Question about black plastic

CharlieM · March 12, 2014

Hi,
I am going to put black plastic over my tomato rows this year to reduce the weeding necessary during the season. What I want to know is, will the plastic make the soil too hot during the summer months. We live in north west Louisiana so it gets really hot here during most years.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Charlie

namwah · March 12, 2014

I dont think it will be too hot. By mid summer, the plants should be big enough to shade the bed anyway.

Worth1 · March 12, 2014

It only increases the soil temp by about 5 degrees or so.

Worth

Stvrob · March 12, 2014

I just asked my father in law, who is a retired extension agent and involved in the early studies in the field use of black plastic. He concurred with Namwah's opinion above as well.

RootLoops · March 12, 2014

i thought the same as you last season so i checked the temps in the soil under it it was no where near too hot. i live in north ms it gets blazin hot here in summer i think you will be fine

chastom · March 15, 2014

I did this last year one in black plastic and the other in white ,the black outperformed the white plastic in the central tx heat ,yes it will work

I was told not to try it ,but it worked

habitat_gardener · March 15, 2014

i prefer to use newspaper or cardboard to block weeds, then cover with mulch. The newspaper or cardboard blocks the light and keeps weeds from germinating. Mulch keeps it from blowing away and looks better.

RootLoops · March 15, 2014

we used newspaper last year with good results, our local paper has about sixty years worth of em bundled up in the back, you can pull up with a truck and get all you want. i would reckon any small town paper might have a similar stash

Cole_Robbie · March 15, 2014

If you painted the black plastic with a diluted white latex around a few plants after it got hot, then you would have a fun experiment to see if that made any difference. Red would be the other color to try.

greenthumbomaha · March 15, 2014

I use black plastic to keep weeds between rows down, but not with the plants. I use straw for that. Are you going to have drip irrigation under the plastic? Water, especially beneficial rain, doesn't penetrate the plastic very well in my garden, just runs down the hill.

- Lisa

namwah · March 16, 2014

I use plastic mulch in my zone 9b garden for tomatoes. I use to switch between black plastic for spring and white for fall so the soil could be warmed or cooled respectively. I now just use the white side. I also use 4mil clear plastic from June to September to solarize the soil. Clear heats the soil to much higher temperatures. i think this works well in my climate zone but other zones will differ.
The bed is prepped, fertilized and drip irrigation installed under the plastic. plants spaced 2' apart in a 4' wide bed. 5' to 6' wire mesh cages are used for trellises.

March 12, 2014	#1
CharlieM Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Louisiana Posts: 12	Question about black plastic Hi, I am going to put black plastic over my tomato rows this year to reduce the weeding necessary during the season. What I want to know is, will the plastic make the soil too hot during the summer months. We live in north west Louisiana so it gets really hot here during most years. Thanks in advance for your advice. Charlie

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March 12, 2014	#2
namwah Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: palmetto, florida Posts: 47	I dont think it will be too hot. By mid summer, the plants should be big enough to shade the bed anyway.

March 12, 2014	#3
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	It only increases the soil temp by about 5 degrees or so. Worth

March 12, 2014	#4
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	I just asked my father in law, who is a retired extension agent and involved in the early studies in the field use of black plastic. He concurred with Namwah's opinion above as well.

March 12, 2014	#5
RootLoops Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: rienzi, ms Posts: 470	i thought the same as you last season so i checked the temps in the soil under it it was no where near too hot. i live in north ms it gets blazin hot here in summer i think you will be fine

March 15, 2014	#6
chastom Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: stephenville tx Posts: 73	I did this last year one in black plastic and the other in white ,the black outperformed the white plastic in the central tx heat ,yes it will work I was told not to try it ,but it worked

March 15, 2014	#7
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	i prefer to use newspaper or cardboard to block weeds, then cover with mulch. The newspaper or cardboard blocks the light and keeps weeds from germinating. Mulch keeps it from blowing away and looks better.

March 15, 2014	#9
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	If you painted the black plastic with a diluted white latex around a few plants after it got hot, then you would have a fun experiment to see if that made any difference. Red would be the other color to try.

March 15, 2014	#10
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	I use black plastic to keep weeds between rows down, but not with the plants. I use straw for that. Are you going to have drip irrigation under the plastic? Water, especially beneficial rain, doesn't penetrate the plastic very well in my garden, just runs down the hill. - Lisa

March 16, 2014	#11
namwah Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: palmetto, florida Posts: 47	I use plastic mulch in my zone 9b garden for tomatoes. I use to switch between black plastic for spring and white for fall so the soil could be warmed or cooled respectively. I now just use the white side. I also use 4mil clear plastic from June to September to solarize the soil. Clear heats the soil to much higher temperatures. i think this works well in my climate zone but other zones will differ. The bed is prepped, fertilized and drip irrigation installed under the plastic. plants spaced 2' apart in a 4' wide bed. 5' to 6' wire mesh cages are used for trellises.