Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but that seems that a great way to cook the roots
ConManTheKushman on
Only 1 way to find out. Time to experiment for science….and r/gardening
Serious-Emu-3468 on
This is not accurate, and is incredibly stupid. You’ll fry your roots and sunburn the bottoms of your leaves and fruits.
It would deter slugs and worms, though…because it would be a cooking surface.
[deleted] on
[deleted]
locktwo on
This is ai or at least thats what isthisai says. Regarding what the image is saying, no not really accurate.
MottledZuchini on
No. This is standard in places like Florida and California. I have personally managed thousands of acres of tonatos grown this way.
AaaaNinja on
This is AI, tomatoes do not grow like that, and it’s made for the purpose of engagement by making a sensationalist claim like, “Double your harvest”.
Emergency-Plum-1981 on
I can’t tell if this is AI or not (it looks real to me?) but if it’s real the caption is wrong and that’s Mylar, not aluminum foil. Aluminum foil would just turn into a huge mess very quickly.
judgejuddhirsch on
The plants yearn enough aluminum to build a plane.
Juevolitos on
I read about experiments with different colored mulch. If I remember correctly, silver was the best performer, followed by red.
I_Study_The_Patterns on
Commercial growers use reflective polyethylene mulch, not foil
AdministrativeWin583 on
Reflected light in places like Michigan would probably help. I might try this on a few plants this year using a space blanket they give to runners after a race or.in emergencies. Space blankets will be more durable than foil.
doublestitch on
Tomato plants are vines. They can’t grow straight like that without structural support. Much less bear the weight of ripe tomatoes.
There ought to be a trellis.
This image is AIslop.
The_Green_King_ on
I love to eat aluminium foil in my pasta, yummy… Wait was was I saying??
nexxlevelgames on
Its like under canopy lighting…but with aluminum foil
svelebrunostvonnegut on
It’s not aluminum foil. Some farmers really do use metallic plastic mulch (instead of the black plastic). It gives all of the normal benefits of using plastic like weed suppression, locking in soil moisture, but apparently the reflectiveness confuses insects and so helps with pest control. I’ve only actually seen it used on one farm but know it’s a product you can buy. It also reflects sunlight more than the black mulch so actually wouldn’t have a heat impact on the soil like black plastic does.
But this isn’t just aluminum foil. It’s polyethylene just like normal plastic mulch. Aluminum foil would probably be a lot more expensive, would rip easily and it would be hard to roll out.
jckipps on
Aluminum-coated plastic mulch is a thing; I’ve used it. It’s laid down with a commercial mulch layer which forms the hills at the same time, and it works the same as any other plastic mulch.
The main difference is that it allows you to use plastic mulch with later plantings without risking cooking the plants from the heat of the black plastic. The aluminum coating stays much cooler in July temperatures. There are some other purported benefits of aluminized plastic mulch like you described, but those aren’t well proven.
I tried it just as an experiment, and likely won’t bother again. Black plastic mulch has its place for early plantings of field tomatoes; but late plantings do just fine with no plastic mulch at all, by using no-till methods to plant directly into killed cover-crop or sod.
Foil is waaaaay too weak for outdoor use. Maybe there is outdoor grade foil-ed cover material, idk.
Tyvek is used here. They are known to induce little drought stress, and reflect sunlight, increasing brix degree for about 2 points.
fisch09 on
In hydroponics some growers including myself use Reflectix on top of the container lid for some of these purposes. It works, but like anything isn’t a miracle cure. Plants can only absorb so much light in a day before things go haywire.
I don’t think pest control actually happens.
Increased growth, a little in hydroponics because LED grow lights are very directional so this helps bounce light like you normally have happen outside. So not sure how this translates outside.
The biggest reason to do it, is to prevent light and heat getting into your water. Both cause algea and root death. Aluminum foil would block the light, but not the heat.
Lemontreeguy on
Terrible idea, and extremely wasteful.
Willowgirl2 on
Have you looked at the price of tinfoil lately?!
eclipsed2112 on
in an old gardening book years ago, i read of people using mirrors underneath some plants to give them twice the light.
it had an added benefit of confusing flying bugs who would not know which was the sky and would fall to the ground making them easy targets.
ive never tried it though.
Academic-Travel-4661 on
Curious why the nonproducing aren’t pruned?
Capable_Victory_7807 on
How much does foil cost nowadays? 🤔
Legitimate_Collar605 on
Bad idea!
Skeets5977 on
It also keeps aliens from controlling the plant’s brain. /s
Obvious-Project-1186 on
I see comments here arguing for other reflective materials like mulch which makes more since to me because the second it gets windy all this foil would just rip and become litter
lethegrin on
I live in apple country and they do this with giant reflective or white sheets under the tree. I’ve always assumed this was to ensure both sides of the apple are colored the same.
RevolutionaryEgg1312 on
I’ve seen this done with white sheets under fruit trees.
They’re pinned with tent pegs and are reused the next year.
VineStGuy on
I mean, if you’re in a the coldest zones, I could see this work. But for most of the zones, those tomatoes are gonna cook.
Wytecap on
NO!! You’ll toast the roots, burn the leaves from the reflection, and water cannot permeate foil!!
SpaceCampDropOut on
Absolutely not. As hot as it gets where I am, this would kill everything.
Ratstail91 on
its real – AI isnt this weird
Vast-Ad4194 on
Apple farmers use a reflective type of liner that helps reflect the sun back up to the apples to help redden them more evenly.
