[Daisy]

Hi , I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to get rid of 'couch grass' possibly without digging. :?

[Welsh Girls Allotment]

without digging ..... hmmmm ...... napalm ?

[DD.]

Two ways - cover your plot to keep the light out for a year or use glyphospate.

Depends on:

Can you wait a year?
Are you organic?
Why are you avoiding digging?

Welcome to the forums, please pop along the the welcome forum & say 'hello'.

[gobs]

Frequent hoeing is also good, but you can only do that if the soil is dry.

[WG.]

I am usually in the 'cover it up' camp but you should expect this to take at least one year in the case of couch.

You can also rotovate.  Plan on repeated rotovations (3 or 4) during an entire growing season.  So start in spring to have ground cleared in time for planting garlic, JA etc in November 2008 (assuming you are in northern hemisphere - your Profile doesn't say)

 

[ditchdigger]

NUKE IT !

[splodger]

i dig up - dry it then burn it

[Contadino]

I think you're unlikely to dent a patch of couch grass with a rotavator, as the rhizomes that it uses to spread go way too deep (sometimes down to 1.2m if my memory serves.)  My rotavator only goes down about 50cm.

If you're going to try mulching it out (plastic light-proof sheeting or the like), make sure to go at least an extra 4m around the edge of the patch.

...and to think a hybrid of couch grass is now sold as lawning with it's hardiness and drought-tolerance applied as plus points.  :roll:

[WG.]

That is why you rotovate repeatedly.  Basically you are then using the soil itself to rob the roots of any chance to shoot and gain strength through photosynthesis.  Rake off the roots each time unless the sun is strong enough to kill those on the surface.

Excellent point about extending the cover though.  I remember finding fresh roots a full 2 metres away from the edge where some green growth had occured.

[spudulike]

glyphospate without a doubt. used it two months ago on my allotment, had to wait about four weeks before i noticed any change, everthing then went brown and dug it over the weekend, even the roots were rotting.

[WG.]

glyphospate without a doubt. used it two months ago on my allotment, had to wait about four weeks before i noticed any change, everthing then went brown and dug it over the weekend, even the roots were rotting.

Post us an update around late April or May  

But do post before that too - we have a Welcome Forum just for that very purpose.  (and we are nosey)