[Dantheman]

Hi guys,

I need some advice.

Our site has a problem with couchgrass i know i have it on my plot.
Last year i build a fruit cage to which i put a good layer of well rotted horse manure down covered it and left until now.   
I uncovered in the fruit cages last weekend cut any growth down and sprayed in with weedkiller, today i have uncovered it and lightly dug it over because i'm planning on rotavating it tomorrow.  There are quite a lot of couchgrass roots down there still, so now i'm panicking thinking it could be the wrong move doing this,  but on the other hand i was wondering if it would pay off as the roots from the new shoots that may (should i say will) come up will be a lot smaller and easier to pull up.

Please help.

Dan

[bravemurphy]

if it were me I would get as many roots out as possible if you rotivate it then you will have more than twice as much to get out.

[Dantheman]

i will have to try my best to get as much out as i can it makes good sense.

[Stree]

Is it parsnips that couch grass cannot live with?

[Trillium]

I'd say rotovating can easily multiply your problems by fifty times. As said, best to fork out as much of the couch as possible so you're not multiplying your problems.

Stree - not many plants will do well with couch invading their roots. I've even had couch roots go right through potatoes and out the other side.

[DD.]

Like this?

[sarah1983jane]

I rotivated part of my allotment which had a creeping buttercup issue, it looked great at first but was a lot worse the next year.

[Trillium]

  Just about, DD, except the couch root went right through the centre of some big potatoes. Storage was a beast 

[DD.]

That is a big potato.

You should see the size of my couch! 

[Trillium]

THAT'S a big potato?    Guess I'm just used to the huge ones we grow that are bigger than your whole hand. Really annoying to find couch growing right through some of them. 

[moose]

Is it parsnips that couch grass cannot live with?

I have read that thickly sown turnips will hinder couch grass growth, also tomatoes. I have not proved either of these ideas just read that they are supposed to work.

[Dantheman]

differently going to take your advice and get as much pout as possible.  Thanks guys 

[Beetroot queen]

I may just sow turnips all around my plot at least i can get them to grow unlike parsnips. I think you'll regret not removing that root. Remove it first its rather statisfying throwing it all in a bucket.