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Cover Materials for Sustainable Container-Grown Plant Production - Innovation guide for ornamental growers and landscapers - Weed control cover materials for sustainable container-grown plant production Which cover material do you choose to prevent weed growth in container-grown plants? This innovation guide is a publication of the Proefcentrum voor Sierteelt PCS Ornamental Plant Research and was developed during practical research at the PCS. colophon Authors: Dominique Van Haecke (PCS), Filip Rys (PCS) Final editing: Kathy Van Belleghem (PCS) Design: Evelien Van Conkelberge (PCS) Photography: PCS and iStock, unless stated otherwise Location cover photo: PCS Translation: AHDB Depot number: D/2019/13.378/2 Responsible publisher: Bruno Gobin (PCS), Schaessestraat 18, 9070 Destelbergen, Belgium © PCS 2019 - All rights reserved: nothing from this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and / or made public without the publisher’s prior written agreement. The author and publisher strive for reliability of the published information for which they may not be held liable. A digital version may be found on www.pcsierteelt.be. use cover good for minimise people and herbicide use materials as an alternative the environment Do you already use cover materials as an alternative to herbicides for weed control? editorial Cover materials are efficient for weed control in the ornamentals and green sector. Extensive research from the PCS Ornamental Plant Research confirms this. Because there are fewer and fewer herbicides on the market and the application conditions are becoming stricter, a sustainable alternative is required. Cover materials offer a good solution: they are affordable and good for people and the environment, which is in line with the IPM principle ‘Keep chemistry as the last option’. Have you already used cover materials in your company? Before purchasing, have you sufficiently compared the properties of the different types of cover materials and have you made a cost price calculation? Using this innovation guide, based on independent research from the PCS, you have the necessary information about cover materials to hand. This way it will become a lot easier in the future to choose the right cover material and to focus on sustainable innovation in your company. Bruno Gobin Leentje Grillaert PCS Director PCS Chairperson PCS | 3 Lots of weed control cover materials are available on the market. But do you know which ones are best suited for use in container-grown plant production? PCS gives advice. contents 1. Use cover materials as an alternative weed control ....................... 5 1.1. Preventing weed growth and consequences for business operations ........... 6 1.2. Cover materials and their use within IPM ...................................................... 10 1.3. Cover materials and their use........................................................................ 12 2. Know the properties of cover materials ........................................ 14 2.1. Characteristics of cover materials ................................................................. 15 2.2. Influence of cover materials on the plant ...................................................... 21 2.3. Manual or automated application of cover materials to pots........................ 23 3. Know the different types of cover materials .................................. 25 3.1. Loose cover materials ................................................................................... 26 Cocoa shells ........................... 27 Hemp fibres ............................ 30 Pine tree bark ......................... 35 Container Mulch ..................... 28 Herbaedeck ............................ 32 Straw pellets ........................... 37 Pine bark ................................ 29 Coconut chips ......................... 34 Sylvester bark ......................... 39 3.2. Fixed cover materials .................................................................................... 40 Acrylic CD-DISC ...................... 41 HempFlax tree discs ................ 43 Coir CD-DISC .......................... 45 AW-DISC .................................. 42 Jute CD-DISC .......................... 44 Wecult .................................... 46 4. Cost price calculation for using cover materials ........................... 48 4.1. Cost price calculation for using loose cover materials ................................. 49 4.2. Cost price calculation for using fixed cover materials .................................. 53 5. Decide which cover material you select for your crops .................. 54 5.1. The choice of weeding, herbicides or cover materials .................................. 55 5.2. How do I choose the right cover material for my nursery: step-by-step plan.................................................................................................. 56 6. Finally....................................................................................................... 58 Research on cover materials ................................................................................ 58 10 tips for weed-free and sustainable container-grown plant production ........... 59 4 | PCS - Innovation guide Cover materials 1 Use cover materials as an alternative weed control - Chapter 1 Herbicides are often used to prevent weeds competing with floricultural crops for water and nutrients. Not only IPM legislation, but also increasing concern for the environment, force us to look for alternatives. To keep the nursery free of weeds, cover materials are a fully-fledged, sustainable solution. Cover materials prevent weed growth and reduce the labour costs of weeding. Furthermore, they ensure better water retention and offer an aesthetically added value. PCS | 5 1.1. Preventing weed growth and consequences for business operations A weed-free company is necessary in order dark germinators. The seed from seed - Chapter 1 to be able to offer high-quality plants. To weeds may easily spread via wind, water prevent weed growth, we need to know how and animals, so that it ends up in the weeds develop. pots. If the seed falls directly onto the substrate, it can quickly germinate there HOW WEEDS GROW and grow into unwanted weeds if there A plant is made up of roots, stems, is sufficient moisture available. But if you leaves, flowers and fruits. It is advisable to provide the pots with a layer of cover look closely at these components for the material when potting, the seed will end up recognition of weeds. Weeds on the cover material. Because may be annuals, biennials or order to be a the cover material provides y in ble ar to perennials. s o less favorable growing es f c fe · Annual weeds e r conditions, the seed n h i germinate, develop, is g will germinate less h y - form seeds and n q easily. This way a u die in one p a weed growth is l i m t calendar year. y prevented. o c p l · Biennial weeds e a e n r t form leaves in f 2. ROOT WEEDS s - . d the first year. If multiplication e Flowers and e occurs mainly w seeds do not A via rhizomes, one develop until the speaks of root weeds. second year and Root weeds can also these weeds then die. multiply via seed, but with · Perennial weeds die down these weeds propagation to the ground every year, but through roots, tubers or parts emerge again every spring. of them is more important. These weeds usually form a deep or widely branched root Depending on the method of multiplication system. The roots of these plants (taproot, we differentiate various types of weeds: seed rhizomes, tubers and underground stems) Info weeds, root weeds, mosses and ferns. serve as spare organs. They remain in the Bittercress, also known substrate and form new shoots throughout as touch-me-not because of the fruits that fly off, 1. SEED WEEDS the year. An example of this is creeping or produces 5,000 seeds per Seed weeds multiply sexually through field thistle. Root weeds spread less quickly plant. You must prevent seed. If the seed only germinates under over the pots and mainly cause problems if this seed formation by the influence of light, then one talks of they are already present in the pot at the start acting on time. light germinators. If no light stimulus is of the cultivation. So here the message is needed to germinate, people speak of to ensure the plant material and substrate 6 | PCS - Innovation guide Cover materials WEED TYPES AND THEIR GROWTH weeds propagate via - Chapter 1 seeds roots or tubers spores SEED WEED ROOT WEED MOSSES FERNS Recommendation e.g. field thistle If only the above-ground part of root weeds is germination germination leaves flat and lobbed removed, the weeds will with light without light in spirals leaves or in continue to grow. Even a or 2 rows 3 rows layer of cover material will not stop the weed, because it just grows through it. Problems with these stubborn weeds LIGHT GERMINATOR DARK GERMINATOR can only be prevented by e.g. camomile e.g. cleavers MOSS LIVERWORT starting with weed-free material (substrate and plants). are free of weeds. If this doesn’t happen, the 3. MOSSES AND FERNS weeds will grow through the cover material In addition to the above-mentioned weeds, during the growing season. If weeding is then we also differentiate mosses and ferns. These required during the growing season, the layer plants produce spores. Only the mosses will of cover material will be damaged when the be discussed further here. They have stems root weeds are pulled out. The result is that and leaves, but no real roots. Their stems the substrate is no longer covered, so that form root-like
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