Tips for weed suppression, fungal suppression, mulch (plastic)?

[Anthony_Toronto]

Last year's weedstravaganza in my area will surely result in billions of weed seedlings fighting against my garden. Was thinking of putting down clear plastic mulch once the snow melts until planting time to try to cook them a little, will that work?

Bigger problem may be soil that seems to be filled with fungal diseases. Foliage in last few years has been smacked around and decimated. What if anything can I apply to the soil to try to suppress this to some degree?

And after any extended periods of wetness I tend to get a green algae-like grown on the top of any soil that stays moist for too long, and any attempts to put down any plastic mulch in the past have just exacerbated the problem. Tried bark mulch several years ago, had one of my best seasons ever, but bark held so much fungus and mold that I eventually had to pull it all out.

Last year was such a nightmare in terms of weather and results, just hoping for something to turn this year around. Might also add another layer of 4x4's to the walls around my raised beds and throw in another 5 yards of triple mix, if I have the time and energy.

thanks...

[FarmerShawn]

Mulch is the best answer from my experience, but what kind? For foliage fungal problems, anything that will limit soil splash onto leaves will help. Also, a regular spray program is necessary to fight foliage diseases around here. I use Actinovate and Seranade, alternating, for an organic approach, although last year's constant rain and high humidity rendered that ineffective, ultimately. For mulch, black plastic is good, if you can irrigate under it. I use grass clippings or shredded leaves - the trick is to layer them deep enough to block weeds, but not so deep that it mats and blocks water and air from getting through to the soil. I am pretty sure that the fungus and mold that arises from bark or chip mulches do absolutely no harm to your garden - they aren't the same kind that causes foliage disease. They may even be beneficial, as they break down the mulch into something the plants can use for food. A layer of newspaper or cardboard with straw, leaves, or clippings on top also works nicely, and lets you get away with a thinner layer on top, just enough to cover the unsightly newspaper.

[crazyoldgooseman]

I have good luck with using straw. If you wet it down it stays in place well and it is easy to move aside to apply fertilizer or compost, plant small seeds etc. In a few months you see tons of earthworms under it.

[joseph]

My experience with solarization is that is doesn' t work during July/August in my fields. I wouldn't expect it to be effective in early spring in Toronto.

Seems to me like visiting the garden more often would help. More visits to the garden equals more opportunities to pull weeds while they are small so that they don't go to seed.

If you know the life-cycle of the species of weeds that went to seed last year in the garden you might delay planting until after the first flush of seedlings from those species have germinated and been dealt with.

[Ken4230]

It sounds like your soil is just worn out. Why not build some shallow raised beds right on top of the garden that can be added to next year? I would build it up with a compost/mulch mix and just start planting.

My raised beds and containers look like someone used them as a dumpster for the trash they just swept up. When i have room, i bury all our produce scraps in the beds.
I use partially composted sawdust, wood chips and pine bark as a mulch, and occasionally a weed barrier cloth underneath the mulch. All i do is add bigger stuff on top as the smaller stuff decomposes.

I don't worry about mushrooms or fungus growing, i do break them up if they take over a very large area. I once had a load of "mulch" that must have come from a swamp. It had green-slime algae on it, almost like filamentous algae in a pond.
Spraying fungicide on the pile didn't help but three days of soaking in a barrel did. I didn't trust using it on my garden so i used it to fill in a washout in a drainage ditch.

Good luck
Ken

[Axixic]

Here at Lake Chapala Mexico Driscoll Berries puts plastic on the ground before it plants. I assume it is to kill any plants under the plastic. Driscoll has thousands of acres here and it appears that it grows all its various types of berries the same way.

http://www.driscolls.com/about/art-o...ng/our-farmers

[Anthony_Toronto]

I'm taking notes, thanks all. An extra layer of 4x4's around the entire garden and 5 yards of new soil and an emptying of my composters into the mix and a good rototilling is long overdue (just hope I remember to avoid the asparagus patch). My composters don't work as well as they could because shrews get in there and eat all of the earthworms unfortunately. Will see what types of fungal treatments are available up here.



Instead of newspaper, how about cardboard? I just broke up a bunch of heavy cardboard boxes that were taking up space in the basement, probably have enough to cover the entire garden. I think I also have some packing newsprint. Weeds were unmanageable this year, even with regular weeding and hoeing, both in the garden and in the lawn...turned my back and the whole yard was out of control. Sounds like I may be a little out of luck with the solarization but I believe I have some clear plastic doing nothing in the basement that might be better used at least attempting to give the soil some heating early on in the season, before I lay down cardboard or paper or some other mulch.

[bughunter99]

Clear plastic, won't bug weeds in your area. It will basically just be giving them a nice warm, moist place to thrive. We put down 100' of 6mm clear plastic to hold water for the hockey rink each winter. In the spring, the grass and weeds green up faster and grow taller under that plastic. We have to rush to get it off to prevent this from happening.

I wouldn't apply anything but black landscaping fabric to start. Double thickness if the weeds you are dealing with are thick stemmed like thistles. (Other mulches are going to slow down how quickly your soil warms and with the winter we are having...) Later in the season if the heat every comes, and once your soil is warmed you can put mulch over the fabric for aesthetics and to prevent overheating if you like.

The plant issues you are describing make it sound like your beds are too wet. Drainage improvement will help, this can be done with raised beds, etc.

If you had diseases in the bed last year, try not to plant the same plants in the bed this year. Crop rotation is not always possible, but if you can swing it, you'll want to do it this year.


Stacy

[paulgrow]

I planted white clover as a cover crop in my tomato garden last year for the first time. It worked really well, almost zero weeds, retained moisture. Definitely going to expand it this year. Tomatoes did well.

[beeman]

Originally Posted by Anthony_Toronto

. Weeds were unmanageable this year, even with regular weeding and hoeing, both in the garden and in the lawn...turned my back and the whole yard was out of control. .

I am a bit further North than you, but close enough to have the same conditions regarding weather.
At the end of the season I clear the ground, till it over, then cover the whole area with 6ml black plastic, weighing the ends with soil.
This has a number of benefits. It stops snow pack, starts the weed seeds germinating, but then the lack of light kills them off before they get any size.
I leave it on all winter, peeling it back in the spring to plant the early stuff, then taking it off completely as the weather warms.
Some will suggest it does harm to the soil bacteria. This is not correct, my garden grows as well as any around, but weed free.