In our gardens and allotments, we use agrotextile more and more often. Since I have a lot of experience in using it, I decided to share my knowledge. First of all, each type of nonwoven agrotextile has its own specific application andyou need to pay attention to the color and thickness of the materialSome sensitive plants will require warm cover before winter. I do not advise anyone to use ordinary foil (unless they are tunnels) for three reasons:
- wrapping the plant will "suffocate" it,
- under the influence of sunlight, water vapor may condense on the foil, which then freezes on the plant,
- excess water vapor can cause disease.
Currently, the most commonly used isagrotextiles P50, P30(material thickness markings) intended for winter cover. Such a cover protects against frost and wind. This is very important because when the water evaporates excessively from the surface of the leaves and needles, the plants dry out under the influence of the wind. From the frozen soil, they are not able to replenish the lack of moisture.
P17, P19, P23 , i.e. light nonwovens, are used to protect plants after planting or sowing, when the development conditions are unfavorable for them. Currently, you can also buy the so-called protective hoods made of agrotextile for plants smaller than 1.4 m.
Black agrotextile (P50, P60, P78)should not be used for winter covering. This material is used only for mulching the soil. Plants covered with it, mostly evergreen, are deprived of light, and when the black surface is heated, they start growing too quickly.
Flowers and shrubs wintering on the terraces are also securedThe containers are placed on a polystyrene base, wrapped with, for example, corrugated cardboard, and the spaces between them are filled with straw, newspapers or jute bags. The plants themselves are covered, for example, with white agrotextile or garlands.
After winter, remove covers from plantsUsually it is March or April. This should be done gradually to allow time for flowers and shrubs to acclimatize. In spring, do not remove the covers on too sunny days, because it can cause burns to the plants. On the other hand, removing the casing too late sometimes disturbs the vegetation.
Ilona Nowak
