permaculture

["C. Suzanne Myers" <solarsonicdove@yahoo.com>]

Anyone out there have any suggestions on how to re-manage a black plastic 
nightmare?

I'm working at an older Hotel and Conference Center in a semi-arid area of SW 
Colorado, actually in the San Luis Valley. Right now, the ground is layered 
with black plastic then dirt and big chunks of pine bark and it looks pretty 
ghetto. Mostly tumbleweed and whitetop in any nook they can find to grow 2 
feet tall more or less. Not much Grass coming up in the area in question. 

The intent is to do a natural arid landscape, I have suggested that we 
landscape with a mix of native grasses, like big bluestem and Indian rice 
grass mixed with some prairie flowers like sunflower and yarrow, etc... The 
main point is that we must not have to water it at all or very little and the 
big issue is the Plastic. How can we deal with the plastic? If we try to 
rototiller it we could ruin the equipment by tangling up plastic in the 
tines, removal by hand is just too time consuming and the labor cost out of 
reach. I don't think we can leave it because it seems the soil aspect is 
unevenly distributed and this would not seem to bode well for plants to 
survive. If weeds with tap roots are growing in this stuff, could it be okay 
to plant  over the plastic? Or should we toss more soil on it first, which 
might not be possible $ wise.  I want to bring plants in responsibly, to make 
sure the environment is right for them to survive. So, does anyone out there 
have any experience or
 insightful ideas about this dilemma?

Suzanne Myers

solarsonicdove@yahoo.com 


                
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