Given the potential issues discussed in your previous post about this (linked below in case you couldn't find it), sure you can use it. Black is what is recommended though, not clear.

As for improving yield, possibly but there are many other variables that factor into yield that are even more important than using black plastic mulches. Things like soil fertility and tilth, weather, pest issues, nutrient and water levels supplied, diseases, etc.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Your earlier post on this question

This is one that I will never understand why my tomatoes never get Red until September when they are Early tomatoes 60 day tomatoes and they are planted in the middle of May and they are in the sun all day.

To me it has to do with the soil.

This is one that I will never understand why my tomatoes never get Red until September when they are Early tomatoes 60 day tomatoes and they are planted in the middle of May and they are in the sun all day.

That is an issue shared by many growing tomatoes in the far north zones. Where exactly in 5A are you located? The link below is to the AHA heat zone maps and as you can see many states have as many as 20 different heat zone in them. Even neighboring yards can have different heat zones.

And for tomatoes one of the most relevant variable is your heat zone index which can vary greatly from your gardening zone. It ranks the intensity of the sun exposure your plants get and can be quite different from what we as people perceive. In other words, we may think the plant is exposed to sun all day but it may be a very weak sun exposure and that is of vital importance to tomatoes ripening on the plants.

Using black plastic to pre-warm your soil will allow you to plant them out a bit earlier but it won't improve the amount and intensity of your sun exposure.

The next most relevant variable is the timing of any supplemental feeding of the plants. Tomato plants grow in cycles of approx. 6 weeks. A period of plant growth followed by a period of fruit set followed by another period of new growth coupled with maturing of the first fruit. Time your feeding wrong and you can break that cycle. For example, if the plant is setting fruit and you give it a feeding you will kick it back into a growth spurt and delay the ripening of that fruit.

The third variable is stress. If the plants are stressed by poor root development (various causes), pests, diseases, improper watering or inconsistent soil moisture levels, and inconsistent or poorly timed feedings then fruit ripening will be delayed.

And all of this can happen regardless of the condition of your soil. Just some thoughts to consider.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: AHS Heat zone maps

Dave - the 6 week growth cycle in tomatoes is not something I have heard about before. It rings true if I think about it. Last year I fertilized less than the years before, and got more tomatoes. Could be a lot of different reasons, but one may be an off sync fertilizer regime.

That 6 wk thing is new to me too. Where did that come from?

The black plastic may well get you weeks of advantage on your pepper and tomato crops and usually you can even lessen certain pest problems but if you aren't harvesting 60DTM tomatoes until September in 5A, you should consider making a few other changes also.

I'd look into transplanting a few weeks earlier thru the black plastic and covering young transplants with row cover (Remay, agribon, Wall-o-water,etc) to take advantage of the warmer soil. If your area isn't shaded you'll have more than adequate sunlight in late April (I have plenty now in greenhouse tomatoes). Try a few different varieties, even ones in 70-80 DTM range to see if your variety isn'y setting fruit for other reasons. It could be that your plants are just begining to bloom just about the time that July heat is at its worst.

I put all of my tomatoes on black plastic, but my field grown crop is on laid 4' strip without water, one centered row of determinate varieties spaced at 30" intervals (planted with water wheel planter). For peppers and eggplants I plant 2 rows to each plastic strip, usually planting 6-8" in from each edge spaced at 16" intervals. I lay over a mile of plastic each year for these crops; wouldn't go back to any other way.

THE COLOR OF PLASTICS:

I have been doing some reading on the subject of "PLASTIC MULCH". There 4 colors that are used more than others.

1- WHITE: It reflect most of incident waves/energy. This can be useful if you don.t wat your soil to get any warmer from direct sun. That is why they wear white turban in the desert.

2- RED: it is mostly used for tomatoes, as a reflector. It has been said that the light reflected from it can improve tomato production somewhat.

BLACK: It is mostly used as barrier against weed and evaporation. It is also belived by some to be effective in heating the soil underneath. According to physics, black absorbs almost all the energy from solar radiation and reflect negligible and transfers non. So the only way for black plastic to warm up the soil is by CONDUCTION ; ie by contact.

