Plasticulture is a critical component of specialty crop production in the Southeast. New innovations are making the use of mulch more efficient for growers. Key among those is a new line of biodegradable mulch from Carbon Nurture.

Ease of Use

As its name implies, this biodegradable mulch completely dissolves in the field, eliminating the need for removal at the end of the season. In a time of high labor and fuel costs, this is a big benefit. Carbon Nurture mulches work with existing equipment, so no new equipment or learning curves are required for laying beds.

“Our biodegradable mulch requires no end-of-season removal. That means less fuel to run equipment, no labor to remove plastic and no transportation to the landfill, which all means savings after the season ends,” says Yelena Kann, a co-founder of Carbon Nurture.

Kann has a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Sussex, UK, and is one of the most recognized experts in polymer degradation. She has dedicated those skills to developing the product lineup from Carbon Nurture.

“One of the challenges with other biodegradable mulches on the market is they don’t have the strength of conventional non-biodegradable polyethylene mulches,” she says. “We’ve been successful in creating a mulch that degrades and performs like conventional mulch. We have multiple field trials that have validated this performance.”

Clint Osage, Osage Farms in Dillard, Georgia, laid Carbon Nurture SoilBond film in late April in advance of a pickle crop. He said the process and results to date have been outstanding.

“When we laid the film, we didn’t even have to readjust any of our equipment,” he says. “It worked really well. And in terms of weeds, we have rogue nutsedge poking through here and there, but this film seems to work better than the standard low-density polyethylene film we’ve used in other applications.”

The mulch also is shelf-stable, and when stored properly in an environment protected from direct sunlight, it can be used the following season. This is another important benefit over other biodegradable products on the market. 

Safe Design

The biodegradable mulch is engineered by a simple three-ingredient recipe made up of FDA-grade materials, so growers don’t have to worry about any environmental concerns or potential contamination to the soil.

“There is no safer mulch on the market, and it’s designed to withstand different exposures to the climate like heat and sun, which is important in the Southeast,” Kann says. “The mulch is designed to follow the crop cycle, so as the season comes to an end, the process of degradation begins. We have different products in our lineup that are designed to follow different cycle lengths depending on the crop. And the product fully dissolves into the soil, so there are no microplastics left behind.”

Food for Soil

Part of the process that allows Carbon Nurture mulches to dissolve so thoroughly is soil microbes help consume the material after the season. This brings the benefit of improved soil health and nutrition.

“Beyond the benefit of eliminating the need to remove the mulch, our concept focuses on nurturing soil,” Kann says. “We have shown that our film composition is increasing the carbon-use efficiency of microbes in the soil. They release less carbon dioxide into the air.and retain more carbon in their biomass This capture of soil organic carbon is important because soils now are depleted of organic  matter. The film truly is like food for the microbes as it dissolves and regenerates soils.”

“At Carbon Nurture, we are proud to offer growers this line of biodegradable mulch film, which delivers the benefits of labor and money savings, while also coming in a package that is environmentally safe and helps rebuild the soil for future crops to come,” Kann concludes.