For many years, Ken-Bar has developed and manufactured innovative products for the commercial greenhouse growers and for vegetable and fruit farmers. Ken-Bar developed crop cover technology in the United States and still leads in providing season extension materials to commercial growers.

As a pioneer in the development of electrical bottom-heat, Ken-Bar manufactures Agritape systems for early crop development in the greenhouses.

Demand for these successful commercial products by the home gardener has increased dramatically and this part of our website presents our line. We encourage you to consider these products in your line of horticultural goods for your retail customers.

PRECISE HEAT MAT

The Precise Heat Mat is the best soil heating unit available to the home gardener, The unit combines the same heating element and thermostat used by professional growers into one precision tool for the serious gardener. A sensor bulb is inserted into the soil and the dial is set to the desired temperature. Accuracy is designed to be +/- 1 Degree F.

The Precise Heat Mat operates at 115 VAC and is equipped with a ground fault plug for safe operation.

Agritape Root Zone Heaters are now available in 4' sections for home gardeners. This system was rated best overall by Organic Gardening's research on seed starting systems. (Copy of study available on request.) These mats operate on standard house current (I 1 5 volt AC) and will deliver the same uniform heat distribution and precise soil temperature that commercial growers rely on. These units may be installed directly on a bench top, or over insulation board. A safety ground screen must cover the tape and a temperature control unit (the AT-JR) is needed to regulate the soil temperature and to provide a convenient ground connection for the screen. The tape is rated at 20 watts/ft. A 4' X 11" mat with a 6' cord and the 4' ground screen are provided in a small corrugated carton.

This heater measures 9 inches wide by 2 feet long and operates at 24 volts through a plug-in converter. A surface temperature of approximately 85' provides heat to a standard flat or seed tray for seed germination or for rooting cuttings. Soil temperature may be regulated by raising or lowering the flat above the heater using thin wooden strips as spacers. These units are shipped in a corrugated box.

This product is rated at 1 3 amps and will operate up to 80 linear feet of Agritape. The AT-JR will provide temperature control to within 1 degree F of any desired setting from 40 degrees to 100 degrees F. Built to withstand the greenhouse environment, the AT-JR will give many years of dependable service and is an attractive precision instrument.

Use only with the 115 volt Agritape Root Zone Heater

After years of development and testing at State Universities, a paper mulch film that works - Planters Paper. The material is creped for flexibility to hug the soil and for strength during installation. A natural additive prevents degradation for 6-1 0 weeks in most soil. There are no harmful ingredients or residues. Planters Paper' provides a crop response similar to that of Black Plastic mulch but is cooler by 1 or 2 degrees. Turn into the soil after use and material will disappear.

This film has been specifically engineered to suppress weed growth like black mulch while warming the soil almost as much as clear plastic. Herbicides are not needed as mulch blocks most of the solar spectrum.

Agricultural plastics technology has been brought to a new level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Clemson University with the development of a reflecting red mulch film called Selective Reflecting Mulch or 'SRM'-Red^TM. This new material, a thin plastic film, performs like a black mulch, warming the soil and retaining moisture, but there is one important difference. When used with tomato crops, SRM-Red^TM has been shown in USDA tests to increase production from 12 to 20% of first quality early tomatoes relative to black mulch. This dramatic increase results from the film reflecting far-red light up into the plant.

Strawberries will also respond to SRM-Red. Experiments have shown that larger berries (thus higher yields) result from the use of SRM-Red.

The film's color and wave length reflection must be very specific to achieve good results and for this reason, the technology is in the patent process.

This cover creates a very warm micro environment which is the best for heat loving plants like melons. Two rows of slits provide ventilation and allow moisture to enter. These covers are 1.1 mil clear polyethylene, 6' wide x 500' long and weigh 18 lbs.

Years of field trials have shown that strawberry beds should be covered in the fall, over wintered and uncovered in the spring. The cover must be porous, extremely durable and should let sunlight penetrate. By following this practice, berry yield is increased dramatically (25% - 40%) and berries may be harvested 2-3 weeks earlier. Our covers replace other types of winter mulch and may be reused for up to 4 years. Made from a special spunbonded polypropylene, these covers have been thoroughly tested and are now available for the home gardener. This handy agricultural fabric has many uses around the home garden as a durable garden blanket and landscape fabric.

Garden Blankets are made from pointbonded polyester. This is the floating row cover used by commercial growers for many years to provide early and increased yields and also for pest protection. It is backed up by years of research. We can provide information upon request. With reasonable care, these covers can be used for 2 seasons. Each blanket is folded flat in a poly bag with complete instructions.

Wire hoops 76" long are used to support the covers in a 3' arch every 5 feet. Bundles of 100 smooth galvanized steel wires weigh 30 lbs. And are packed in a tube.