plastic mulch

Planting my starter green beans through clear plastic mulch yesterday when I realized that it was very hot. Then I realized that a third of the beans that I had planted had their leaves on the plastic and that they were totally fried. I quickly placed mulch around the rest and they survived. This is a cautionary tale.

Reply to
Billy
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That is exactly what I use to kill weeds. I read about it in our local paper many years ago. Works best if all vegetation is cut back and removed (I used it to sterilize a weed-filled lawn the first time).

Sprinkle the area to moisten the soil if it is dry. Cover it with clear plastic, 4 or 6 mil, and fasten all edges securely to the ground to allow no air to escape. If you weight down the plastic in the middle, where the weight is will not be completely sterilized as that area is shaded so keep that to a minimum. The length of time it takes to do the job is dependent on the weather. I have always left it down a minimum of two months. The clear plastic allows the sun through and germinates the seeds. It also holds in the moisture and encourages germination of all seeds. Depending on the soil condition and the heat, it will cause all seeds an inch or deeper to germinate. When you remove the plastic, do not disturb the soil as cultivating it will turn up deeper soil where the seeds may not have been affected. If seeds 2 inches deep have all sprouted with the seedlings superheated and died then turning the soil three inches down brings up a new crop.

The first time I did this, I left the plastic down all summer, in the fall removed the plastic, seeded the lawn and had a beautiful weed-free lawn next spring!

It's a safe and chemical-free way to do a job that isn't possible any other way. Things like Roundup only get what's living at the time. Because the critters in the soil can move away from the superheated soil, they are left chiefly undamaged and your earthworms, etc., will return when the soil temperature returns to normal.

Glenna

Reply to
Glenna Rose

To add to your technique:

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Reply to
gunner

Thanks for the URL. I am planning to do a part of the garden next year. I may just keep the plastic on until the following year since I do not plan to use the area for a while. My other alternative is to plant something like winter wheat and get it turned under the next spring.

Reply to
The Cook

Solarization only works when the weather is warm or hot, leaving the plastic over winter would leave me worrying about the soils ecosystem. Of course I'm gardening, so the problem to me would be labor vs. fertility. If you're thinking lawn, just ignore me.

Reply to
Billy

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