After suggesting black plastic as one of many types of mulch in a column I wrote last year (http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/06/06/01/100hg_6hgdebra001.cfm), I received a call from a reader concerned about the number of beneficial microorganisms killed by this practice.
The call ended with him hollering, “Shame, SHAME on you.”
Yes, shame on me, killer of microorganisms.
Black plastic can be useful stuff in the garden. I’m not talking about spreading it all over your beds, which would be horribly ugly and do zero for the soil.
There are some legitimate uses: Some gardeners lay it down before they plant as a way to warm up the soil. Others use it around veggies to control weeds or encourage higher yields, particularly with heat-lovers like peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and tomatoes. You’ll see red and green plastics for sale that can be used for these purposes too.
Gardeners interested in organic practices have suggested laying down sheets of clear plastic over weed-prone areas in the summer, which bakes the weeds to death.
Let me know how you use it or why you choose not to use it.
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