It should be clarified that this should be in reference to red plastic mulch.

There is plenty of research online if you want to check it out:

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Mulch and Vegetables

Isn't that plastic mulch extemely expensive? Plus its not biodegradeble, so later on if you get sick of it you will have to pick each peace out by hand.

I think cool weather crops like peas, spinach, radishes, and broccoli would not like red mulch paper. Peppers also seem to do well with it.

Isn't that plastic mulch extemely expensive? Plus its not biodegradeble, so later on if you get sick of it you will have to pick each peace out by hand.

I don't consider 72 square feet for $6.95 expensive. As with most products, depends on where you shop.

The fact that it isn't biodegradable means there is a benefit of reusing it every year. This can be good for market gardeners who enrich their soil with compost regularly, use soaker hoses under mulch, then top with the red plastic mulch to increase yields.

I saw Lowes advertizing some Dupont plastic mulch. If I remember correctly it was something like $11 for one or two cubic feet. That would be enough for maybe two or three tomato plants, wouldn't even make a dent on mulching a fruit tree.

If you are talking about the red polyethylene film, it sounds like it is working well for tomato and pepper.

Sorry, I do think it's high priced.
Look, after all, it's just a plastic bag and just because somebody places it in a different merchandising channel does not make it more valuable in general, only for those who wish to pay a large premium for a small difference.
A couple of suggestions here:
Practically every doctor's office has an abundant supply of the same stuff, only it's called infectious waste trash bags. You could ask for a couple, or buy a boxful from an industrial or medical supplier.
Go into a Lowe's or Home Depot store. Then go out. On the way out you may see a little stand piled up with red plastic sheets intended to be tied to lumber as traffic warnings. Do you think they would care or notice that you had a few extra for your tomato plants?

Now for the tree huggers point of view:

Regardless of whether its cheap or not, it's STILL not biodegradable. No matter how many seasons one gets out of them, I can't imagine getting more than 3 years out of a sheet. In the end the stuff will still go to the dump....to sit...and wait...and still be here for a number of years......and when it does finally break down, what stuff is left behind for someone else to deal with?

Hey, I use plastic so I am not holier than thou, believe me. I even got suckered into purchasing some of those red growing trays. But every time I looked at them I kept asking myself why? I knew they were going into the trash at the end of the season. Were the few extra tomatoes I *might* get this one growing season really worth using a piece of plastic that will be around for who knows how long?

Plastic is part of our lives, there is little to do to escape it. But sometimes we are in the position to make a choice.

Tree hugger getting down off soapbox now <:->

Let us look into the reason why the red mulching is being used.Solar light has red light with two wave lengths known as Red and Far Red light.Plants use these light components to manufacture the pigments (phytochroms) called Pr and Pfr ratio or proportion which is very important for the growth process of the plant.It is this red light that triggers the germination process of the seeds.Juast FYI.

I dunno guys... I used it last year and think my plants had a longer time getting larger than the year before. These tomatoes were planted around the same time (same planting size):

July 3rd 2006 (no red mulch)
{{gwi:77190}}

July 8th 2007 (red mulch used)
{{gwi:77191}}

interesting - i may have to try the same experiment and see. could it be b/c some are in pots and some not?