CLEAR: It is often used as a means of SOLARIZATION, to kill weeds and various vegetation. If then if it can kill the weeds by building up high temperature, it can also heat the soil. BINGO !
Clear plastic has similar properties to common and plexy glass that are used in greenhouse. The important property of it is high transmission rate. Once the solar energy is transmitted, it will be TRAPPED and cannot escape. So if I want to heat my garden bed, EARLY SPRING, clear plastic offers a clear choice. It is mostly soil temperature that is responsible for plant growth. At cooler temperature most plants cannot draw enough nutrients from the soil ; seeds will hard time to germinate and develop root system.
JMO

Please note: if you cover your soil with clear plastic and you get full sun on warm days, you will overheat the soil and kill your plants. Clear plastic is used to solarize (and sterilize) soil. Temperatures go up well over 100 degrees F, and soil bacteria and viruses are destroyed.

Clear plastic can be used to warm your soil in the Spring, but if your soil is wet, it will hold in the moisture and prevent it from properly drying out. I have used clear plastic to warm a plot for peppers and tomatoes, but when I plant them I pull up the clear and put down black plastic.

Black plastic warms the soil by heating up in the sun, and radiating that heat to the soil beneath. Therefore, you need a tight fit between plastic and soil to get the full effect. That means smoothing the soil evenly, getting good contact between plastic and soil, and then tucking in the edges to the soil. If your soil is lumpy, the plastic loose, or the edges left open, you either won't transfer the heat properly to the soil or you'll lose it out the edges.

Amen jonfrum. The thought conveyed on many threads I read is that you can benefit by replacing black film with clear; it just ain't true.
The only instance I am aware of where clear film is commercially used for a crop is when it is drilled to let heat escape such as when seeding sweet corn early in trench and then laying the clear,drilled,film over top. Even under those conditions the corn growers usually preapply herbicides preplant because the weeds will outgrow the corn under the drilled film quickly. That film will usually be cut off when the corn is a few inches tall and danger of frost is past. I've never grown corn that early but for some folks it pays off.
I've used red and white(over black) films but I don't see any advantage with either. If you get particular for melons I could go along with switching from black to IRT Green but I'm content with results on just regular 1 mil black.
Surprising that somebody isn't raving over biodegradable film. It may someday have merit but for now I want something that will not start breaking apart halfway through the growing season.

I use the cheap black plastic for peppers and have for many years. I also cover them with row cover for the first few weeks. Day and night temps are important for fruit forming but the type of pepper should be appropriate for your zone too.
I also put a light shade fabric on in mid summer to prevent sunscald.
{{gwi:34094}}

Peppers appreciate medium soil with not too much N. Also plant them closer together to help give them heat and humidity and prevent sunscald.

{{gwi:34095}}

Little Acorn:

SORRY! I was thinking of tomatoes, not peppers so the following reply is totally inappropriate. Maybe there's a way to delete it but I haven't found how......

I'm not as knowledgeable or experienced as lots of the folks on here but one of the important variables I think no one has mentioned is variety. I grow a "super early" tomato called Latah and it's always the first to give me fruit. Recently I saw a TV interview with a gardener from a cold area of Newfoundland. He said he'd spent years unsuccessfully trying to grow tomatoes until he discovered - Latah!

Might be worth a try?? I can send a few seeds if you'd like.

This post was edited by VanIsle_BC on Sun, Mar 9, 14 at 19:53

I would like to try them. I would be very thankful for the.

Little Minnie,

How close together are those peppers in your pic? It looks like 12 inches or less. Are they bell peppers, hot peppers or both?

I'm going to try shade cloth on my bell peppers this year. I can grow them just fine but they tend to be thin-walled and not very sweet. I'm looking at ways to improve the taste.

mdfarmer I would recommend getting a soil test from CSI ( Crop Services International ) and get a very good soil test that will change everything in your garden. You will find what is tied up and get minerals and all the good things back into your soil to bring back the teast you once had.

I have got one from them this Spring and am very pleased with what I did not know about my soil. NO more NPK testing any more.

In response to the tomato ripening issue I found out the hard way last year that tomatoes are the true "Goldie Locks" of the garden: they don't like it too cold, or too hot, but juuuuust right.

The below is copied for horticultural website but can be found in numerous places... Hope it helps!

"Ripening and color development in tomatoes is governed primarily by two factors: temperature and the presence of a naturally occurring hormone called "ethylene."

The optimum temperature range for ripening mature green tomatoes is 68��"77 deg. F. The further temperatures stray from the optimum, the slower the ripening process will be. And, when temperatures are outside the optimum range for extended periods, conditions may become so stressful that the ripening process virtually halts.

At the same time, tomatoes do not produce lycopene and carotene, the pigments responsible for ripe tomato color, when temperatures are above 85 deg. F. So, extended periods of extreme heat cause tomatoes to stop ripening. The resulting fruits often appear yellowish green to yellowish orange."