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Groundcover Decomposes In One Season
A new compostable groundcover mat made its debut at the recent world AgExpo in California. Placed on the ground between rows or around trees and vines, EcoCoverÖ suppresses weed growth and preserves soil moisture but then decomposes by the end of the growing season.
  Company vice-president Andy Forth says, "The cover blocks sunlight to weed seeds, preserves moisture in the soil and can even be embedded with plant nutrients." Forth's company imported EcoCover to the U.S. from New Zealand, where it has been used successfully for several years.
   "It isn't like most ground covers because it's made from recycled waste paper and organic binders," Forth says. "It's completely compostable, usually within one growing season. Producers can save a great deal of time and labor with this product because they don't have to remove it after the growing season."
  Another benefit is that producers can embed a wide range of crop nutrients to help with eliminating the need for mechanical fertilization. Forth says that EcoCover is approved for organic food production. "It provides a very beneficial environment for worm populations because it helps maintain consistent soil moisture and soil temperature.   
  "Soil under the EcocCover is uniformly moist and will æbreathe' rather than bake in hot and dry conditions," Forth says. "That means the growing crops have a better environment for producing high yields."
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Andy Forth, Ecocover, 16072 Gothard Street, Huntington Beach, Calif. 92647 (ph 877 636-2404; Andy.Forth@ecocover.com;
www.ecocover.com)


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2011 - Volume #35, Issue #2