Solarizing

[squashnut]

I am thinking about putting black plastic on my garden. But i only want to leave it on long enough to kill the slug eggs in the bed. With out killing too many microbs. Is this possible or will I kill the microbs too. I was thinking 1 or 2 days.
I am hoping the worms will move away from the area while this is happening.
Or is this nesasary at all I have dug the bed twice to let the sun in and to remove the potatoes that were growing there. The soil is pretty dry.
When I am done I want to put compost then plant broccolli transplants.

[Songbird]

yea, Phil suggested I put plastic down on my area to kill the virus that's been contracted.
I'm not clear on how long or just what to do afterwards...

[Pharmer Phil]

I have tried several ways...
the debate is always Black plastic versus Clear.
The black seemed to work fine, no disease afterwords.
Clear plastic worked well, I did have some pesky weeds tho that withstood the heat...and acrually grew under the plastic.
Solarization is a simple, five-step process that kills insects, plant diseases, nematodes, harmful fungi, and weed seeds. At the same time, helpful microorganisms within the soil benefit, possibly form the lack of competition.
Soil that has been solarized allows plants to draw on the nutrients, especially nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium more readily. Plants grow faster and stronger, often maturing earlier with higher yields than in unsolarized soil.

It takes four to six weeks of sunny weather to pasteurize the soil. For most of the USA, that means planning to spread plastic somewhere between the end of June and the first of September.
After several days of sunshine, soil temperatures rise to as high as 140 degrees at the surface and well offer 100 degrees as far down as 18 inches.

1. Prepare the Soil. Pull any weeds or old crops. Turn in any soil amendments and then rake the surface smooth. It's important to remove any stones or clumps that might raise the plastic and create air pockets that could cause uneven heating.
2. Water thoroughly. Leave a sprinkler on for several hours or overnight to soak the soil. This creates 100 percent humidity under the plastic, which acts with the heat to kill all those unwanted critters.
3. Dig a trench all around the bed or plot 6-8 inches deep.
4. Lay a clear plastic sheet, 3-6 mm thick, over the area, overlapping the trench on all sides. Fill in the trench, weighing down the plastic while pulling it as tight as possible.
5. Sit back, relax, and wait.Cloudy weather will slow things down by cooling the soil under the tarp, a few weeks of sunshine will improve your soil dramatically, easily, and inexpensively. If you live in an area with cool or cloudy summers, or if you just don't want to wait all season, you can speed up the process by adding a second sheet of plastic. Using the hoops commonly used to elevate row covers or bird netting, raise the second sheet of plastic over the ground-level sheet. The airspace between acts as a temperature buffer zone during cloudy weather and the combination of the two sheets of plastic serves to raise the soil temperature an additional 6 degrees.

[squashnut]

That is exactly opiisite of what was explained to me. You can learn some pretty messed up stuff on the internet. If the solarization does not kill microbes I might just be willing to try it on some of the weediest beds I have. My biggest concern might be that it would encourage my bind weed to grow faster.

Thank you for explaining

[Songbird]

Yea, thanks Phil! Now I understand!