Adding Plastic Mulch Weed Barrier After Planting Seedlings

[TomatoDon]

I've always believed that the right way to use plastic as a weed barrier in a raised bed is to put the plastic down first and then cut the holes and add the plants. However, I also believe that the best way for me to plant is to plant in just the bare soil without the plastic, which could be added later. I can tend to the planting hole and the planting process much better that way. Another problem I faced this year is that recently I was behind with some plantings and spent an extra few days getting all the plastic down when I should have been planting.

The other problem I have seen this year is that it seems to put double stress on the seedlings to be transplanted, and it being on plastic, which is hotter, stressing them more. It works OK in the early season before the temps hit 90, but now the temps are so high that the plastic seems to be doing more harm than good. I'd like to finish planting a couple hundred more seedlings, and am tempted to just plant them and worry about the plastic mulch and weed barrier later. I do have some plastic from an irrigation company that is very thin and is black on one side and white on the other; the white being much cooler in these temps, but putting it down is such a hassle when I need to be planting.

I've tried several methods but can't come up with a good idea for planting and then adding my plastic weed barrier later. So, I'm hoping the growers here will tell me a good way to add the plastic later. I'll have several beds that are 8 x 100, and will have about 500 plants, so whatever I do has to be suitable and do-able on that many plants.

Thank you in advance.
Don

[dshreter]

Perhaps you could do it with two sheets of plastic instead of one. You overlap them a bit, and just pull a space open where you plant. Not sure about this product, but the photo and suggested use is what I want to share.

https://parkseed.com/high-yield-red-...abric/p/09262/

[Salaam]

A (seed) farmer once told me she plants in rows then butts two plastic mulches up against rows. Yes, there would be weeds along the line where the two sheets meet, but they wouldn't be too hard to clean up.

[slugworth]

I would never use plastic,water bounces right off.
I would go coco.
https://www.joann.com/place-time-spr...EaAn8zEALw_wcB

[paradajky]

Originally Posted by slugworth

I would never use plastic,water bounces right off.
I would go coco.
https://www.joann.com/place-time-spr...EaAn8zEALw_wcB

That's really cool but consider only a 3ft*3ft square. TomatoDon has "several beds that are 8 x 100". One of these beds would need 88 of those coco mats
Maybe specialty stores carry them (much much) cheaper? Hmmm.

[slugworth]

why we call it a hobby.just an idea to get people shopping around.
keeps the ground cooler by evaporation during heat waves.
I have the ones winter sufferers use on stairs to make them non slip.
I left one from last year that made it thru the winter and drilled holes in it to plant.
That version is a lot thicker 10' long.I got the wide version that is popular- hmmm.
https://www.collectionsetc.com/produ...utdoor-runner/
$64+ tomato

[slugworth]

you can get 2 years of use out of it at least.

[TomatoDon]

I have done something similar with tomatoes and it works good. With tomatoes, you can pull the plastic up close and over-lap them. It's a little clumsy and awkward to do after the plants are up, however, but it does work. I thought about trying heavy contractor paper in rolls so I cold just till it into the soil at the end of the season and not have the plastic to deal with.

[paradajky]

That's a great idea! Similar to what is recommended in some areas, to lay down cardboard with 2-3 inches of compost/mulch on top of that. Cardboard can be purchased in large rolls.

[slugworth]

I drilled holes and put plants in last years' 10' section but the ground is still too cold
and the plants are still the same size as when I planted them 3 weeks ago.I am going
to wait til the ground heats up to plant, then butt the mats up to the plants like mentioned by Salaam.
Lazy, so I have a battery drill and auger bit for planting.
This is just for precious plants,plants lower on the food chain I will just mulch with grass clippings.

[TomatoDon]

A heavy drill and planting auger is not lazy, it's smart! I just got one, too. I have a small auger, about 2 inch or less, and then I added a 3.5 inch auger recently and am getting a 5 inch model. Using the auger is easier, faster, and it's just more fun, too! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QBKKWVB...roduct_details

[TomatoDon]

https://powerplanter.com/?sncid=14&u...xoCSNYQAvD_BwE

[slugworth]

Originally Posted by TomatoDon

A heavy drill and planting auger is not lazy, it's smart! I just got one, too. I have a small auger, about 2 inch or less, and then I added a 3.5 inch auger recently and am getting a 5 inch model. Using the auger is easier, faster, and it's just more fun, too! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QBKKWVB...roduct_details

I have the guts from a 12v electric drill; chuck and motor are in a straight line that I always meant to mount inside a plastic pipe long enough and wire up so I don't have to bend over when drilling.Maybe about 3' long with a switch for forward/reverse.Longer than the power planter.They should make attachments for people in those electric scooters.
A brainstorm that fizzled out.

[zeuspaul]

I have several Power Planter augers. I use the 3 x 36 inch auger at an angle for some serious bed prep while sitting in a chair. The 48 inch auger would have given me better reach.