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The Deep Middle


Gardening & writing in the prairie echo

Site Prep -- Solarizing With Plastic Pollution

7/19/2023

29 Comments

 
This a post I've been thinking about for a while but for which I didn't want to spend time moderating comments. It's a topic I address in classes and webinars and certainly in Prairie Up.

I know people are super adverse to using glyphosate to prep an area for a native plant garden. Of course. I certainly don't love using the stuff, however, it has its benefits -- especially in the garden install world (time, efficacy), invasive weed control world, habitat restoration world. Anyway, I've discussed these points in detail on the blog and in the book -- including the fact that horticulture vinegar is more toxic, since I know some use it as a targeted weed killer. (NB: we don't use any product to weed in our gardens, it's all done by hand and by helping the good stuff out compete through various design and management methods.)


But the point I want to make today is about solarizing using plastic sheets to prep a site. We are, of course, all free to do as we choose and what fits our ideology and ability and timeframe and goals, but here are my thoughts on solarizing:

1) Solarizing fries soil life. And it does so over a long period of time. It sterilizes.

2) The best method to solarizing -- especially on a weedy site -- is to put plastic on for 4 weeks, take it off for two weeks to let weed seeds germinate, put it back on for 4 weeks to kill new weeds, take it off for two weeks, etc all through one entire growing season in order to exhaust the weed seed bank. I can guarantee you that if you do this in a suburban front yard you will face headwinds from neighbors -- and then again when, you know, you actually plant a garden and don't have lawn. Double trouble. And the larger the space you have to do (1,000-10,000 feet) the more problematic the entire, long process becomes.

3) All of the plastic sitting out in the sun for weeks and months is going to start breaking down. You may or may not notice -- fading, tearing, fraying, or nothing perceptible at all. In that process the plastic will likely release thousand and millions of little bits of microplastics we can't see, but it's there, just as it is from our washing clothes, walking on carpet, scraping a plastic food container with a fork, on and on. We have a MAJOR micro plastic problem and we don't fully understand what it's going to do to us. Those little bits will find their way into the ecosystem -- groundwater and air -- filtering and collecting up the trophic level from plants to insects to mice to birds and fish to people. That plastic will be around a heckuva lot longer, way way way longer than any residual from 1-2 applications of glyphosate, which breaks down in the soil quickly (of course, using it on a cornfield decade after decade DOES kill soil life and it then DOES runoff into streams etc because there's no soil life left to break it down).

There is no perfect solution to prepping a site for conversion to a meadow or other native plant garden. Again, I discuss the pros and cons of each in the book and on the website and in the online classes -- and have done so here before -- so won't reiterate in this small space. Do the ends justify the means, no matter what those means are? That's for all of us to carefully weigh.

I strongly believe it's important that we fully reconsider solarization, from the soil life being cooked to the microplastics to the obvious plastic waste of that sheet when you're done using it (do you just trash it, either now or a decade after sitting in the garage?). Hopefully, we can reflect on the complex issues without being angry or defensive, and if this post doesn't move the needle that's fine, too; this post exists to try and provide a more well-rounded response to the many posts I see regarding how awesome solarizing is, how benign it is, how green it is, and how natural it is. If anything, solarizing is as problematic as any other method, including renting a gas-powered sod cutter.

As always, if you comment please do so respectfully of one another. And I hope the above helps us think more critically, no matter what way we all ultimately decide to go in site prep. We're all in this together. Prairie up!

29 Comments
Toast
7/24/2023 10:55:25 am

omg, thank you for this. I'm only one year into learning about, and endeavoring to rewild my yard. I haven't done any solarizing yet. And I don't think I will, now. I kept reading and seeing about how you do this [sheet of plastic] method and it never felt right to me. I don't have any educational background in this agriculture or horticulture or ecology stuff. But I was just like...plastic...in the hot sun...really...?...?! What do you think about using cardboard...? Thanks for all you do.

Reply
Benjamin Vogt
7/24/2023 10:59:45 am

Search this page for "cardboard." There are several posts, one is called something like "Good and meh methods to lawn conversion." I have problems with cardboard myself.

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Toast
7/24/2023 11:39:50 am

Thanks! I think I found it -- https://www.monarchgard.com/thedeepmiddle/diy-garden-bed-prep-the-good-and-the-meh . By the way, this is more just me venting and maybe showing others they're not alone, if, like me, they're having to dig out sheets and sheets of some kind of horticultural fabric (to suppress weeds? and suffocate the soil...?!) that was laid into the ground – it's under a few inches of dirt and clay – by some previous 'landscaper.' Ugh. Nasty.

