[muntjac]

ermmmmmm

             "" I have a bad back at mo and cant do much digging. ""

 i rest my case agggy pants    

[pwgun]

agapanthus,  i agree with you.  I took on a plot in november that was infested with couch grass, i have dug over that plot and the one next to it about three times now and i now feel that the work was worth while.  some of it is starting to grow again, but when i consider how much i took out ( about enough too fill four pallet sized compost bins), i  think that what is now poking up is managable.  i may even use a spot weedkiller if i get it growing in hard to weed areas.

I disposed of the grass after i had filled my first compost bin ,only to discover that it started growing in it,( learnt that one the hard way)

rotovating will only mask the plot as being clear, as it WILL come back with avengance some months later.

[agapanthus]

ermmmmmm

             "" I have a bad back at mo and cant do much digging. ""

 i rest my case agggy pants    

 :oops:  sorry missed that bit

[agapanthus]

....but I still go with my 1st post...there is no need to poison the soil and rotovating is just asking for trouble.
Cover what you can with carpets, black plastic or whatever and then dig only a little bit at a time....that what I did and I've had back probs since I was 15 (2 operations and my damn spine is still crumbling but hey-ho).....don't try to do it all in one go    

[mickeyboy]

Thank you to you all and especially to muntjac for his very useful links.

If i did kill it with weed killer what weed killer would you recommend and how long will i have to leave it before planting my onions and spuds :?:  :?:

[agapanthus]

Does the weedkiller harm all the nice insects and worms?

[noshed]

Use glyphosate - it gets taken up by the leaves and kills the plant and then breaks down in the soil. As long as you don't go raving mad with it (ie follow the instructions on the bottle) it should be fine.
Once you've knocked everything back (might need 2 applications) then you can be as organic as you like.
I finally got my plot neighbour to use it on his rampant bindweed and it has made his life easier (even though I think he's wasting his time with elf-sized raised beds).
As John once said, if you use chemicals at least you know what you're using, which is one up from what you buy in the supermarket.

[muntjac]

nah they are fine . aggy . use roundup .spary on  a still warm day and then stay off it .once its dry its safe to walk over .its safe anyways but when its wet on ya boots n u walk over grass lawns you can leave footprints  

[frazzy]

Big hello, i agree with  agapanthus dont poison the soil dig it over. i would only use chemicals as a last resort. dont let the size of your plot over whelm you ,they can look pretty scary when not cultivated just dig and plant as you go and before you know it youll be wishing you had more space    

[Aidy]

Roundup will kill off couch and it has yet to be proven to poison the soil as metioned it breaks down in the soil very quickly, however if you go to their site they recommend Autumn as the best time to use it, this I believe is because the plant is trying to store food for the winter months, spring is a time when the plant will use the stored energy to  grow so not really converting food. I would always recommend digging it up if you are fit enough, I had loads when I took mine on but have got the better of it, again I tried various methods but found digging most effective.

[DD.]

I try to be as organic as possible, but have no problems when it comes to weeds & whitefly.

1 - Round Up is rendered inactive once it hits the soil. Therefore it will not hurt the 'local' wildlife. I've used it in spring to good effect.

2 - Whitefly. I can crush greenfly & blackfly between my fingers - they don't fly off in a white cloud when disturbed. I can stab caterpillers individually, they also don't fly off in a white cloud. I don't want whitefly in my brussels, neither do the rest of the family or guests, so sorry - I let them have it!!

[Trillium]

Here's where #2 can be helped by planting marigolds, Digger. The plant smell attracts hoverflies, which need to lay their eggs in aphid patches, so the new hovers can feed on black and green flies. It's vicious in the bug world   Just have a look at Aggy's monster slug in another thread. Ugh :!:

[diggerjoe]

It's not just me with a new allotmenr then. Just got mine. It has been left to grass for two years. I decided that as I want to use it this year and are going organic I have started clearing it by lifting grass as turf and stacking it . It is couch grass but this seems to lift most of i out I shall then cover the stack and leave it. Stick with it Mickeyboy its a killer on the back but I roped in three friends and we cleared 20ft x 12ft in a couple of hours. I shall put some spuds in and was thinking of double digging and burying the turf as I go then plant the spuds . But is this ok to do with couch grass?

[muntjac]

definatly not mate uir just moving the couch to a new home and giving it a chance to make new mates. dfump the lot ,bystacking it up you wont get rid of it ,just make a windbreak ..id finish the work your doing taking the couch to the fire or skip .  then when ur sat doing nothing breeak the stack  open and clean the couch out .. have fun

[WG.]

I shall put some spuds in and was thinking of double digging and burying the turf as I go then plant the spuds . But is this ok to do with couch grass?

The digging and then the spuds will slow down the couch grass but doubtless some will survive.  Maybe try a maincrop tattie with big foliage?  If you want early tatties then follow them with big winter cabbage since they too will set back the couch.

It won't happen in one season but just keep at it.  Pick out any couch roots which surface during digging, earthing up and lifting.   Drown them in water and you'll get good fertiliser out of them.

Exclude all light from the heap you stacked.