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soil Looking for opinions on landscape fabric to solarize soil..

PrimeTime

PrimeTime

Hi folks!
 
I garden in a 4 x 20 ft raised bed and am planning on using black landscape fabric this spring to hold down weeds and heat up the soil a little early. I will be leaving it on all season.
 
I plant out around mothers day and was going to lay the fabric a few weeks before that.
 
I am wondering if this will help solarize the soil to kill pests. I might need to add clear plastic over it but i would love some info from people who are experienced.
 
I do plan on adding a simple hoop house at plant out as I can use a little heat help early in the season here on Long Island.
 
Not the funnest topic but I look forward to any and all opinions.
 
Thanks in advance
 
PT
 
It will not  solarize soil to kill pests, Worms will really like it.  I would cut small X's to plant, A hoop house will help get that early start.  Only real reason to sterilize the soil is if you had problems in the past, Most soil's get better over age just keep adding Compost to it each year.  A good topping of Compost really helps. I also add red worms to my soil and that helps the soil so much.  
 
I am in New Jersey and my one experience with landscape fabric was bad.  Maybe i used the wrong kind but i had so many weeds that they actually lifted the fabric up in spots.  Halfway through the season I cut it all up.  Good luck and I will be curious if it works for you as we have very similar weather.
 
Nightshade said:
I have something im going to try this season i will find a video
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Hit me!
Mr. Hill said:
It will not  solarize soil to kill pests, Worms will really like it.  I would cut small X's to plant, A hoop house will help get that early start.  Only real reason to sterilize the soil is if you had problems in the past, Most soil's get better over age just keep adding Compost to it each year.  A good topping of Compost really helps. I also add red worms to my soil and that helps the soil so much.  
Click to expand...
 
Ive had pepper maggots the past 2 years and was hoping to eliminate them this go round.
 
PrimeTime said:
 
Hit me!

 
Ive had pepper maggots the past 2 years and was hoping to eliminate them this go round.
Click to expand...
 look at 6min mark in the video posted above im going to be trying there whole method of growing
 
Not sure of the brand, but Costco typically sells a giant roll of weed barrier each spring. It's usually stocked by late winter and is decently priced. It's the best I've used - super thick and lasts for years. I moved to a different house, and have since been buying cheap "Easy Gardner" type stuff. Weeds and grass power right through, and it's usually shreds by the end of the season.
 
Nightshade said:
I have something im going to try this season i will find a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRhltSqMh2M&list=UUygBhBp2vipslgFakDcUP3A
Click to expand...
 
So what are you trying? A heated can?
hottoddy said:
Not sure of the brand, but Costco typically sells a giant roll of weed barrier each spring. It's usually stocked by late winter and is decently priced. It's the best I've used - super thick and lasts for years. I moved to a different house, and have since been buying cheap "Easy Gardner" type stuff. Weeds and grass power right through, and it's usually shreds by the end of the season.
Click to expand...
 
 I got a large roll off a friend from home depot, its in storage and I don't remember any info on it.
 
Costco is good to know though thanks!
 
I guess I am wondering if I cover with fabric then clear plastic in the spring, will I get enough heat to kill pepper maggots in the soil?
 
Cheers
 
     If you're looking into achieving the highest soil temperature, clear polyethylene is the way to go. It allows solar radiation to pass through where it warms up the soil and water underneath it. Once the soil is warmed the resulting radiation (IR) can't pass back out of the plastic.
     Black plastic just absorbs all the sun's energy - warming itself up. The resulting heat is radiated on both sides of the plastic and is much less effective at warming the soil underneath it. 
 
I guess I will think about clear plastic a few weeks before plant out then fabric and hoop house at plant out.
 
Thanks Dash
 
     No problem. I used to work in a lab doing countless soil solarization experiments. IIRC we were able to get the soil up to like 110 or 120F several inches down. Hot enough to severely knock down the populations of certain soil-borne fungal and invertebrate plant pathogens.
     If you really want to eradicate some nasties, grow a cover crop of brassicas, chop them in and then solarize. The sulfur containing compounds (isothiocyanates) produced from the decomposition of the greens will fumigate the soil under the tarp and really do some damage. Lifting those tarps when it came time to soil sample was absolutely repugnant. Really noxious, poisonous shit.
 
I have some clover cover going now.
 
Do you think I can get it hot enough to do anything in my zone (7A) at the mid/end of april?
 
I know nothing about being able to heat the soil to kill bugs, but I do use a weed fabric in my garden to help prevent weeds and as a side benefit, to heat up the dirt early in the season.
 
There is a downside to using fabric, and that is if you have slugs, snail, etc, they love to live and hide under the weed fabric and come up at night and chomp your pepper plants.  So plan on using some sort of slug/snail poison/bait, else they will do a number on your plants.  I live in the Pacific North West, where we get lots of large slugs, but with this weed fabric, I got a abnormally large slug infestation earlier this year, thus the need to declare warfare on them.
 
I did use the Costco stuff last year, but switched to a professional brand, as I found a nursery supplier warehouse locally that allows will-call customers. I think this stuff will last several years.
 
Good luck
 
PrimeTime said:
I have some clover cover going now.
 
Do you think I can get it hot enough to do anything in my zone (7A) at the mid/end of april?
Click to expand...
 
     High five for the clover!  :cheers: I hope to one day garden enough real estate to make cover crops useful to me. 
     From what I've seen, it doesn't seem to take the soil underneath clear PE very long to heat up. And it does a pretty good job of insulating the soil's surface on cooler days. So I would imagine it would only take a few really sunny, calm days with moderate temps to do some damage to the grubs or eggs or whatever you're trying to murder. 
     How big of a patch are you planning on treating? Let me know if you want any practical tips for tarping big areas.
 
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