A natural weeding technique.
Occultation is a biological weed control technique that consist in covering the soil with a black opaque plastic sheetings for 4 to 8 weeks before planting.
Keeping the soil regularly moist under the plastic, combined with the heat generated by the black surface creates optimal conditions
to start germination of weed seeds (or weeds), which are then blocked in their development by the absence of light. After a while, germs wither, fade and decompose …
This technique is a variant of the “false-sowing”, which consists in preparing the soil as finely as if one would sow the crop itself, with regular watering, in order to start the germination of the weeds. Once they come out of the ground, you discard them before they grow, then you start sewing your crops. This technique is mainly used for slow germination crops such as carrots, turnips or parsnips.
Remark :
The straw boots are used to prevent the plastic sheet from flying off. We can also use canvas or non-woven and rot-proof bags filled with sand or soil.