It's a big huge mistake to use black plastic and prevent the gas exchange, roots
to surface. I don't care if it's landscape fabric plastic with all those holes.
They are horrible, they don't work as the weeds which prevail go right through
them and it is very hard for water to permeate down to the soil. It gets soaked
up by the mulch and lays there on top.

Yes, she is producing a problem.


On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 13:06:08 -0700, "AnonnyMoose"
opined:

I've just noticed my neighbor laying black plastic on the ground under an
old cherry tree and I was just wondering if this is going to interfere with
the tree's water uptake. The plastic circles the tree in about a 7 foot
radius, as well as 15 feet out another 2/3 of the way around it, under the
drip zone. It's a lot of black plastic, and now it looks like bark mulch
going on top. Will water get through to the roots? Is she inadvertantly
killing the tree in order to keep weeds out of what appears to be a new
flower bed going in? Will there be masses of slugs reproducing under it?
Yikes!

karen
portland, or