agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

and

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, frui ...

, row cover is any transparent or semi-transparent flexible material, like fabric or plastic sheeting, used as a protective covering for plants, usually

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

. Covers are used to extend growing seasons, and reduce undesirable effects of cold, wind and

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...

s. Article marked reviewed by publisher in 2012. Row covers can reduce the

drying Drying is a mass transfer process consisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporation from a solid, semi-solid or liquid. This process is often used as a final production step before selling or packaging products. To be consid ...

effect of wind, and can provide a small amount of warming in a similar way to unheated cold frames,

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These ...

s and

polytunnel A polytunnel (also known as a polyhouse, hoop greenhouse or hoophouse, grow tunnel or high tunnel) is a tunnel typically made from steel and covered in polyethylene, usually semi-circular, square or elongated in shape. The interior heats up bec ...

s, creating a

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

for the plants. The first commercial-scale use of polyethylene row covers in the US was in the 1950s, and by the 1980s their use was widespread. Row cover is a lightweight synthetic, such as clear plastic (

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging ( plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including b ...

) or spunbonded

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natura ...

called horticultural fleece. Plastic covers are elevated above plants on a supporting framework such as wire hoops to form a low tunnel. (Plastic placed directly on the ground is

mulch A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility and health of the soil, reducing weed growth and enhancing the visual appeal of the area. A mu ...

.) Fleece covers can be placed directly on plants or on supporting frames. Floating row cover is the term used when there are no (or minimal) supports under the fleece and the plants themselves hold up the fleece, though the edges may be anchored to the ground against wind by metal staples or soil piled up over the edges. All row cover materials reduce the amount of light reaching the plants by a small amount (for example, 10%–20%), but such materials do not reduce sunlight in the way shade cloth does (50%–95% shading). Commercial products are marketed describing the percentage of light reduction. In hot weather, plastic covers need to be vented to prevent heat-buildup or too much moisture under the cover, and may have built in vent holes. Fleece material is self-venting and will allow water and rain to penetrate the cover. Row covers provide better frost protection in the fall than spring because the heat built up in the soil over summer will help to raise the temperature a few degrees under a cover. Fleece covers can protect against certain destructive insects but must be removed when the crop is flowering if insect pollination is required.Community Garden Guide : Season Extension : Floating Row Cover
by

Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners an ...

References

{{reflist Gardening aids Farming tools

See also

References