Plastics that are placed in the ground are sought to make gardening easier, but the expert sees no reason to use them.
Plastic is a familiar material in Finnish yards and gardens. Plastic watering cans, pots and rakes are light to carry and move, which makes gardening easier.
Filter fabrics, root barrier mats and landscaping fabrics – which are typically polypropylene, i.e. plastic – are used to try to prevent the growth of weeds and the penetration of tree roots into planting areas.
In some cases, plastic has its place, but in certain situations its disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
Biologist and horticulture and nature entrepreneur Leena Luoto tells which plastic products are functional in yards and which he would not recommend that anyone use, as well as what can be used to replace harmful plastics.
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Plastic utensils do their job well
According to Luoto, there is no need to feel pain from plastic consumables that travel on the surface of the earth.
“I myself have over 20-year-old plastic pots that still last. Flower pots and growing containers, which are designed for their purpose, can withstand soil, plant root secretions and the dissolution of fertilizers,” says Luoto.
He urges you to check that there are pots and containers specifically intended for plants in your own yard. For example, mortar pails are intended for mortar, not for growing and also for storing drinking water.
“They consist of mixtures of substances that can dissolve harmful substances into the soil. Microorganisms in the soil can suffer from them, and they can be transported to the plant through its roots. Today, the sellers of mortar blocks have put usage restrictions in the product information.”
Plastic placed in the ground can be not only unnecessary but also harmful
Different filter and cover fabrics may sound like they make gardening easier, but their luck is often short-lived. Weeds will eventually find their way through the porous plastic.
“Weeds may decline at first, but in addition to them, smaller critters, i.e. soil organisms, also decline. Building barriers in the soil with materials that have not been there is not a good thing.”
Plastics form barriers in the soil and can affect the exchange of soil gases. The amount of air in the soil affects the well-being of the organisms that live there, such as earthworms and microbes that recycle nutrients. In addition, plant roots need oxygen so that the plants can connect.
“Airy soil works better than compacted soil in both dry and rainy growing seasons. When this exchange of gases under the plastic weakens, the soil’s growth condition deteriorates.”
Plastics break down in the ground over time, and they release microplastics into the soil.
Plastics can have immediate harm to the plants being grown. For example, black strawberry plastic can cause strawberry roots to heat up so much that they stop growing in a hot summer.
“Under the plastic, the temperature can rise closer to 70 degrees.”
The long-term effects of plastic are not yet known
Whenever you think about putting plastic on the ground, Luoto urges you to consider the matter very carefully.
“Why should plastic be put underground or on the surface? Do we know for sure how it behaves? And what will it look like in several years or decades?”
The useful life of plastics put into the ground is short, and there are no studies on their long-term effects.
“Would the next generations think that we were complete idiots? Even the insecticide DDT was wonderful in the 1970s and we are still suffering from it. The land here will remain behind us.”
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You can use these methods to replace plastic in your home garden
In Luoto’s opinion, it is not necessarily necessary to replace the plastic that is placed in the ground, because all kinds of obstacles in the ground are pointless. Although newspapers and corrugated cardboard are more ecological alternatives than filter cloths, they also weaken the exchange of gases in the soil.
What about a biodegradable cover?
“It’s actually plastic too, and it has a lifespan of 3-5 years. After this, it would need industrial composting. Very little is still known about the effects of the breakdown products of biodegradable plastics on the soil. Very few people dig biodegradable mulches out of the ground.”
Luoto champions traditional gardening, i.e. hoeing, weeding and good tools.
“If your back can’t handle weeding, long-handled implements are good. For example, a pendulum rake is a non-stabbing tool for raking corridors, and a round rake is suitable for weeding.”
If you want to use different coverings, for example to reduce the evaporation of moisture and the need for watering, you can replace the strawberry plastic with, for example, hemp covering, straw or grounding grass or tree leaf covering.
You can also take advice from nature. There, leaves, branches, cones and needles accumulate under the bushes.
“For example, dry maple leaves work well as mulch in the home garden.”
There is a cover sheet made of sheep’s wool for sale, but snails also thrive under it. Luoto advises that instead of a cover, sheep’s wool can be used as small tufts in flower beds and plant trays to store moisture and make watering easier.
Finally, Luoto wants to emphasize that what everyone does is important. Even if your own yard seems small, even small yards together form a big whole.
“Don’t underestimate the value of your own garden. This is true for better or for worse.”
Source: kotiliesi.fi