AnnatoniaMac on
Maybe AI
sitewolf on
Interesting, and holds weeds down as a bonus? How soon in the year do you do this?
joshuads on
There is real science behind this. But not with aluminum foil. That is a solution for people with a couple plants that want to imitate the way actual farmers do it
38 Comments
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but that seems that a great way to cook the roots
Only 1 way to find out. Time to experiment for science….and r/gardening
This is not accurate, and is incredibly stupid. You’ll fry your roots and sunburn the bottoms of your leaves and fruits.
It would deter slugs and worms, though…because it would be a cooking surface.
[deleted]
This is ai or at least thats what isthisai says. Regarding what the image is saying, no not really accurate.
No. This is standard in places like Florida and California. I have personally managed thousands of acres of tonatos grown this way.
This is AI, tomatoes do not grow like that, and it’s made for the purpose of engagement by making a sensationalist claim like, “Double your harvest”.
I can’t tell if this is AI or not (it looks real to me?) but if it’s real the caption is wrong and that’s Mylar, not aluminum foil. Aluminum foil would just turn into a huge mess very quickly.
The plants yearn enough aluminum to build a plane.
I read about experiments with different colored mulch. If I remember correctly, silver was the best performer, followed by red.
Commercial growers use reflective polyethylene mulch, not foil
Reflected light in places like Michigan would probably help. I might try this on a few plants this year using a space blanket they give to runners after a race or.in emergencies. Space blankets will be more durable than foil.
Tomato plants are vines. They can’t grow straight like that without structural support. Much less bear the weight of ripe tomatoes.
There ought to be a trellis.
This image is AIslop.
I love to eat aluminium foil in my pasta, yummy… Wait was was I saying??
Its like under canopy lighting…but with aluminum foil
It’s not aluminum foil. Some farmers really do use metallic plastic mulch (instead of the black plastic). It gives all of the normal benefits of using plastic like weed suppression, locking in soil moisture, but apparently the reflectiveness confuses insects and so helps with pest control. I’ve only actually seen it used on one farm but know it’s a product you can buy. It also reflects sunlight more than the black mulch so actually wouldn’t have a heat impact on the soil like black plastic does.
But this isn’t just aluminum foil. It’s polyethylene just like normal plastic mulch. Aluminum foil would probably be a lot more expensive, would rip easily and it would be hard to roll out.
Aluminum-coated plastic mulch is a thing; I’ve used it. It’s laid down with a commercial mulch layer which forms the hills at the same time, and it works the same as any other plastic mulch.
The main difference is that it allows you to use plastic mulch with later plantings without risking cooking the plants from the heat of the black plastic. The aluminum coating stays much cooler in July temperatures. There are some other purported benefits of aluminized plastic mulch like you described, but those aren’t well proven.
I tried it just as an experiment, and likely won’t bother again. Black plastic mulch has its place for early plantings of field tomatoes; but late plantings do just fine with no plastic mulch at all, by using no-till methods to plant directly into killed cover-crop or sod.
https://preview.redd.it/1eu80vz6m0pg1.jpeg?width=447&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad66286ff1644bb29c4f6ba75c28d96033c08a80
Foil is waaaaay too weak for outdoor use. Maybe there is outdoor grade foil-ed cover material, idk.
Tyvek is used here. They are known to induce little drought stress, and reflect sunlight, increasing brix degree for about 2 points.
In hydroponics some growers including myself use Reflectix on top of the container lid for some of these purposes. It works, but like anything isn’t a miracle cure. Plants can only absorb so much light in a day before things go haywire.
I don’t think pest control actually happens.
Increased growth, a little in hydroponics because LED grow lights are very directional so this helps bounce light like you normally have happen outside. So not sure how this translates outside.
The biggest reason to do it, is to prevent light and heat getting into your water. Both cause algea and root death. Aluminum foil would block the light, but not the heat.
Terrible idea, and extremely wasteful.
Have you looked at the price of tinfoil lately?!
in an old gardening book years ago, i read of people using mirrors underneath some plants to give them twice the light.
it had an added benefit of confusing flying bugs who would not know which was the sky and would fall to the ground making them easy targets.
ive never tried it though.
Curious why the nonproducing aren’t pruned?
How much does foil cost nowadays? 🤔
Bad idea!
It also keeps aliens from controlling the plant’s brain. /s
I see comments here arguing for other reflective materials like mulch which makes more since to me because the second it gets windy all this foil would just rip and become litter
I live in apple country and they do this with giant reflective or white sheets under the tree. I’ve always assumed this was to ensure both sides of the apple are colored the same.
I’ve seen this done with white sheets under fruit trees.
They’re pinned with tent pegs and are reused the next year.
I mean, if you’re in a the coldest zones, I could see this work. But for most of the zones, those tomatoes are gonna cook.
NO!! You’ll toast the roots, burn the leaves from the reflection, and water cannot permeate foil!!
Absolutely not. As hot as it gets where I am, this would kill everything.
its real – AI isnt this weird
Apple farmers use a reflective type of liner that helps reflect the sun back up to the apples to help redden them more evenly.
Maybe AI
Interesting, and holds weeds down as a bonus? How soon in the year do you do this?
There is real science behind this. But not with aluminum foil. That is a solution for people with a couple plants that want to imitate the way actual farmers do it
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/plastic-mulch-selection-for-tomato-production-in-north-carolina
Mylar not foil – much cheaper and easier to work with.