Garden Plastic Sheeting

Garden Plastic Sheeting:
All Tucked In

If you’re working on creating some planted garden beds on your property, one of the most effective tools in ensuring that you’ll be weed-free is by using garden plastic sheeting. Because it provides a physical barrier between weeds that haven’t yet had the chance to germinate and the sunlight, air, and moisture that they need to thrive and invade your space, using plastic garden liner at the bottom of your bed is highly advisable as a first step. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible. But even if you’re using garden plastic sheeting on top of the soil in your bed rather than underneath it, those weeds will still be deprived of their support system, which means that they won’t have the chance to develop above the soil line.

The Cheat Sheet

Weed control aside, any landscaping maintenance professional will tell you that garden plastic sheeting has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. On the plus side, this synthetic material generally stays in place for years and will not require much maintenance. It can also be hidden from view simply by adding mulch, organic materials, or more soil, which means that it won’t detract from the appearance of your garden in any way. It’s also a great way to collect heat and moisture, which can be particularly beneficial in colder climates where having warmer soil will increase the possibility of an earlier planting season as well as in dry areas, where the moisture trapped by the liners will be used by the soil.

Sheet Change

On the down side, plastic garden sheeting doesn’t decompose the way a natural material would. It can also make gardening a bit more complicated because it will have to be moved aside or cut into anytime you want to make changes to your garden. If you decide to swap out your plants or even just add more, the plastic sheeting will get in the way; so it’s ultimately more suited to gardens that you have no plans of changing. Watering your plants will also prove to be a challenge if you haven’t poked holes in the garden plastic sheeting; and that ability to trap heat that can seem so handy in colder climates can prove to be a bit of a hazard in hot areas where the soil can overheat and damage the roots of your plants.

Tuck your garden into dreams free of weeds! Call the knowledgeable staff at Executive Landscaping, Inc., for a consultation today!