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Deal With It

When looking through the Grower Diaries, I've noticed that many of you have your pumpkins growing on a red-painted sheet of plywood. I used the Site Search to determine why this color might be important, but to no avail. What is the reason for the red paint on the plywood?

1/28/2015 11:12:05 PM

Alex, IN

It is most likely red mill fabric. A hard thick plastic material that is slick allowing the pumpkin to grow and slide across it while also letting water drain through it and preventing critters from chewing into the bottom side of the pumpkin.

1/28/2015 11:18:09 PM

Deal With It

Thanks for the quick reply. Now that I look at those pics, I realize that it's fabric. Is there any reason for the color of red, other than availability?

1/28/2015 11:22:25 PM

Alex, IN

Not that I know of, I have seen it several different colors but all of the pieces I have purchased are red.

1/29/2015 4:04:15 AM

Rudolph

Mill felts come in a couple diffrent colors, diffrent colors are diffrent felts they work the same for pumpkin growers, but are used on different parts of a paper machine, stock end of the machine in a wire felt, you will get the most drainage from this felt normally they are grey or blue, the red felt is a dryer felt second best choice, the there is the wet felt yellow and about twice as think as the others, doesn't drain as we but is still better than nothing..

1/29/2015 7:37:08 AM

Rudolph

Yah after reading my sentence, I realize I shouldn't type on my phone, lol I think you guys get it though.

1/29/2015 8:04:13 AM

50 Acres

Is mill fabric the same as the fabric used to dry paper in the pulp and paper industry. TKS Jim.

1/29/2015 8:40:13 AM

Crossett Arkansas

Mellow-Pumpkin, you sound like a paper maker. Are you?
Several folks from Wisconsin pass through my neck of the woods. coop

1/29/2015 9:10:07 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Scroll through the equip for sale section. A couple guys sell it on here. I bought some 5 years ago and it holds up well. It's like a thick porous plastic that keeps animals from coming up, drains well and allows the pumpkin to slide as it grows, mine is part pink now due to fading in the sun.

1/29/2015 9:30:07 AM

Rudolph

Yes I work a domtar nekoosa, so I handle a lot of mill felt. You would be surprised how many feet "hundreds of thousands" gets thrown out every year. Im sitting on the gold mine of felt,lol

1/29/2015 9:48:34 AM

Crossett Arkansas

Mellow, we can no longer get ours here in Crossett. One wire could supply a lot of pumpkin growers. We have 7 paper machines here, so you can imagine how many wires are disposed of.

1/29/2015 2:20:40 PM

Rudolph

Yep that would satisfy alot of growers, luckily we can still take ours.

1/29/2015 2:29:17 PM

stoughton WI

mellow, might be a bunch of Wisconsin growers that would be interested in getting ahold of some of that mill fab, including myself.

1/29/2015 5:22:56 PM

Rudolph

where do you live?

1/29/2015 7:45:36 PM

Rudolph

My e-mail is Brandt.josiah@yahoo.com maybe I could hook you up. and if I make it to the spring meeting i'll bring a bunch for everyone

1/29/2015 7:49:37 PM