Jill Lewis link
9/20/2023 04:22:27 pm

Has anyone tried a weed burner as an alternative to roundup, solarizing, or repeated tilling, or on hands and knees weeding for clearing a sizable (500 - 1000 sq ft) area of existing lawn for prairie planting?

James McGee
9/21/2023 01:40:55 am

I have not used a weed burner. However, people who reconstruct prairies burn the thatch off blue grass pastures and seed directly onto the bare ground with proven results.

Mimi
7/26/2023 09:30:34 am

The wildlife support, native gardening etc that you advocate is wonderful, but imo, glycophate is a poison that should be banned. When you aerosol (spray) it to cover an entire yard, then people and wildlife around you are all getting a dose. For those of us with sensitivities to chemical sprays, that may be epi pen territory. For children, studies have shown a link between adhd diagnosis and glyphosate use; studies easily found on the web show increase in glyphosate use per Kg and ADHD diagnosis, and other studies show even in sub lethal doses it effects bumblebee long term color discrimination and memory. If you use this to poison a yard, then the plants you grow in that soil will probably have sub lethal doses in their nectar. If the poison is washed away from the yard, then other people's soil, water etc is going to be effected too. Due to huge industry financial protection , imo it is likely that studies underestimate rather than overestimate the long term dangers to humans, pollinators and other mammals, some of which have not been researched at all. As wildlife supporters, I think other options are less dangerous long term.
Probably planting in raised beds, digging out the sod, or tolerating some unwanted weeds are better options. We all want to work together to help those who can't help themselves, plants, pollinators, wildlife, and its ok , imo to have respectful discussions suggesting how to do this the best we can. I certainly haven't got it all right; either; just like the rest of us trying to figure out the most important ways to protect our land.

Reply
James McGee
7/30/2023 05:54:08 am

I have a high threshold for using glyphosate and other herbicides. I don’t use glyphosate to kill lawn grass, weeds that get out competed by native species given time, or weeds that can be controlled by other methods like pulling/digging or cutting off seed heads. I think there are methods that give a better result than killing lawn with glyphosate.

Herbicides are unavoidable if invasive species are to be controlled. Invasive species are an extential threat to native ecosystems. I look at invasive species as being like an ecosystem disease and herbicides as being a medicine that can rid the disease. If used appropriately, herbicides can save entire ecosystems. If used inappropriately, herbicides can damage or kill entire ecosystems.

In natural areas, I apply glyphosate as a foam trying to only get the minimum amount necessary on each target invasive species. Adjacent plants show impacts, but recover the following year while the targeted invasive species is killed.

The way I apply glyphosate does not impact other people. Glyphosate has a strong impact on plants. When I carefully apply herbicide, only immediately adjacent non-target plants show any impacts. Glyphosate binds to soil and does not travel far. Glyphosate also breaks down. I’ve seen a better response from the plant community when I use glyphosate compared to other herbicides. If the loss of ecosystems to invasive species is to be prevented, then use of herbicides is unfortunately unavoidable.

Reply
Lisa B
8/5/2023 07:34:02 am

Our home came with a huge, established bed of houttuynia a highly invasive plant. I tried solarizing over several seasons, removing and replacing the soil, and 3 applications industrial, farm strength herbicides. Nothing worked. We contained it by surrounding it with a 2 foot deep and 2 foot wide trench filled with concrete. If it escapes I’ll have to sell this house and move!

Marian Bell Whitcomb
8/11/2023 07:03:37 pm

In ALL chemical use the dose is the poison...when I read the comparative toxicology that stated Glyphosate, properly diluted according to the instructions (this is critically important), is as toxic as the caffeine in two cups of coffee, I opted neither to solarize nor dig up the soil. I spent six months on my hands and knees weeding out every non-native plant I could find (assuming that the native plants there may have been the descendants of thousands of years of evolution in my little yard. I grew native "weeds" that would naturalize, and planted them. I was physically undone, and finally broke down and sprayed...having kept careful documentation of the living things in my yard and soil for more than 10 years, I saw...zero negative impact on my local fauna.

On solarizing, I use EDPM rubber pond liner I bought 15 years ago and reuse only for the worst and hardest to kill invasive species...a cute little plant called moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia) which, here in Canada is sold in flower baskets in large quantities every year, has spread through my yard, into the wild brook I steward, and down the road helped by grading, and, of course Japanese Knotweed.

