considerations to ponder. I heard that continuous mats are quite effrctive and you can place the irrigation under, but they also tend to become freeways for voles…

In your cost estimate, you should not only include cost of material and labor to install, but cost of removal and disposal.  This is quite significant.

I can’t speak to T. aestivum…

[Ruth Bunbury]

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Thank you for your insight Fabrice! My husband and I were also considering lime screenings mixed with limestone gravel as they are somewhat water soluble (two birds..) but worried about compaction. Thank you for the insight into cost. My business plan is becoming a novel now!

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