[chili]

finally got my ploy under control, spent most of my 1st year pulling and uprooting bindweed. now half my plot is soil and the other half is allotment type grass which i am going to dig beds into.
now my dilema is cutting the grass i have a strimmer which sends it everywhere so i have decided to kill it. done a few bits with glysophate however that will not be much good now due to wet. what other options do i have to kill it / stop it growing

[Faz]

At this time of year probably your only real option is to cover the area to kill it off over the winter. Glyphosphate would probably still work as it is still warm down here in Kent, and the forecast for this week is dry so you may be able to find the opportunity to spray it off. It will take a while for the effects to show though as things aren't growing as quick as they could be!

If neither of those are any good due for any reason then you'll have to get out the old fork and dig it over by hand (a bit at a time!). Not sure how clayey your plot is but if it is anything like my garden it won't be too long before digging isn't possible either due to wet.

[Salmo]

Rules to make glyphosate effective.
There must be green leaf.
The leaves must be reasonably dry. i.e. no dew droplets.
There must be at least 6 hours of dry after application.

These are often difficult to achieve in Winter. Often the days when leaves are dry are windy. You have to grab what opportunities there are. Aim to do it around mid day so that it dries on the leaves before dew arrives.

Unless it is frosty it seems to work even in Winter.

[teabreak]

 
Let us be clear on grasses: gramineae.  For allotment purposes there are just two types that we need to consider. Annual grasses and perennial grasses. For most purposes, just digging them in is well enough. Annual grasses will all did in. Of the rest, most, like rye grass can be turned in to the soil too. In fact, you can use Italian rye grass as a winter green fertiliser. It keeps annual broad leaf weeds under control at the same time. there are two absolute blighters in the perennial grasses. Moorland tussock grass: It forms a large clump with a degenerate tussock at the top. The grass is tough as old boots, but dig it up with a fork and burn it. Do not put it in the compost, it will thank you for the bed and breakfast holiday and come back when you use the compost. (Okay if you compost it at high temp for nine months it will die). the other is couch Agropyron repens. If you like digging this will give you much practice. If you don't, why have you got an allotment? Use a fork and carefully remove ALL of the rhysomes, (they look like spaghetti). Glycophosphates like 'Roundup' work but some think them dodgy. Careful removal is the thing, in autumn is best as removal of all growth from soil causes nitrogen leeching in high temperatures. Not dealing with A. repens can cause up to 40% less growth in crops, Wow! Finally if you have couch in your blackcurrants goosegogs or rasberries you will need to hand root them out with care. And never ever rotovate them. you will just spread little cuttings all over the place. hope this is of help, I just researched it on the net, (no I did not know it all before and am not a smart alec thank goord!)

[Sweet Pea 2]

some pf my manure must have had quite alot of grass seed in it , as I have now got what looks like a lawn starting, where the manure has been laying on top of the soil.  Shall I just dig this in, or is there anything I should beware of.  I am assuming that they are annual grass, but how can I be abosolutely sure.  I hope I haven't introduced couch grass, I have got enough bother with bindweed.

[Arnfields]

If you know anyone with chooks...a couple of days and it will be bare soil and fertilised too

[Sweet Pea 2]

ah yes, but they will probably eat my Swede and Cabbages too.

[Arnfields]

ah yes, but they will probably eat my Swede and Cabbages too.

Oh absolutely!  We have nothing left but two kohl rabi in our patch but - no grass either    You could fence off the bits you don't want eating - if you were nearer I would happily pop round with my munching troops!

[Flowerpower136]

Was going to suggest chucks, best ground clearers in the world.  Can you protect veg with temporary chicken wire?

[nobby]

strim, rake, spray with paraquate based weed killer (weedall) to kill all top growth then get out your fork and start digging. great for keeping warm in the winter

[DD.]

Paraquat is a banned substance, nobby. Please don't advise its use.

Weedol 2's active ingredient is Diquat.

[Sweet Pea 2]

sorry DD are you saying Weedol 2 is OK to use?  I am not organic.  Equally though I would rather not use Weedkiller if digging in would be OK and it won't come back in multiples.

[DD.]

Weedol 2 is approved, but will not kill off the roots, which you'd still have to dig out.

Glysophate is the best bet and given the weather forecast the conditions should be OK for it during the next few days.

[Sweet Pea 2]

OK I might see what the weather is like at the weekend.  Thanks for your help.

[Kristen]

Anyone used Resolva instead of Glyphosate this time of the year?  I wonder if its additional ingredients (Diquat??) make it more effective? And perhaps it has a shorter "must stay dry" time?