- 1). Break up your soil to a depth of 12 inches with a rototiller. The soil should be loose with no large clods, as if you were about to plant a seed bed. This tilling will help your soil to heat evenly and will prevent debris from puncturing the plastic.
- 2). Water the garden soil so that the dirt is as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Soil pathogens are more sensitive to high temperatures in damp soil.
- 3). Double over clear green house plastic that is 4 mil in thickness. White or black plastic will not allow UV light to pass through it and into the soil to heat the soil effectively. Spread the doubled plastic over your soil. The plastic causes a greenhouse effect that will cook the soil and kill fungal infection as well as nematodes and bacteria.
- 4). Attach the plastic to the soil by driving landscaping staples through the plastic and into the soil with a mallet.
- 5). Leave the plastic in place for at least six weeks to properly kill fungal infection. Soil solarization requires long, hot days to heat soil properly. In cooler climates, more time may be required to properly heat soil.
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