Photos and Videos

Exploring Hydromulches for Organic Horticultural Production, Greta Gramig, North Dakota State University, 2024

North Dakota State University Hydromulch Research, 2023-2024

NDSU PhD student, Waqas Ahmad, presented his hydromulch research at the Marbleseed Conference in February, 2024, and won second place for his poster! Photo credits: Greta Gramig.

Hydromulch study, 2023 field season, NDSU campus plots in Fargo ND. Photo credit: Greta Gramig

Waqas Ahmad (Ph.D. student, right) and Andres Torres (M.S. student, left) looking at field research on NDSU campus in Fargo ND, 2023. Photo credit: Greta Gramig.

Applying Hydromulch in Blueberry at Washington State University

Ben Weiss, M.S. student at Washington State University applies hydromulch in blueberry in March, 2023

NDSU Hydromulch Application, 2022

Applying hydromulch to field, 2022 field study, NDSU Horticultural Research Farm, Absaraka, ND. Photo credit Greta Gramig.

On-Farm Hydromulch Application, 2022

Farmer cooperator, Ross Lockhart (left), working on his hydromulch applicator on-farm near Grandin ND, with graduate students Waqas Ahmad (middle) and Andres Torres (right) assisting. Photo credit: Greta Gramig.

Farmer cooperators Ross (left) and Amber (center) Lockhart and graduate student Andres Torres (right) prepare to test hydromulching concept on-farm in Grandin, ND. Photo credit: Greta Gramig

Testing Hydromulch Materials at Montana State University

Left to right top: Paper and guar, wood and guar blended, U-Haul wrapping paper
Left to right bottom: Psyllium husks, blending ingredients, samples in the oven

Testing Hydromulch Materials in the Lab at Montana State University

This video shows Andrew Durado of Montana State University preparing hydromulch samples in the lab for testing. The materials in this sample include cellulosic material, tackifier, and water. The materials are combined in a bucket and then blended until a smooth slurry is obtained. This slurry is poured over a screen to drain excess water and then dried to obtain a uniform mulch sample. The mulch samples are then evaluated for various properties such as density, puncture resistance, tensile strength, porosity, and rain fastness to determine the most affective mulch formulation. 

Experimental Application of Hydromulch at North Dakota State University

This video shows a preliminary application of hydromulch in 2020. New and more efficient application methods for different scales of production are currently in development!