Plastic sheets are a total waste of money when it comes to plants, but the strongest negative is that plastic sheets or fabrics hurt the most important part of the soil — the surface.

Compared to landscape fabric, plastic sheeting often comes in a few cents cheaper per square foot. This might not seem like a lot, but when you're covering larger areas, those pennies can add up.

Kathy Bridges, owner of Santiam Valley Ranch, has studies about plastic mulch sheeting pollution underway on her property near Turner, Ore. TURNER, Ore. — In 2017, Kathy Bridges and her husband ...