Plastic, not landscape fabric
millicent
I am realizing now that I have a black plastic material in my garden,
not what everyone, and I initially, described as "fabric". Does
anyone have experience with this? Thanks.
SKID
In article <35112E...@uclink4.berkeley.edu>, millicent
<my...@uclink4.berkeley.edu> wrote:
This is from our FAQ on plastic mulches...hope it helps.
Bill & Harvey
SKID Plants Zone 6 CT USA
From our FAQ:
Plastic film mulches are more effective than almost all other types of
mulches in a few ways (This is not to say that other mulches are not good,
we are just reporting the advantages of the plastics here. We do not wish
to get into a discussion of the pros and cons of the films being a
petroleum byproduct.) They warm up the soil early in the year, they keep
out all weeds* (*see below disclaimer), they help retain water in the soil
and finally, they help plants get an early boost of growth, in a way that
no other mulch can...'providing' CO2.
Since the plastic is a 'film', which is impervious to CO2 (but apparently
Oxygen (O2) can pass through somewhat) it retains all the CO2 which all
the micro organisms in the soil produce, at the same time allowing plenty
of O2 to reach the soil and roots. Normally, this CO2 would be released
to the atmosphere throughout the garden. But because the plastic stops
it, the gas collects on the underside of the mulch and gets funneled to
the only escape area it has......the holes you made to put your plants
in. Since, at the time of the year, when one plants stuff, CO2 is the
limiting factor in plant growth.....it gives the seedlings a significant
boost (signifigant being at *least* 10%) in early growth. The early jump,
then produces a bigger, healthier plant upon which to yield crops. Once
the plant grows, the amount of extra CO2 becomes *relatively*
insignificant. But that early boost is a big help.
There are other types of plastic film mulches. The two *we* know of are
clear and 'irt' mulch (and now red, for tomatoes). Clear plastic mulch is
the most effective at warming up the soil in the spring. (The black warms
the soil during the day as well, but then at night, it radiates it out
almost as efficiently.) The *downside* of the clear*, is that it also
acts as a little greenhouse for all the weeds.......and boy, do they grow!
The only way we've seen it used effectively is when used in conjunction
with herbacides. (Please note: This is not an endorsement....this is just
a report of fact.) It was used in this manner, i.e. with herbacides (at
least 20 years ago), by farmers who wanted to get extrememly early sweet
corn to the local market in their area.
They would actually plant the corn seeds and put the 'uncut' plastic on
top of the soil. The resulting corn seedlings were then allowed to grow
(under the clear plastic) until the frost danger had past (the corn would
get about 12" tall by then). The farmers would then go and punch holes in
the plastic and pull the corn plants through, and above the plastic. The
plants would, at first, be scraggilly and sort of horizontal, but within a
couple of days be normal and grow quickly. The cost of the plastic and
extra labor, was offset by the higher price commanded by the *first* local
sweet corn.
The 'irt' mulch, is sort of a hybrid of the clear and black plastics.
It's a transluscent olive green in color. It apparently is supposed to
warm the soil without the downside of radiating the heat back out at
night, while at the same time, only allowing lightwaves of the sort that
are not visible to plants (i.e. weeds). It's supposed to be the best of
both worlds. We tried it last year, and did not notice a difference from
the irt to the black plastic mulch.......and the irt was *much* more
expensive......this season, only the black for us.
As far as getting water into the soil (with these plastic film mulches)
goes: Between the holes for the plants and the edges (usually the black
plastic comes in rolls of 3 or 4 ft. widths) of the plastic, rain or
irragation gets through to the soil just fine. *However*, you don't want
to apply plastic mulches to 'dry' soil', water first (or after a rain),
and then apply. We further add water input areas to the plastic by going
around after the first rain, and poking little holes (like with a stick)
in the areas where the water has puddled. (it should always puddle in the
same spot).
Finally, later in the season (once the soil has warmed up) we scatter some
straw (not hay) over the surface of the mulch, to both keep the soil
cooler, and because the black plastic is *so* ugly!
dave watkins
millicent wrote:
>
> I am realizing now that I have a black plastic material in my garden,
> not what everyone, and I initially, described as "fabric". Does
> anyone have experience with this? Thanks.
and anaerobic problems,choose a fabric.
it also dosnt let the water/rain through.
regards
Dave
MEG
I've tried both and found I liked the fabric better. The plastic seemed to
shred up after being there for awhile (I think it is affected by UV) and the
ground underneath it never had a chance to 'breath' and smelled very sour
when we pulled it up.
I use landscape fabric now...there are several different kinds and different
thicknesses...so you might find one you like better than another.
Dan Barnes
About the only thing you want to use plastic sheeting for anymore is
where concrete is placed, or other such applications where you do not
want water passage.
Dan