Covering clay soil with black poly question

[stevekentuk125]

Hi im currently covering an area of my allotment with black poly for a year to but was told by the guy in charge that if i cover the soil (which is clay) it will draw all the heavy clay to the top?????? Can anyone put me right on if it does as i just cant see that happening myself. But want to make sure Thanks

[Glutton4...]

Sounds to me like he said the first thing that came into his head! It's not a method I would use, as the soil needs light, air and water to keep the organisms inside it alive. You may well also encourage disease and pests by keeping it covered - you certainly won't be 'helping' your soil.

If you've cleared the area of weeds and want to keep it clear, then plant it up! A green manure is better than nothing. If you haven't cleared it, and just want to kill off any existing vegetation, try covering it with an organic compostable mulch, which will do the soil much more good than black plastic. Try the staff in your nearest retail park, they'll have large cardboard boxes, which, when opened out, can be spread over the soil, thus suppressing any weeds, and feeding the soil as they rot down. You can also plant through it when the time comes.

Good luck!

[alldigging]

You could cover it with a thick layer of organic matter. That'd do it lots more good.

[rustylady]

Why are you wanting to cover part of your allotment for a year?

[marchogaeth]

I think if you cover clay with plastic (for any length of time) and it's not weighted down fully it will flap up and down causing the soil to cap really badly on top.

I do use black plastic for short periods as being better than nothing for killing (perennial) weeds and stopping rain run off but cardboard is the best option even if you have to replace it several times.

My garden is being dragged out of really old grassland/creeping buttercups and I have covered bits for up to 12 months.

[andy_j]

Clay can be great soil if you treat it right. Dig it very rough for the winter...let the rain, snow, frost and wind break it down and then incorperate as much organic and non organic material as you can.

Spent potting compost, fire ash, sand, grit, manure, garden and kitchen waste the lot....chuck it in year on year. It'll take a bit of time but you will be well rewarded with some of the best soil you can get.

My parents had solid clay in their garden when they moved in. I spent 2 or 3 years really hitting it with just about everything i could and now, their soil is to die for.

Good luck

[stevekentuk125]

Hi im covering a area with black poly to kill of perennial weeds as well as using straw on another area see what works best to be honest, im also using manure (well rotted) but theres only so much of that i can get at a time with work/time issues. Also going to grow bare areas with green manures. I have two allotments now and im finding it quite a mission to keep under control. They were both quite overgrown also. Ive been reading stuff by charles dowding where he uses black poly for the first year to kill couch grass/bind weed etc? Been using fire ash andy we have a big incinerator up the allotments. Just experimenting and learning as i go oh and really enjoying myself in the process :-) Planning on having a 1 metre border round one of the allotments covering with lots of straw and planting perennial flowers etc through gaps in the straw and digging a wildlife pond in the middle of 1 plot to attract wildlife . growing vegetables inside the perennial border :-)

[Two_Sheds]

I have two allotments now and im finding it quite a mission

Maybe give one up then? Just a thought. Don't be too proud to admit that it's too much work.

Perennial weeds will be killed if you cut off the light. Cardboard & wet newspapers work as well as anything, and are more eco-friendly than plastic (they go in the compost heap when they start to get ragged, adding carbon)

[BertieFox]

I think I know what your allotmenteer neighbour meant, as covering clay will result in a solid cap where it was covered. This will soon break up if you cultivate soon after uncovering, but a better approach would be to mow down all the weeds, put on a thick layer of mulch, say six inches deep if you can get enough stuff, and THEN cover with polythene. If you did this in the autumn when you remove the plastic in late spring then you will find a soil already covered with a beautiful rotted mulch, just ready to plant directly into.

Coincidentally, I am going to be doing exactly this tomorrow on an overgrown piece of our plot, which is also heavy clay. I will strim everything down first and then cover in black polythene. Although it will still be a bit rough in spring, I will be able to get something planted there and restore the area little by little.

[rustylady]

When are you actually going to start growing crops, though?

[stevekentuk125]

With regards to giving one plot up i took it on as it was next to mine and nobody seemed to want it so i thought why not . Infact theres a few allotments empty on the site . Maybe when my son gets a bit older he will benefit from the extra plot to. I grew lots of crops last year rustylady was quite surprised how well it went

[rustylady]

Sorry Steve, I got the impression from your posts that you were just covering the soil and waiting for the weeds to die.

Potatoes would be good to plant. Their foliage will shade out lots of weeds. Pumpkins and squashes too. I'd much rather see crops than plastic.

[stevekentuk125]

yes i am going to cover a area in black plastic for a year like i read in charles dowding's book to see if it makes a diffrence compared to what else i do in other areas. He said that you would benefit from less weeding in years to come. Im just learning and trying diffrent things some from other people and some from experimentation. I mean so far im finding where theres a benefit from one approach theres a draw back to. Anyway i value peoples opinions and views and i am taking it all on board so thanks for taking the time and replying :-)