I think it is important for us to collaborate on what gets us, efficiently and cost effectively as possible to the best quality habitats as fast as possible. There is a lot of nuance and no one method will solve the problem for all issues. The weeded material tossed onto the EDPM made a great trap for both slugs and earthworms which would rather eat dying plants incapable of defending themselves chemically. And in eliminating much of the population of these introduced animals, I now have orchids and unique fungi in the gorgeous alive meadow that was once my lawn. A LOT of work defending native grasses, but so, so worth it!

Reply
Mimi
7/26/2023 10:30:55 am

Sorry; just one more thought to add. While searching through some of the multiple and sometimes contradictory studies on glyphosate, I came across someone who advocates killing weeds with boiling water.While it probably has downsides( effects on soil microbes and bugs etc living in the soil) it would have some advantages in terms of the fact that large areas could be covered reasonably easily with no residue after use. Never done it, but just throwing it out there. By the way, I find wood sticks or half rotted firewood is useful as a base layer for raised beds rather than plastic,or horticultural fabric which I agree lasts forever; has multiple down sides; and is a pain to remove.

Reply
James McGee
7/30/2023 05:15:00 am

I have tried boiling water. It takes a lot of boiling water to cover a small area. It did work at killing creeping Charlie. Native species seeded into the area grew (Golden Alexanders, Grasses). Using boiling water to control weeds is very energy intensive. I think there are better methods. I like smothering an area with a thick layer of deciduous tree leaves. This kills grass and as the leaves decompose it both increases soil organic matter and decreases soil nitrogen which favors the growth of weeds.

Reply
Kathie Hopkins
8/6/2023 08:06:36 am

I am wondering how you keep the leaves in place? They really blow around in my yard.

James McGee
8/6/2023 09:55:34 am

Before, I should have said, “chopped leaves.” The landscapers with the industrial strength mowers who mow my neighbor’s lawns give me the leaves they chop up with their mowers in fall. This saves them a trip to the compost facility. I have also used my lawn mower to chop leaves. Although, I get so much from the landscapers I really don’t need to chop my leaves anymore. If the leaves are chopped up they don’t blow away.

Lisa B
8/5/2023 07:21:16 am

I’ve started a multi year process of rewilding my front lawn. I’m starting with smaller beds, sod and weeds removed by hand, and will gradually expand them until the entire lawn is covered. It’s not quick but works for me and is a little more palatable to my perfect grass loving neighbors!

Reply
Candace Colby
8/5/2023 07:57:08 am

I've had success just piling up a few inches of shredded leaves over the winter in an area I'm going to plant with natives. This seems to kill most of the grass and weeds and you can plant right through the leaf litter the next spring.

Reply
Kathie Hopkins
8/6/2023 08:08:34 am

How do you keep the leaves in place? Mine tend to blow all over!

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Penny Fuller
8/6/2023 08:59:25 am

@Kathie Hopkins - I use myriad woody 'debris' collected around my yard and the neighbor's yard (since they don't mind) to weight down leaves from the top - creating a matrix atop them. I also use thinner sturdy twigs to loosely pin down stacks of leaves strategically. Maybe this is too much work on a big scale, but for the areas I'm managing on 2 city lots, this has been helpful. This way I can keep the leaves AROUND the plants and not atop those that can't handle thicker leaf layers. And once there are more plants growing, they will help to stabilize and hold in place too.

Gnerd
8/6/2023 09:12:18 am

Wetting the leaves down, perhaps needed several times, is pretty effective. You could also use some temporary fencing on top or surrounding the leaf pile. Burlap could also be used to cover.

jude
8/5/2023 02:16:14 pm

OMG! I thought using the vinegar based Just For Pets weed killer was a GOOD thing! Please say more about the toxicity of these products! I will say, it worked well on the smaller areas of intrenched weeds where I used it. I've been pulling and cutting down the larger areas and then was going to go back and spray, but maybe not?

Reply
Rae Kasdan
8/5/2023 02:49:34 pm

I am interested in this discussion, because I was considering it to kill crape myrtle- which is very difficult to get rid of. We cut down the tree, then ground the stump, but the next year we continually get sprouts from the roots. Have tried smothering with plastic, with cardboard, no success. And to think l used to think (20 years ago) that crape myrtle is pretty.

