To bury or not.

brianc · « **on:** February 26, 2014, 21:30 »

Hi all
I have a new plot covered in what I believe to be couch grass?
I intend to use the scorched earth method by hitting it with Glyphosphate.
Am I right in thinking that if the grass and roots are killed I can dig the lot
in without worrying about getting the roots out.

Armleywhite · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2014, 22:01 »

IMO, do what I did, dig it out and dispose of it. it's hard work, but so much more beneficial than poisoning the whole area with that stuff.
I wouldn't use Glyphosate. However, do some research before using it is my advice. Still, it's your plot and it's you that will be eating the stuff grown on the land after all.

mumofstig · « **Reply #2 on:** February 27, 2014, 08:20 »

Yes, you can, some advice on clearing an allotment here

http://www.allotment-garden.org/allotment/clearing-new-allotment-plot.php

jondav14 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 28, 2014, 07:35 »

When I got my plot, (10 years ago this year!) one side of the plot approx 6 feet wide and running down the whole length of the plot was absolutely choking with it. It obviously hadn't been touched in years. A couple had been given the plot earlier in the year but gave up, beaten and dejected.

You could not use a spade or fork to get into the ground, it was that dense, so I used an axe and chopped the ground into approx 1 foot squares turning the large sods and letting the sun dry out the roots. Took me nearly 12 months to clear. Now I fork it out as and when it encroaches, dry it, and burn it.

A new plot is always hard work and takes time to sort out, the results however are worth all the aches and pains.

cadalot · « **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2014, 09:07 »

With that, the brambles, nettles and everything else found in the ground that had been buried like jondav14 - Pick Axe then fork and bring out the weeds like an alien hiding in the soil - only got half my plot dug and cleared last year and hoping to get the rest done before growing season this year if it ever dries out - BUT my plot is clearer than those that rotavated and just chopped it all up into new fresh 2" lengths to grow even more vigorously

diospyros · « **Reply #5 on:** February 28, 2014, 12:44 »

The original question - I think if you bury it a spit deep it will not come back, or if it does and you have kept the soil loose by not walking on it it will be easier to pull out. But that's so much hard work you might as well dig and extract, maybe! Any less than a spit deep and I would not trust it, even after glyphosate.

Trillium · « **Reply #6 on:** February 28, 2014, 15:29 »

Don't bother trying to bury it because it will only resurface. Ask me why I know this.

I'd dug down 2 ft deep and found couch roots happily running through, so no amount of burying will stifle them.
DIgging out is good and I too leave them out in the sun to dry out and die. Glyphosphate will work to a certain extent but not fully. I've sprayed roots near the edges of my plot area and the roots died back a bit but where the chemical stopped, the roots developed extra energy and came back with a vengeance. Now I wait for after rain times when the ground is quite soft and I carefully pull them out. Works way better.

mumofstig · « **Reply #7 on:** February 28, 2014, 15:32 »

Spray it - wait to see what regrows - spray those bits again - when nothing's regrowing then the roots are dead.

Dig or fork over and off you go.

I pulled out any roots I found as I dug over - but if they're not regrowing you don't really need to

JimB · « **Reply #8 on:** February 28, 2014, 15:53 »

.

It's a bit early to be using weedkillers just yet, they only work when the weeds are growing strongly and when the weather is much warmer than it is now.

Read the instructions on the packaging, and you never get a complete kill in the first use off.

And be patient, it takes time to get the land under some sort of control!

Anyway good luck and many happy hours gardening!

brianc · « **Reply #9 on:** March 04, 2014, 15:46 »

Just a line to thank the people who replied to my enquiry on burying couch grass.
I met the plotter next to me and I was telling him that I would not have chance to plant my shallots this year
because of all the digging I have to do because of all the couch grass .
He said if I wanted I could plant them in his plot.
So I shall try to dig it all out, what a nice person.

mumofstig · « **Reply #10 on:** March 04, 2014, 15:49 »

I've merged the threads, so readers will know who you are thanking

Aunt Sally · « **Reply #11 on:** March 04, 2014, 16:18 »

There are some good people out there, Brian

To bury or not.

brianc

To bury or not.

Armleywhite

Re: To bury or not.

mumofstig

Re: To bury or not.

jondav14

Re: To bury or not.

cadalot

Re: To bury or not.

diospyros

Re: To bury or not.

Trillium

Re: To bury or not.

mumofstig

Re: To bury or not.

JimB

Re: To bury or not.

brianc

Thanks from Brianc

mumofstig

Re: To bury or not.

Aunt Sally

Re: To bury or not.