Plastic mulch provides a protective blanket for your soil, giving your plants the protection and environment they need to thrive. Gundle API’s Gunmulch is a range of high-performance plastic mulch films and one of the most technically advanced agricultural mulches in South Africa.

This thin layer of plastic film is placed over the ground to create a controlled environment for your plants by manipulating the growth conditions.

When to use Gunmulch

Gunmulch is a valuable partner in your farming operations and is used to manipulate the environment to suit the needs of your plants. Gunmulch can be used in high heat conditions to reflect the sun’s rays and prevent the roots of your plants from ‘cooking’.

In early spring, it can be used for post-winter germination as it traps heat and warms the soil. Gunmulch can even be used to repel insects by reflecting light.

Gunmulch provides the perfect growth environment for your plants.

Benefits of using Gunmulch

Gunmulch has numerous benefits for your plants and soil.

  • Gunmulch manages the heat delivered to your plants

Black and clear plastic absorbs and traps solar radiation, warming your soil. Warmer soil allows for planting up to three weeks earlier in spring, which means earlier harvests and better market prices for farmers. White or silver mulches can also reflect light to keep your soil cooler in summer, preventing heat stress for sensitive crops.

  • Water conservation with Gunmulch

Because Gunmulch’s plastic is impermeable, soil water losses are reduced by up to 70%. This keeps the root zone moist, which is critical for crops such as tomatoes and peppers.

Black Gunmulch can help heat the soil for earlier planting.

  • Effective weed suppression

Gunmulch blocks sunlight to prevent weeds from germinating, virtually eliminating the need for hand weeding or expensive herbicides, saving farmers time and money.

  • Gunmulch can improve your crop quality and yield

Produce such as strawberries, melons or cucumbers, rest on the plastic rather than the soil, keeping them clean and reducing ‘belly rot’. Gunmulch also acts as a barrier against soil-borne diseases and prevents ‘splash-back’, where rain hits the soil and splashes fungi or bacteria onto the plant’s leaves. All of this can lead to increased yields thanks to optimised growing conditions.

  • The perfect soil structure for your plants’ health

Additionally, Gunmulch prevents soil erosion by protecting topsoil from being washed away by rain or blown away by wind. Because the area is covered, soil does not get crusted by rain or compacted by foot traffic, as people and animals tend to stay off the plastic.

  • Gunmulch assists with nutrient retention

It prevents fertiliser from leaching away during heavy rainstorms, keeping nutrients where plants can access them.

Gunmulch from Gundle API prevents soil erosion and keeps nutrients in the soil to give your plants the best growth possibility.

Tips when using Gunmulch

It should be used with a drip irrigation line underneath, as rain cannot penetrate the plastic film to provide water for your plants. When fertiliser is applied, it should be tilled into the soil prior to planting, or fertigation should be used to deliver nutrients through your drip irrigation.

For best results, your soil should be formed into raised beds. This allows the Gunmulch to be stretched tight, preventing wind from catching it, ensuring better heat transfer to the soil.

When cutting holes for your plants, keep them small, as larger holes allow too much heat and CO₂ to escape, reducing the benefits of the mulch. The mulch should be tight enough to avoid creases but loose enough to account for heat expansion and contraction.

Ensure the edges are buried in small furrows and packed with soil to prevent wind from ripping the entire sheet up.

Colour makes all the difference

Gundle API produces several versions of Gunmulch tailored to different crop needs:

  • Black Gunmulch: Standard for weed suppression and warming soil.
  • Clear Gunmulch: Primarily for soil warming, as it lets the most heat through to the soil – ideal for post-winter germination, but it doesn’t suppress weeds on its own.
  • White-on-Black (Co-extruded): A two-layered film where the white side faces up to reflect heat and keep soil cool in hot climates, while the black side faces down to kill weeds.
  • Silver-on-Black: Often used to repel insects such as aphids by reflecting specific light spectrums, while still providing the weed-killing benefits of the black underside.

Need to know about Gunmulch

Gundle API’s Gunmulch is engineered specifically for harsh South African agricultural conditions and manufactured from LLDPE (Linear Low-Density Polyethylene), which provides high puncture and tear resistance.

It is available in thicknesses from 25 microns to 35 microns and sold in widths ranging from 750 mm to 1,5 m, with roll lengths of 500 m to 1 000 m.

The UV stability lasts between six and 12 months in the field, depending on the specific formulation, and it’s 100% recyclable, provided it is thoroughly cleaned of soil and debris after use.

If you are looking to give your plants a leg up while saving on costs and labour, get in contact with Gundle API today by visiting their website at www.gundleapi.co.za