By Karen Cohen
No Nos
Are you a gardener who loves nature? Do you wish to support the natural world around you? Or are you a gardener who just wants to have beauty surrounding you? That’s ok, too, but let’s dig deep to find out how natural beauty is enhanced or destroyed by mulch.
Black plastic mulch. If you haven’t followed the statistics, plastic is everywhere in/on the earth. According to the University of Mexico, “Concentrations of microplastics have been found in significant concentrations in the testicular tissue of both dogs and humans.” The ocean is used as a dumping ground for plastics and fish, big and small eat it. Yes, we, too, are ingesting plastic into our bodies in some way or another, maybe not intentionally! But here’s how we do it.
Two simple words that you don’t need a scientific journal to find the definition. Chemical leaching. Some plastic mulches are made of low-density polyethylene. Black plastic is used as a weed suppressant. If you spread it out as a cover mulch, you may be poisoning your soil/vegetables/you?? Stabilizers and flame retardants are used in this type of plastic. These increase the risks of contamination.
Black plastic does work at heating the soil for early planting but it continues to dry out the soil underneath by baking it. Anything black or dark in color, clothing or plastic or roofs for that matter, absorbs solar radiation which builds heat. Heat is trapped under the plastic and slowly all moisture from rain or hose watering is dried up. Earthworms pack their bags and leave for “greener” pastures and go for shady spots. Soil will crack and harden and sometimes that causes rain to just roll right over it and not sink in at all.
Since it is not recyclable, black plastic does break down over time and fills your garden soil with small pieces of black plastic and some of the toxic chemicals used to create it. So, as with most things, black plastic has pros and cons. If we stop blaming chemical companies for producing it and selling it, then we skip over to the people who buy it. Me and you. Many farmers and home gardeners are simply trying to fight weeds and warm up their soil sooner to plant crops. No one in their right mind wishes intentional harm on the rivers, streams, frogs, or fish but poisons can and do pollute those natural resources and subsequently get into our body’s bloodstream and organs.
The National Organic Program only allows mulch that is non-synthetic material such as straw, grass clippings, leaf mulch or wood chips. They recommend these natural items to keep areas weed free and conserve soil moisture.
How can we suppress noxious and invasive weeds in a safe, inexpensive way? Try the Ruth Stout method. We relied heavily on this method in our garden this year and so far, our plants have remained stable and the ground is retaining moisture. It’s called The Ruth Stout Method and I can personally vouch for the fact that it saves labor, feeds plants and conserves soil moisture. Many have used this practice because it has been passed down through generations of gardeners as a simple method. If you think about it for a second, it makes total sense. The concept is simple: use straw, prunings, dead pulled weeds to line garden beds and around plants. You block potential weeds from sunlight which would normally cause weeds to sprout and grow. You retain moisture by cooling down the soil and worms love that. Worms flock to moist places and dig down deep to help loosen soil. They also provide worm castings, a natural fertilizer.
Every spring, purchase bales of straw from your local farmer/hardware/garden supply store. Loosen up the bales and pile straw about 4-8 inches around plants, shrubs, vegetables and flower beds. Avoid mulching new seed beds which have not sprouted yet because sunlight will be blocked. The beauty is that this type of natural mulch takes time to break down. Replenishment may not be needed for a year or two. We also throw our grass clippings and pulled weeds on top of the straw which breaks down into some nitrogen to feed the plants. A leaf shredder gives purpose to raked leaves. These become mulch and food for plants too when heaped on around garden plants. When I think of how the earth is fertilized by fallen leaves, I realize there is much to learn from Mother Nature.
For questions and comments, please email natureswaykaren@gmail.com.