Thick solarization plastic failure
So how did the thicker,
whitish plastic do for solarization? The layer did a good job
killing off mature oats and some weeds, but the ornerier ground ivy
didn't get hot enough to die. Looks like the thin, clear plastic that
deteriorates in a single season is still the best option for
solarization...unless you want to pay top dollar for UV-resistant
greenhouse film.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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I just got this via email today--another blog I follow. I'm busy packing up my own 10 acre too big homestead to buy something smaller and more manageable (I can't wait to compare notes on design with you) so I don't even have time to read this right now. But maybe there are some new ideas here.
http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/07/how-to-get-rid-of-and-or-control-weeds/
We used to use the retired heavy duty clear plastic from our greenhouses to cover our compost piles during the winter rains. They worked great for keeping things dry but they actually helped our weed problems by acting as a mini greenhouse.
We switched to heavy duty black plastic (20 x 100 from Home Depot) that we had been using for occultation in the garden, and it has worked like a charm. No weeds at all on our compost this year.