permaculture

[margi <oaksong@peak.org>]

Here's an idea.  get a big crew of volunteers to remove the plastic by 
hand.  offer some sort of incentive like a free picnic.  yes you will 
have to pay for the food but not the labor.  Or have a work weekend 
retreat at the conference.  Charge for food/minimal costs only.

~margi

C. Suzanne Myers wrote:

> 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 experienc
> e or
> insightful ideas about this dilemma?
>
> Suzanne Myers
>
> solarsonicdove@yahoo.com 
>
>
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