Mulch plus herbicides effectively control vineyard weeds

The effectiveness of mulches in controlling weeds was examined in a two-year study in a California vineyard. Wood chip mulch treatments were compared with cultivation, herbicide, and cover crop biomass treatments. The most cost effective and successful treatment over the two-year period utilized preemergence herbicides and occasional treatment with postemergence herbicides. Cover crops chopped and spread on the vine rows were successful in the second year, when weed control had occurred before the mulch was spread. The long-term weed control benefits were not studied, although it is likely that they continue to persist, as the mulch is maintained in the field.