Question From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Q: I have an eastern slope with rocks all over it & plastic beneath the rocks. I recently planted some ground cover plants by removing a rock here & there & cutting through the plastic to plant the plant. If I don't water these plants every day, they wilt & on hot days they're need water twice a day! This is an eastern slope & my soil is sandy.
A: It has been abnormally hot and dry and your rocks are a heat sink that intensifys and holds the heat. The plastic prevents much of the water from reaching the roots. Working some compost into the sand would have been helpful. I would have use newspaper. That black plastic may come back to haunt you. Sadly there is nothing you can do without moving the rocks. Best Nancy
