Row Cover

What Does Row Cover Mean?

A row cover is a lightweight fabric that can be placed directly above growing plants without the need for support. Row covers work to physically protect plants from pests. It is anchored to the ground and thus resistant to being blown over by the wind.

There is a type of row cover that is made from High-Density Polyethylene sheets which is commonly used by inorganic farmers, but which still off-gases several impurities such as oligomers, solvent residues, unreacted monomers and other side-products with prolonged exposure to sunlight. This makes HDPE sheets non-ideal for organic farming techniques or for operations where consumption of the end product by consumers is intended to increase health and longevity due to having as few impurities due to faulty farming practices as possible.

Maximum Yield Explains Row Cover

While row covers are oftentimes simpler to apply to a low growing crop, it is important to make sure the material used to cover the rows of growing plants not contain any undesirable compounds .Such compounds are undoubtedly passed along the food-web to the end consumer and can bioaccumulate if not checked. Thus row covers made from organic materials tightly woven together are preferred over HDPE.