How to Use Black & White Plastic

Creating a garden that is productive or flowers that thrive in your landscaping can be a difficult task for any at home gardener. Colored plastic mulch, also known as plastic sheeting, is a trick that many gardeners have been using to help their plants grow. In cooler climates, black plastic mulch is used to trap in the heat, and in warm climates white plastic mulch is used to reduce the soil heat. The plastic mulch also decreases the amount of moisture lost in the soil from evaporation, prevents weeds, keeps fruits and vegetable clean, and prevents the soil from compacting. Adding black or white plastic mulch to your garden will make it look nice and keep your plants healthy.

Black or white plastic mulch sheeting
Fertilizer
Rake
Plants or seeds
Hoe
Scissors
Hose
Mulch

Instructions

- 1
  Fertilize the soil in the area that you are covering with the plastic mulch. Use 4 lbs. of fertilizer per every 100 square feet. Mix the fertilizer in using a rake.
- 2
  Dig a trench with the hoe around the area that you will be covering with the plastic sheeting. It is best to do this on a day when the soil is moist. Before laying the plastic mulch, soften and smooth the soil. This will allow the plastic to bond closely with the soil.
- 3
  Place 3 inches of the plastic into the trench on one side and bury it. This will prevent the wind from blowing the plastic away.
- 4
  Stretch the plastic to the other side, be sure it is very taught, and bury it 3 inches into the trench. Do the same with the front and back ends.
- 5
  Cut small "x's" into the plastic where you would like to plant seeds or plants.
- 6
  Water your plants by sticking the garden hose into one of the slits cut to plant the plants. A drip irrigation system will also work.
- 7
  Cover the plastic mulch with traditional mulch, sand or gravel. The plastic will be degraded by the sunlight and needs to be protected.

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