On 11/27/2012 5:50 PM, Tegger wrote:
"W. eWatson" wrote in
:

On 11/27/2012 5:06 PM, Tegger wrote:


Nobody in your town sells vapor-barrier plastic? That stuff is
available in really wide widths, and sometimes by the foot rather
than the roll.


See remarks above posts about "plastic".



How many decades are you planning on leaving this stuff? If you want
something that's going to last decades -- or even a couple of years -- in
direct contact with wet soils, then cotton canvas is NOT your answer. In
those cases, you want something non-organic, like a petroleum product. Like
"plastic".

Vapor barrier "plastic" (heavy LDPE) is pretty durable, even in sunlight.
You'll get several years out of it, at least.

Polypropylene tarps are almost as good, but they're "plastic" as well.

Farm-supply places (should be easy to find in your area, no?) sell weed-
control fabrics that are biodegradable. Problem is, they're also "plastic".
And they're biodegradable, which makes them just like cotton canvas.

Or is your objection to "plastic"...political...?


My objection to plastic used for tarps is they disintegrate easily and
spread their fiber in any wind, thereby making a mess.

As I said above, I have a 4x6' canvas (I think it's canvas. I have no
idea if it's cotton. It looks tougher.) that works fine. It's been
covering a pile of dirt for 3 years and shows no sign of wear.

We are facing three storms over the next five days. One is in progress
as I write. When it's over, I'll take that sheet to a h/w store and
ask them what it's made of.

BTW, I live in something of a rural area, and a fair number of
animals wander around--particularly deer. If a deer walks on a plastic
tarp, they often get punctured and start to shred in the wind.