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Koren
8/5/2023 06:26:59 pm

I feel the best option hasn't even been touched here. I use UV resistance woven plastic landscape fabric, like the black sunbelt product with thr thin blue lines every foot. This product is quite stable and in my climate and has lasted well over 15 years and likely more. It usually takes a full year to kill Smooth brome and other weeds under it, sometimes two if you have Canada Thistle and other uglies, but then I move it over and kill another strip of land. I hold it down with pallets, landscape pins, bricks and/or whatever is available. I think it kills spots just like parking a car in one spot does -no light and minimal moisture, but without the weight. For me it's also a sustainable method that keeps my native plantings expanding at a rate that I can peperly manage them. If and when I use glyphosate I have a goal that I will only use it on a spot once - I have to be prepared to completely replace/replant and manage the area (mulch etc) if I'm going to use it at all. Thanks for bringing up this topic!

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Marian Bell Whitcomb
8/11/2023 07:24:58 pm

Good points here...I am super vigilant wherever I used glyphosate for the return of the plants I am trying to kill...because of the possibility that they will become progressively resistant to the chemical if I use it repeatedly. But it is one of the few ways I seem to be able to keep white clover from overwhelming my mixed species grassland. Our small native mosses, grasses, sedges, rushes, and other ground hugging plants do not appear to have a change against introduced plants that are space grabbers, underground chemical warriors (allelopathy), and probably most importantly, but few are looking into this...pollinator thieves....which we help prevent native plant reproduction by planting any plant from anywhere because "it is good for the beeeeze," failing to account for the needs of the native plants of the pollinators and all the myriad of other creatures that rely on those plants...such as those animals that eat leaves. Plants, of the living things, are the group that is seeing the largest and fastest rate of extinction. We are well past the time to circle the wagons and really need a massive number of people willing to sign on to have any real hope. The birds I built my habitat for are not returning. When they do arrive, they successfully rear young.... The rapidly changing weather means we cannot work fast enough in light of a political world that is completely missing the point...but I am not going to go down without a fight.

Reply
Gnerd
8/6/2023 09:17:37 am

in my own spaces, i use glyphosate only on poison ivy and callery pear seedlings. the PI can thrive happily in the hedgerow, but in the spaces where we humans would come in contact, i just can't risk the severe reaction. next i'm reading your "meh" methods. i've used cardboard for years successfully so i'm curious to see the downsides you've experienced with it. thanks for sharing your perspective.

Reply
Shaun
8/7/2023 10:01:28 pm

Why not mow the area to be seeded to one of the lowest settings (to scalp) the lawn. Then cover area with a thick layer of wood chips until the grass underneath has died off. Then pull back wood chips and seed.

Reply
Benjamin Vogt
8/7/2023 10:03:33 pm

What will you do with yards and yards of chips? Why spend all that money and labor? The chips would have to be at least 6" thick, which also creates a nice medium for weeds to grow in (a common failing of thick mulching).

Reply
JJ
8/12/2023 08:35:34 am

May I ask… what if I use wood chips on top of layers of brown bags, after I mow the grass close to the ground. It seems it won’t have any weeds to come up.

Judith K. Robinson link
8/8/2023 10:26:06 am

I have used cardboard with either natural brown shredded mulch or woodchips to suffocate unwanted growth. Haven't met with any downsides yet. I will not use glyoposate for two reasons. The first being the depth to which this chemical has invaded our systems and caused terrible health problems and terrible environmental impact. Convenience of it does not equal value. The second is to not support financially that company that has knowingly put this devastating chemical on the market and experimented with it on a whole town in the south many years ago. What I use on vines, bamboo, and other invasives is a paint-on herbicide that then stays within the system.

Reply
Jan Smith-Wood
8/8/2023 10:54:52 am

I wanted to get rid of lawn. Tilled and pulled. Planted the desired pollinator-friendly plants. Keep pulling grass and other weeds that return. Keep nurturing the desired plants. Little by little, we're "winning". Maybe I just didn't have invasive stuff, but I don't understand why not manually remove and take the time it takes?

Reply
Kristine Montamat
8/9/2023 12:38:13 pm

I have a half acre, minus house & driveway. I have creeping charlie, and Devil grass (aka bermuda or wire grass).Tilled and pulled in front (maybe 1/8th acre). Devil grass is well-named. Tilling of course brought up other weed-invaders; they arrive in waves through growing season.
I agree with your approach-- but just so all understand this is an intensive multi-year project.

Reply



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    Benjamin Vogt's thoughts on prairie gardening in Nebraska. With a healthy dose of landscape ethics, ecophilosophy, climate change,  and social justice.

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