# @ahs_gardening on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DHMKRzWg_sl
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/55036127-ahs-gardening-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/bb295eb5cd.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-03-14T18:35:25.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Horticultural Society | American Gardener Magazine (@ahs_gardening) — https://gondola.cc/ahs_gardening

## Caption

GARDEN TIP:⁠
HARNESSING SOLAR ENERGY WITH A SHEET OF PLASTIC⁠
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Sure, light from the sun helps make our gardens grow, but it can also solve some common problems we all encounter. If you’ve had trouble with a persistent soil-borne disease or pest such as nematodes, you can try solarizing it with clear plastic sheeting before planting, provided the bed is a location that gets full sun.⁠
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First, remove all mulch and debris from the bed and wet the soil if it’s dry. Then lay the sheeting over the area, weighing down or burying the edges to trap solar energy. Use bricks or rocks to keep the plastic a few inches above the soil surface and keep the plastic in place for at least three weeks.⁠
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If you garden in a cold climate, this will also help to warm your soil for spring planting of cool-season crops like broccoli, lettuce, and peas. If a late frost threatens after planting, cover the bed again with the plastic until temperatures rise above freezing. This technique is particularly helpful if you live in an area where spring is short and hot, dry weather arrives early. Early planting gives these crops more time to grow in the cool conditions they need to thrive.⁠
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FUN FACT #1 :  You might think black plastic absorbs more heat, but the use of black plastic is not recommended for solarizing soil precisely for that reason. We don't want the plastic to absorb the sun's rays—we want them to pass through it and reach the soil, so clear plastic is the way to go. ⁠
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FUN FACT #2:  If you have jumping worms - this is one of the best ways to treat your soil. Jumping worms and their cocoons are sensitive to high temperatures and neither worms nor cocoons can survive 104°F or higher for over three days. Using clear plastic to cover the topsoil of gardens and lawns exposed to full sun can raise the temperature enough to kill cocoons, even in the spring.⁠
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—Mary⁠
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This great tip came from the “Garden Solutions” column by Scott Aker in the March/April 2019 issue of The American Gardener, the magazine of the American Horticultural Society.⁠
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Photo/video by mariarom and sarahkstead (Pixabay)⁠
courtesy of Alabama Cooperative Extension Service⁠ (aces.edu)⁠
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#jumpingworms

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