Re: Will solarization kill bamboo?

In article <481f1811$0$763$4c56ba96@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
 "Mary Fisher" <mary.fisher@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> "General Schvantzkopf" <schvantzkopf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
> news:MYWdndd-mqlIcYPVnZ2dnUVZ_u-dnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > On Mon, 05 May 2008 11:09:08 +0100, Mary Fisher wrote:
> >
> >> "General Schvantzkopf" <schvantzkopf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> >> news:7vadneWBFJUGgIPVnZ2dnUVZ_q_inZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >>> My old garden (14'x60') has two problems, on the left side where
I've
> >>> been growing green vegetables I have a terrible bamboo problem. On
the
> >>> right side where I've been growing tomatoes I have a wilt problem. I
> >>> have a new garden (15'x20') this year so I'm planning on letting at
> >>> least part of my old garden lay fallow.  I'm going to solarize the
> >>> tomato side to kill the wilt pathogens. I've been using roundup on
the
> >>> bamboo but it's never been able to eliminate it. I was wondering if
> >>> solarization would kill bamboo? It's supposed to be pretty effective
> >>> against weeds as well as pathogens so it might work. On the other
hand
> >>> the bamboo might just punch it's way through the plastic.
> >>>
> >>> One more question about solarization in general, does it work in New
> >>> England? The papers I see on the web are from UC Davis. Ma is a lot
> >>> cooler than Ca. For solarization to work it needs to get the soil
> >>> temperature pretty high, will it get high enough here?
> >>
> >> What's solarization?
> >>
> >> Mary
> >
> > Solarization is done by covering the garden with clear plastic for the
> > entire summer. The plastic acts as a greenhouse so it raises the
> > temperature of the soil to > 110F.
> 
> Thank you. It would also keep the soil dry though, which isn't good for
most 
> plants.
> 
Mary, the point is to sterilize the ground, to get rid of 
vegetative pests. So, yeah, it wouldn't be good for any plant 
under the plastic. A little moisture though, would probably help 
in the transfer of heat.
-- 

Billy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTfcAyYGg&ref=patrick.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0aEo59c7zU&feature=related