Reflective mulch

[Melodychick]

Has any body used it? The biggest problem I have had in the last few years is insects. I’ve tried organic insecticides and methods to no avail and have had to start using chemicals
I’ve been reading about silver reflective mulch and, although the insects I have aren’t listed as the ones most repelled by it, I wondered if it might help out if even just a little bit. Not sure though if things would get too hot down here though. Any thoughts?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

For insects, especially caterpillars that come from things like European Cabbage Moth, I like to use floating row covers. I learned about them in Costa Rica where you see them in fields all over and for shorter crops.
They don't crush plants and allow light and water to enter while preventing laying of eggs on the plants. They come in several thicknesses for varying degrees of frost protection.
Hummerts carries it as do other companies.
These are similar to what I'm referring to.
https://www.gurneys.com/product/sup...PKJr_D7ie1l4Njw1SGB3YvB8Y6knwtCBoCy2gQAvD_BwE

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YX5RBMW/?tag=backy-20

 

[Melodychick]

I may give that a try. How did they handle pollination? The problems I’m having is with summer crops, especially tomatoes & squash. I have squash bugs, leaf footed bugs and squash vine borers. I check for eggs daily and remove what I find, but of course I can’t find them all. Then when they hatch I’ve used neem, DE, insecticidal soap, and Spinosid. Kills a lot of them, but they still decimate the plants and fruit. I see them all year long too, though not in the same numbers as in summer. I was hoping the reflective mulch might at least confuse the borers...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I think each fruit and vegetable needs specific organic approaches to protection.
Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts and lettuces don't need to be pollinated.
Fruiting plants that need pollination will need a different approach, or at least use the row cover during specific parts of the season.

 

[so lucky]

I did have issues with other kinds of bugs when I used row covers. I think my problem was that they were in the soil and mulch that was covered with the row cover. They had the cabbage to themselves, and made a mess of it. Melodychick, do you keep a permanent organic mulch down? I have for years and I think it is about 90% of my bug problems.

 

[Melodychick]

I let the chickens in the garden area between crops to hopefully root out any bugs in the soil. I don’t really mulch, just add compost. I think the biggest problem is we never really have any cold weather, so insects breed year round. From what I’ve read, up north squash vine borers lay eggs once/year, but down here 3/year, so the season never ends to take off any row covers.