For a few years now I have used plastic as a method of weed control and garden management over winter, and it works really well...but it would be nice to have better way! Facebook: / homestead.downunder Twitter: / homesteadtassie
I’m going to use a couple of old swimming pool covers. Waterproof, and it will eventually break down. Most people just want them hauled away when they get rid of them. Just a thought.
Enjoyed very much! Thank you for the time-lapse results. About to use my first tarp on my new large property. Hope to do things right. Would love to do your process exactly, but may not have the patience, haha!
It certainly is a dilemma, I use plastic sheeting and groan in my head every time I use it, but as you say, so far there is no equivalent that is as effective.
This terrific video shouldn't exist because these are basics skills since opaque plastic was invented. There's a slightly issue. Some seeds can stay underground for 4-6 years and killing the plants it doesn't mean the seeds will die. Without moisture and without sunlight and poor oxygen seeds can stay up to 10 years or plus germinating. So, what's my opinion? After removing the plastic we should turn around aerate/scrape the soil/surface and wait for next Winter. The seeds will germinate and then is time to replastic. As an example, some panic weeds are capable to germinate after 3 years underground. Even worst, dandelion is capable to germinate after 6 years underground. Thanks for this video .
I have 2000 m² of land that hasn't been attended since my grandpa did it 30 years ago. I finally managed to get rid of unwanted trees and bushes. I trimmed weeds couple of times with both line, razor and chain. But it is impossible to get rid of everything. I am planning to buy some black plastic tarp and leave it on for next 7-8 months. Thank you for your advices.
@@Tonisuperfly I never did it. I just continously picked the weeds and used tarp with holes on small plot where I grew tomatoes. If I recall correctly weed growth was significantly stunted under the tarp.
You should try laying down overlapping layers of cardboard (with all packing tape and staples removed) and about 3 inches of mulch over the top. Give it a good watering and leave it be all winter long. The cardboard will mostly be degraded by spring. The worms love to eat the cardboard plus it does a good job keeping the weeds down.
I know for a fact that tarpaper with the gritty stuff on it like shingles works a treat to kill off weeds. Not a single thing will grow through that, not even well-established blackberry brambles. I tried it because there was some left over, I sure wouldn't go buy it for gardening. Of course, you're still stuck with how the heck to properly get rid of it once your weedy patch is no longer weedy.
The only alternative I can think of is heavyweight biodegradable paper mulch (butcher paper, kraft paper) that comes on a roll, a bit tedious, but if you need to cover a wide area it may be possible to tape at the seams with biodegradable adhesive tape that uses natural rubber glues. You could plant seedlings into it while it's killing weeds, and till it into the soil when spring arrives. Not that I recommend tilling.
How about something like old sails? I've never tried it and it might still let too much light through but might keep soil dry if that's your main problem. I just use old rugs and carpets for weed mat.
I feel the same way about plastic, it's useful, but I think as a collective community we need to come up with better solutions, that are more sustainable. I like to cover with Newspaper and cardboard in some areas,,then throw mulch over the top. Then later I come and pant in that spot once it's ready. Thanks for the video,, Marty Ware
Thanks - I'm a bit cautious about newspaper and cardboard...do we know what is in the inks and glues? Do we want this in our food producing soil? I don't know the answer.
Plastic is good but a problem when it gets a bit degrad d and needs disposal. Cardboard and news paper is good too... I do a lot of contaminated land work and know that the chemicals in paper break down... so a few weeks or months in a moist environment means no problem.
I'm collecting huge amunts of cardboard wherever I can find it. I am reliably informed (Morag Gamble, "Our Permaculture Life"), that the inks are now made from soy, and the glues are starches, so cardboard & newspaper are excellent to cover the soil with. Plus, free! And builds new soil.
They say no heavy metals are used in newspapers in Australia these days and that they are safe to burn and bury. I'd say there are far worse things that could be used in veg gardens.
you could use the straw bales that you grew in recently. i use newspaper and sugar cane mulch on top. breaks down over winter and beautiful to plant in in spring
Those straw bales are all compost now! I have used straw previously - we seem to get a lot of wheat growth in it. But it is good. Not so sure about the newspaper - what's in the ink?
Also I don't think plastic is bad per se. It is bad when it is dumped unproperly or when it is used only once and than thrown away. If you use plastic tarp 4 years in a row it is not so bad.
I did this in my yard. 3 months its all dead. But i want to put grass seed down. Uncover ut and do what with the soil? And hiw much time do I have to start putting grass seed down. I heaed once you uncover it your in trouble. Weeds will grow
Certainly you need to plant your grass seed immediately once its uncovered. I grow veggies, so a bit different to what you are doing! I would suggest adding a new (thin) layer of topsoil to plant into instead of cultivating. That way weed seeds are buried rather than brought to the surface and encouraged to germinate.
Could you give us your opinion on the long-term impact of microplastic and nanoplastic pollution on agricultural yields? These particles can penetrate plants at the roots and then migrate with the sap towards the edible parts. These particles are already omnipresent since they reach the sun with rain, irrigation and the spreading of sludge from wastewater treatment plants. Their quantity increases from year to year because there is always more plastic waste produced in the world. Plastics also modify the structure and water and nutritional properties of soils. Isn't this pollution irreversible and, as it worsens, does it not risk one day endangering global food security?
Great video!! Does this work with killing st augustine grass as well? I want to get rid of it in order to plant a different type of grass without using chemicals. Also, do u know about how long it would take for it to be completely dead? Thanks
I'm confused by this quasi-religious self flagellation about using plastic. Even plastic bags are good things provided they are not in the hands of careless people. The man who invented the plastic bag always had one in his pocket. He devised them to save trees. He was a good man but his legacy is diminished by careless humans.
Question; by growing a crop, to allow it to be turned back into the soil, aren't you simply just adding back what the crop just pulled out of the soil? I can understand adding lawn clippings and other plant matter to the soil, but why grow a crop that will draw nutrients from the soil, only to mulch that back in? Anyone have an answer, please?
A growing plant not only uses nutrients from the soil, but combines these with sunlight and nutrients from the air. What a green manure crop does is add organic matter and nitrogen to the soil, this changes the soil structure and increases fertility.
I love the idea! im going to do this to my yard this coming winter. my question is we get a lot of rain do you just let the standing water stay there? how think was the plastic you bought. and what was that cover crop you planted. thx a million. i found your channel because i’m a fellow cold climate citrus grower.
Yes just let the water sit on it...stops the wind blowing it away! The plastic I have used is concrete underlay, quite thick, but I don't recall the actual measurement. I talked about the green manure in ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4fVls5RJHaM.html
Weeds do the same thing as mulch. Preserve moisture in soil ad nutrients to adjoining crops. Why are weeds bad Do weeds interfer with crop harvest? Do weeds provide cover to pest? Do weeds look unattractive zc? What is this fixation on weeds?
I have a lot of clay in my soil. I'm going to use a tarp to get a garden area started. I also want to use a silage tarp that allows water to get through for weed control after the garden is planted. My question is this, since I have clay if I don't constantly keep the soil broke up it gets really hard, will this stunt the growth of the roots in my plants?
I dont know what ink is make from. Maybe google it. I dont use straw because od the seeds. I do use sugar cane. Have you ever watched Charles Dowding on you tube? He is an organic gardner in England.
Yes that would give much the same result as the plastic...could work fine for small beds, but would be more difficult to use on larger areas. Hard to stop wind causing major problems - wind blown iron would be far more dangerous than plastic.