red mulch and tomatoes

[nikki]

has anyone tried this?

I start tomatoes every year. This year when it was time to upgrade my local greenhouse was out of peat pots (my usualy choice and they sell them for 10 cents a peice). I did not want to make the almost hour long trek to get some so purchased red, yellow and blue plastic cups from the local grocery store. Put large holes in them all and potted away. I have noticed the tomatoes in the red cups seem to be bigger. I can see the red reflected up on the leaves occ making them look reddish. Now I have heard and seem the red mulch thing and light reflection for tomatoes but never tried it myself.
(Seemed expensive to order). Thinking there might be something to this and wondering what your experiences are!?!

[Mammabooh]

I don't have any experience with using red around tomatoes, but I'd sure like it if you'd keep us updated with your findings!

[bluelacedredhead]

Tomato Psychology?? Red is a Getupandgo colour, while Blue has a calming effect.

[Mammabooh]

Tomato Psychology?? Red is a Getupandgo colour, while Blue has a calming effect.

Yet I notice both are in your name!!!

[finnteara]

Red mulch is made of colored pine bark. The red color fades in UV light. Also pine mulches on top of the soil attracts insects. Better to use cypress of cedar mulch which repell most insects. If the color thing hold up you might try a red tinted glass or plastic above the plant, just enough so that some UV is tinted red. I hear that some greenhouses had removed a few clear glass panel and replaced them with colored.

[Brook]

Experiments with colored plastic mulch seem to indicate that productivity increases with the red. The idea is that the plants see the red color as competition, and signal their fruit to start ripening sooner.

But all this has to do with fruit set and development, not plant growth. I suspect the bigger plants in the red cups is either a coincidence, or you might have put faster growing varieties in those cups.

[nikki]

darn and I was thinking I was on to something:}! It could very well be coincidence (placement, variety) Thanks for the info. Does the red mulch help with productivity in all vegetables or mainly tomatoes? I also see they advertise green mulch for melons. Is this also for productivity? Are they worth the money? thanks

[Brook]

Wish I could answer that, but I haven't kept up with developments in that area. I know that nowadays plastic mulch comes in all sorts of colors, red, green, yellow, black, silver, and who knows what else.

Presumably somebody has found them useful. But it could just as easily mean somebody has come up with a marketing scheme.

[drobinson]

I haven't tried red plastic mulch, but I have seen it advertized in numerous places as enhancing plant growth. E & R Company has lots of various colored plastic mulches for sale. I do think you are on to something with the red idea and I may try it this year.

[Subs x]

I'm trying the red film mulch and red 'automator' (feeding and watering) trays for the first time this year. Actually both function as mulch so the experiment can't be a total loss !!


Stay tuned..........




Subs x