Been weeding a lot and rain keeps coming so thinking of trying solarizing ground before I plant next year. ReAd about it never done it before, anybody do it on here? Any tips? Does it work?
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I’ve never tried solarization, it can be tricky from what I’ve read, also if you have been tilling that area there will be weed seeds deeper in the soil that are not killed by heat, and when you till it again or pull weeds more seeds will be brought to the surface to germinate anyway.
Instead I do stale seedbeds with black ground cover. I till the area and mix in fertilizer, then water or wait for rain to saturate the soil, then cover with black ground cover and wait for about 2 weeks. During that time the weed seeds close to the surface germinate and die from lack of light. Then I seed or transplant with as little disturbance to the soil as possible. After that I only cultivate the top inch of soil to kill any remaining weeds (usually about 10 days after planting) when they are still in the thread stage. It usually only takes one or 2 passes with a hoe to keep the bed weed free enough to get a good crop of lettuce. But for other crops that don’t fill in and prevent weeds from growing you may have to do it every 2 weeks or so.
There are some limitations, some weed seeds only germinate when the soil has warmed to a certain temperature, so if you do it early in the season it will not be as effective, and likewise in the fall when cool season weeds begin to germinate.
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Thanks I’ll try the black plastic next year see how that goes anything is better than this. Normally my year of weeding is done by now but this weather is just making everything sprout and grow continuously.
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I have been solarizing for the last couple of years for several reasons: to reduce late blight,/verticillum wilt, increase plant nutrient absorption, reduce weeding, and crop rotation. It is working really well so far.
The area as shown is about 16’ wide by 8’, angled about 11 degrees facing South, like a roof. This maximizes the solar gain. The good soil, planting medium, is isolated by a tarp. About 6 to 8 inches of good quality planting medium, from a garden supply source, is placed on the tarp. The first season does not require solarization, the following seasons do. A very thin clear painters tarp covers the soil for a couple of months in the late Spring. Planting occurs in Mid June. The plants grow really fast as shown in the photos for this season. Harvest should happen sometime in August.
The black collars are small plastic waste paper baskets (from IKEA) with the bottoms cut off, the tepee is EMT metal electrical conduit wired together at the top, the cage is a wire spiral.
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I do this for watermelons. My growing season is really short. It really warms the soil up early so my season is extended. They love the additional heat. By the time it gets hot in July, the vines have grown over the plastic and it is just a mulch at that time. Most weeds can’t sutvive the heat. Purslane is the exception. It thrives under the plastic.
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Purslane seems to thrive on concrete
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If you need to do a large area, get greenhouse plastic. It is expensive, but will last 5 or more years with careful handling. The plastic should be held up above the soil a few inches to trap heat. Something simple like soda bottles or cans will do the trick. Be sure to put soil all the way around the edges of the plastic! If wind gets under it, the force developed can be enormous.
I buy most of my greenhouse supplies from http://www.mortonproducts.com/ mostly because the prices are low but also because they are close enough to drive if I need large quantities. I call in advance to ensure they have what I need and so they can get it ready to load when I get there. Look for a local supplier and compare prices.
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@Fusion_power so I couldn’t use black plastic I have a couple of rolls of it and I need to elevate it? Here I was thinking just put it out for a few weeks then plant, looks like it is more involved than rolling it out and use some old 2x4.
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A heads up when solarizing with sheets of plastic; snake are drawn to it here like magnets.
I use sheets of black roofing rubber to kill off sod/weeds and almost every time I lift it, after setting for a week or two, there are snakes under it. I believe they are drawn to the heat and maybe small rodents seeking shelter underneath.
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My approach is a bit different. I use the black plastic which I guess technically is occultation as opposed to solarization. I put is down for a long period of time almost a full growing season to prepare the ground as I expand my orchard. It is great about killing all weeds and any seeds that may have sprouted. The downside is I also killed most of the soil biology. I have to re- inoculate the soil when I prepare it for planting. Works for my purpose.
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Similarly to @John_T we use pool liner to kill off patches of difficult weeds - e.g. ox-eye daisy and dandelion- wholesale, and we also find it takes a full season. We’ve done this successfully in small spots in the yard , maybe 4 square feet, to fairly large sections, about 30 square feet, adjacent to our gravel alley. But I haven’t done it in the veggie garden, and I’d be hesitant about off gassing weird stuff into my growing beds.
Pool liner, by the way, is impressive stuff. It holds up for years even in the sun, stays pretty much where you put it with a little help. I’ve used it to fortify aging roof jacks, for example.
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