Plastic garden mulch - which color is best?

Plastic garden mulch is available in a variety of colors. Each color has a different use in the garden. This article discusses which colors are best for which cultures. You can choose between red, black, olive, brown, blue, metallic on black and white on black.

Red Mulch - This really is the best tomato mulch. It increases yield by up to 20% compared to using black mulch. Red mulch maximizes the light reflected from the plants. It reflects more light early in the season when the plants are small, which makes the plants grow faster and therefore produce tomatoes earlier. Other plants that benefit from this color are peppers, melons, and strawberries.

Black Mulch - This is an all-purpose mulch that has three main advantages. This increases soil temperature and allows for higher vegetable yields. It suppresses weeds and also helps reduce water loss.

Olive mulch – This is basically a cross between black mulch and clear mulch. It heats the soil to a higher temperature than black mulch. It will fight weeds much better than clear mulch. This is a versatile mulch.

White Mulch - This is great for cold crops like lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, and more. This mulch has a black underside for weed control. The white tip helps keep the soil low while reflecting light back to the plant.

Blue mulch - This results in slightly higher soil temperatures than black mulch. It reflects a different part of the light spectrum than other plastic mulch. This leads to higher yields (up to 20%) for summer squash, cucumbers, and melons.

Brown mulch - This color provides higher soil temperatures than black mulch and better weed control than olive mulch.

Metal mulch - This is something that should be used as an experiment. It has been found to reduce some insect populations, thereby reducing the need for some pesticides. The reflective nature is said to confuse insects. It has been found to reduce aphids in melon, pumpkin, and cucumber, as well as whitefly populations.