Abstract: The invention provides a mulch film that may be sprayed over soil or existing mulch in a plant bed or in crop rows. The sprayed-on mixture hardens into a continuous barrier that passes water but blocks light to suppress weed growth. The components of the mixture are environmentally safe and will not harm desirable plants around which it is sprayed. A preferred embodiment of the mixture comprises a binding agent, a wetting agent, a dispersing agent, a stabilizing agent and a filler material, where total solids preferably comprise about 40-60 percent by weight of the mixture. In one embodiment, the binding agent comprises an emulsion polymer, the wetting agent comprises an alkyl ethoxylate, the dispersing agent comprises a polymer-based polycarboxylate, the thickening agent comprises a hydrophobic-modified carboxymethyl cellulose, and the filler comprises powdered clay.

Abstract: The invention provides a weed blocking film that may be sprayed over existing mulch in a plant bed. The sprayed-on mixture hardens into a continuous barrier that passes water but blocks light to suppress weed growth. The components of the mixture are environmentally safe and will not harm desirable plants around which it is sprayed. A preferred embodiment of the mixture comprises a binding agent, a wetting agent, a dispersing agent, a stabilizing agent and a filler material, where total solids preferably comprise about 40-60 percent by weight of the mixture. In one embodiment, the binding agent comprises an emulsion polymer, the wetting agent comprises an alkyl ethoxylate, the dispersing agent comprises a polymer-based polycarboxylate, the thickening agent comprises a hydrophobic-modified carboxymethyl cellulose, and the filler comprises powdered clay.