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permaculture - [permaculture] Black plastic nightmare!

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  • From: "C. Suzanne Myers" <solarsonicdove@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Black plastic nightmare!
  • Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2004 10:53:22 -0700 (PDT)


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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