Does no dig gardening really work?

[Oliver Buckle]

I was thinking of this but anything along this line will kill Microbs in the soil which plants like.

True, but microbes reproduce incredibly quickly provided there is food for them, like all that stuff you kill. My objection is that I just don't want all that plastic about.

 

[Meadowlark]

True, but microbes reproduce incredibly quickly provided there is food for them, like all that stuff you kill. My objection is that I just don't want all that plastic about.

I asked AI how long it takes microbes to recover from solarization, it said "According to the University of Florida's Gardening Solutions, the re-invasion of the solarized soil takes about 3-4 months."

That does NOT sound incredibly quickly and further what food to eat? Everything is dead, sterile.

As someone who has spent more than 4 decades building soil, solarization and plastic are both an anathema to healthy soil.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

the re-invasion of the solarized soil takes about 3-4 months."

Not disputing it, but I do wonder about the conditions, I found this,

"Viruses play important roles in microbial ecology and some infectious diseases, but relatively little is known about concentrations, sources, transformation, and fate of viruses in the atmosphere. We have measured total airborne concentrations of virus-like and bacteria-like particles (VLPs between 0.02 μm and 0.5 μm in size and BLPs between 0.5 μm and 5 μm) in nine locations: a classroom, a daycare center, a dining facility, a health center, three houses, an office, and outdoors. Indoor concentrations of both VLPs and BLPs were ~105 particles m−3, and the virus-to-bacteria ratio was 0.9 ± 0.1 (mean ± standard deviation across different locations). There were no significant differences in concentration between different indoor environments. VLP and BLP concentrations in outdoor air were 2.6 and 1.6 times higher, respectively, than in indoor air. At the single outdoor site, the virus-to-bacteria ratio was 1.4."

That makes it sound like any disturbance of the surface would result in reinfection, and if you were planting things out there would be soil on the roots, I don't think the fact that it was dead stuff would stop things treating it as food as soon as they got there.

 

[redback]

Solarization is an alternative to glyphosate. That is why it is being used now. I've never used it. It's a fashion thing. Does it actually kill the underground runners?
The microbes/worms will be back as soon as water/rain cools things down.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

The microbes/worms will be back as soon as water/rain cools things down.

Didn't think about the rain, that must wash out a lot of the airborne spores and bacteria, and the worms will love all that dead stuff, they pull leaves down from the surface into the earth, and they must bring bacteria with them. Worms get everywhere, I find them clearing gutters. My daughter started a compost heap in an old dustbin on her concrete yard and the appropriate species quickly introduced themselves spontaneously. I do wonder why that university study took so long to re-infect.

 

[redback]

The quote does not include size of the covering. If it were a very big area being solarized the worms and microbes would work their way in from the edges. If the tarp covering excluded water from entering that might well be the most significant killer of all life under the tarp.
I am thinking of using solarization, but I'm not convinced weeds are the enemy so I'm holding off to see if my plants can peacefully co-exist with the weeds.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I'm not convinced weeds are the enemy so I'm holding off to see if my plants can peacefully co-exist with the weeds.

I don't know about Australian weeds. England used to be heavily forested, and most of our weeds were originally marginal plants which grew in places like rocky outcrops where there was not enough depth of soil for trees. We cut the trees down and they seized the opportunity. Remember Darwin? Weeds are pretty fit to survive, they developed in the wild struggling against all sorts of things . On the other hand most of the plants we grow were selected artificially by us for the characteristics we want, that doesn't usually make them very tough and they need care, some, like potatoes, are vigorous and will make it up against most things in the right conditions.
Most plants produce a lot more seeds than are needed to replace the original parent, if a piece of ground has been under weeds for a bit there will be a lot of seeds in there. If you clear it and plant out you will get hundreds of seedlings to every one you plant deliberately.
If a piece of ground has been left and weathered the surface will be quite hard, seeds have trouble penetrating and water will run off, there is little aeration, clearing, then hoeing regularly, will produce a tilth that acts like a mulch, solving these problems . All those weed seeds will germinate and get hoed in when still small, acting like green manure. Once you have established the tilth it takes minutes to run a hoe over a large area. At first you may need to weed around plants to avoid knocking them over, but skill with the hoe develops quickly.

 

[redback]

Most Australian weeds are imported from Europe.

If a piece of ground has been left and weathered the surface will be quite hard, seeds have trouble penetrating and water will run off, there is little aeration, clearing, then hoeing regularly, will produce a tilth that acts like a mulch, solving these problems .

That's my plan. I will spend time planting my plants in a well manured hole, cover it with mulch and periodically hoe around it. The acceptable result will not be a cosmetically perfect robot fantasy but a controlled nature reserve with protected vegetables living alongside flowers and weeds.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

The 'cosmetically perfect robot fantasy' has no rhythm, it is straight line progressions, very un-natural. On the other hand don't let those weeds flower and seed, one plant can produce hundreds of seeds. If they are the same weeds we have the other thing they can do is after being pulled up and chucked on the compost they will flower and set seed which will sit there in the compost until you spread it.
My feeling is that those weeds are going to grow no matter what you do, and if you go "Oh, look at the lovely weeds, isn't nature wonderful?" nature, in the form of weeds, will take over. Nature is like that, beautiful, but totally ruthless, hoe regularly and keep it on a tight leash.

 

[redback]

Okay, but I have many likable weeds too.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I have an area under the old apple tree that I allow the grass to grow and where I transplant those likable weeds to, as well as a few things like snake head fritillary and snowdrops around the tree trunk. As it is getting established I see a lot more butterflies and other insects in the garden, I think they are attracted to it rather than breeding in it. Last year there was a circle of flattened grass, possibly a cat, but I think the fox is more likely, there is also a path across made by the badger. A natural bit is great, but I don't mix it with my veg.

 

[redback]

I have just been weeding. I promised myself that when the flies located me, I would come in for a break.
The weeds that the hens and I like are - milk thistle, prickly lettuce, tall easy-to-pull strappy ones like rye and fescue (mainly because of the roots containing critters).
I like stinging nettle but the hens don't.
The flowers gone wild - amaranth, hollyhock, marigolds, silver beet, alyssum, several ground covers
, wallflowers and salsify.
They all protect each other and house the predators.

 

[ismailparacha47]

Yes, no-dig gardening can be effective. By avoiding traditional soil cultivation, it helps preserve soil structure and microbial activity, leading to improved plant growth and reduced weed disturbance.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Yes, no-dig gardening can be effective. By avoiding traditional soil cultivation, it helps preserve soil structure and microbial activity, leading to improved plant growth and reduced weed disturbance.

Umm no. you have never done this on your own. Cite your sources before you propogate a sexually transmitted vanity called i am smart.

 

[big rockpile]

My Inlaws thought I was going to kill their Daughter and Grandkids feeding them weeds.

They didn't want me around their Daughter because I was the wrong race so I married her.

big rockpile