Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Benguet National High School Annex-Puguis
Longlong, Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet
Division of Benguet
La Trinidad District

LEARNER’S HOME TASK IN TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD

EDUCATION

SELF-LEARNING HOME TASK (SLHT)

Subject Agri-Crop Grade 10 Quarter 3 Week 3

MELC: Apply mulching materials.

Competency Code: TLE_AFAC9-12PV-IIIa-j-3

Name ____________________________ Section ___________ Date _______

School ____________________________ District: ___________________________

GUIDE

For the Teacher: Advise the students to read the reading and discussion portion
before they attempt to answer the practice exercises. Going through the parts
sequentially will help them understand the topic easily.

For the Learner: Read through the self-learning home task from the first part to
the last part. Doing so, will help you understand better the topic.

For the Parent/Home Tutor: Assist your child and make sure that he/she reads
the self-learning home task from beginning to end to ensure proper understanding
of the concepts.

***As an evidence that you have read and understood the instructions in the
GUIDE kindly affix your signature below, confirmed by the signature of your
parent/ guardian.

___________________________________________
Parent/ Guardian's Name and Signature

________________________________

Learners Name and Signature

A. Readings/Discussions
 PERFORM MULCHING

Students of the Jones Rural School

help in placing plastic mulch in the Municipal
Vegetable gardens

of Jones, Isabela

According INGO (2005) mulch is any material or substance spread on

the ground to protect plant roots from heat, cold or drought or to keep fruit clean.

Mulches can be classified as inorganic or organic. Inorganic mulches

include plastics and other non-plant materials; whereas, Organic mulches
include straw, compost, sawdust and similar materials. Plastic is the only
inorganic mulch used in vegetable garden.

According to INGO (2005), the following are the importance of mulching

in vegetable production:

1. Mulching the area will prevent erosion. A thin layer of mulch on the soil surface
specially sloping areas reduces the washing away of soil particles by flowing
water.
 2. It conserves water. Therefore, mulching is most important when it is impossible
to adequately irrigate newly seeded areas.

3. Proper mulching in summer months keeps the soil cooler. Soils covered with
organic mulches keep soil below the mulch layer cooler in summer.

4. Organic mulches enrich the soil as they decay and provide a better environment
for plant growth. Soils that have high organic matter are easier to till and better
suited to vegetable gardening.

5. Mulches help plants by gradually increasing soil fertility. Organic mulches when
turned under and decomposed build the soil’s organic matter content.

6. Most mulch also provides excellent weed control. Mulches do not prevent weed
seeds from germinating. However, weed seedlings are blocked by mulch thick
enough to exclude light.

Sangalan and Sangalan (2000) reported other importance of mulching as

follows:

7. Promotion of bacterial life. It has been shown a mulch layer promotes the micro
life of the soil particularly in the upper layer.

8. A better uptake of nutrients, particularly potash. The reasons are:

a. The potash content of the mulch layer. The potash in the plant straw occurs in
readily available form and easily moves with the rainwater into the root
zone.

b. Soils under the mulch layer remain more wet, thus checking potash
fixation.

c. The potash from fertilizer application remains more available for the
plants, owing to the more favorable moisture condition of the upper layer
of the soil.

d. The feeding roots of the plants under a mulch layer grows into the most
superficial soil layer where, especially in clay soils the greater part of the
 fertilizer potash is absorbed.

9. Mulching reduces the work of cultivation around the growing plants, thus, cuts
the labor of weeding to almost nothing.

Mulching materials

Many materials can be used as mulching materials. The following

mulching materials discussed below are good examples:

1. Compost is generally the best mulching material for home and school gardens.
It is usually free of weed seeds and is inexpensive. They are just present in
the backyard. Apply at least 10 cm thick as a mulch layer.

2. Straw is short lived and coarse textured. More straw is needed for the same
effect as compost or lawn clippings. Place at least 7-8 cm thick of this material
for better effect.

3. Sawdust is a common mulching material that can be easily collected. If well

managed, it can be good mulch. It can result in a temporary, but sharp,
decrease in soil nitrogen. Add a small amount of garden fertilizer to the soil
after applying sawdust directly to a garden. Even better, add nitrogen to
sawdust, and then compost it before spreading it on your garden.

4. Plastic is effective mulch if used properly. Use black plastic in the summer to
warm the soil. Black plastic keeps light from the soil and prevents weeds from
growing. Clear plastic warms the soil, but weeds can grow beneath the plastic.
Plastic mulches can be used not only once, but the disadvantage is plastic
mulch cannot be turned under the soil at the end of the season.

2. Quality harvests are obtained when the soil is covered with mulch
materials. Mulches prevent the direct contact of garden fruits with the soil
 keeping them clean and other damages.

Selection of mulching materials

The following should be considered in selecting mulch materials .

1. Cost of the material. Do not spend money on mulching material when

there are suitable and readily available materials in your locality.

2. The crop you plan to mulch. Never use material from the crop that is to be
protected. Example; do not use potato vines from spring crop to mulch fall
potatoes because the possibility of the disease is increased.

3. When the mulch is to be used. Select light-colored mulch during the summer to
reflect heat. Use dark-colored mulch in the early rainy season to help warm the
soil and to permit earlier planting and hasten early growth.

B. Exercises

Exercise 1: (Discussion Points)

Direction: Answer the following questions comprehensively yet

concisely.

1. Have you ever seen garden plots covered with plastic?

Answer:
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2. Have you also seen garden plots covered with dried leaves, sawdust, or rice hull?

Answer:
____________________________________________________________________
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3. What is the gardener’s purpose of placing them there?

Answer:
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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Exercise 2: (Work Me Out)

Direction: There are several sources of organic materials such as sawdust, rice
hull, and dried leaves to be used as mulching materials. Gather some and place them
in your garden. Take pictures as you go with your activity. (Send your output to my
messenger account)
 C. Assessment/Application/Outputs

Direction: True or False. Write true if the statement is correct and false if it is wrong.

______1. Organic mulches enrich the soil as they decay and provide a better
environment for plant growth.

_______2. Placing mulch over the garden plots conserve soil moisture, control the
growth of weeds and increase soil erosion.

________3. Mulching reduces the work of cultivation around the growing plants, thus,
decreases the labor and cost of weeding.

4. ________4. Compost is the best mulching material for home and school gardens.

5. _________5. Quality harvests are obtained when the soil is covered with mulch
materials.

D. Suggested Enrichment/Reinforcement Activity/ies.

Directions: Conduct a simple research about mulching. In your gardens planted

with eggplant, place-mulching materials in one garden and the other garden do not
place mulch. Observe the following in your experimental plots:

1. The growth of your plants

 2. The growth of weeds

3. Quality of fruits

Note: Use separate sheet if needed.

YOU MAY CHOOSE TO DO OR NOT DO THIS ACTIVITY!!!!!

References:

Agricultural Crops Production NC I Competency Based Learning Materials

Technology and livelihood Education Horticulture NCII Grade 10
CBLM of Tech-Voc Schools. Perform Direct Planting and Transplanting.
In: Produce Vegetable Crops.

Prepared by: HENRY LUIS B. PAWID

Teacher

Approved by:

WINNIE FREDA D. DOMEREZ

Head Teacher III
Teacher In Charge