North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["road's end farm" <organic101@linkny.com>]

On Friday, August 9, 2002, at 07:06  PM, Joe and Ellen Hecksel wrote:

> Another strategy would be to have a vegetation free zone 4' around the 
> tree's trunk.  That requires a herbicide mix like Round-up and Simazine 
> or a black plastic mulch.  Not an option if you are of the organic 
> school.
Plastic mulches are currently permitted for use in certified organic 
production; though they've generally been on the regulated list. They 
may need to be removed annually (so they don't disintegrate into the 
soil over time).

Rivka Davis
Finger Lakes New York, zone 5
(It rains south of us and north of us, but not upon us.)