[Gleavo]

Got plot on Sat.
Basically a strip of couch grass far as the eye can see!

Ripped up about 3x4 metres of it and forked it - still loads of roots though. Hired strimmer and levelled the rest today.

General advice is to finish off with round up, wait a week or so and rotorvate. Is this ok or will I just propogate the roots and store up loads more trouble for in a few weeks time?

I've got some cheap black plastic damp proof membrane and was going to 'round up' the plot, cover areas i want to work next spring with the plastic and concentrate on clearing the rest of the plot (rubbish, broken glass, old wood) for the rest of winter whilst weeding the main plot?

Any advice welcome as it's been left for 4 years and getting rid of the crouch is my main battle campaign  obviously.

Thanks
G

[kevinp]

Well done on getting the new plot

What I did with mine, it wasn't as bad as yours though it was just docs, dandelions, thistles and a bit of grass. I marked my plot out and everyday I went down I would dig a patch 5ft x 5ft if I still felt good after that I would mark out another patch the same size and start to dig it as well, BUT if I got so far through and felt enough was enough I would leave it.
Try not to think of the whole plot but think of it in squares, and you just work on one square at a time.

We have around five plots at the moment where the new owners have come along with a fork and tried to start at one end fifteen foot wide expecting to get to the other in one go, nearly all of these plots have been dug for two to three foot and have been left.

You can see mine in the link below

Kev

[gillie]

For Roundup to be successful you need the weeds growing well and to continue to grow while the weedkiller travels to the roots and kills them.

So ideally you should wait until the grass starts to regrow after the strimming (say a couple of weeks), spray and then leave it until there are obvious signs that the grass is dying before covering with plastic.

However it is late in the year and the grass may not be growing fast enough to get a good kill.  You may prefer to leave the Roundup routine until the spring.  As couch grass is one of the first weeds to start growing there would be time to Roundup it before sowing crops.

Either way you will get some regrowth.  However once the ground has been forked or rotavated once going over it subsequently pulling out the roots is quite easy - and very satisfying.

Gillie

[Gleavo]

That's great thanks both.

I'm already digging (forking) roots up section by section so will keep at it!

Gillie if I leave until spring how long after 'round upping' will the ground be ready to cultivate?

Thanks
G

[crh75]

Round up is inactive on the soil, so as soon as the plants are dead you can dig over and plant/sow.
Remmember that the killer needs time to work down and kill the roots, not just the leaves, about a week I think.

[Aunt Sally]

Got plot on Sat.
Basically a strip of couch grass far as the eye can see!

Ripped up about 3x4 metres of it and forked it - still loads of roots though. Hired strimmer and levelled the rest today.

General advice is to finish off with round up, wait a week or so and rotorvate. Is this ok or will I just propogate the roots and store up loads more trouble for in a few weeks time?

I've got some cheap black plastic damp proof membrane and was going to 'round up' the plot, cover areas i want to work next spring with the plastic and concentrate on clearing the rest of the plot (rubbish, broken glass, old wood) for the rest of winter whilst weeding the main plot?

Any advice welcome as it's been left for 4 years and getting rid of the crouch is my main battle campaign  obviously.

Thanks
G

[rowlandwells]

i tend to agree with whats said roundup is a good suggestion what i did with the lottie i took over as it was a large plot i was able to use my tractor on it i scuffled it over several times with the tractor the ground was like a grass field as it hadn't been done for several years the scuffle ripped up all the grass and twitch etc i the borrowed all the grass and weeds  and stacked them in a large heap

basically clearing the ground then i ploughed the ground and left it to overwinter come spring i harrowed the plot and raked off any remaining rubbish although i still get the normal weeds growing it cleaned the ground i think if you fork over the ground as suggested little and often it should clean the ground ready for next spring setting  shake out all the soil and put the rubbish in one pile it will soon rot

[potatogrower]

i personally would not have strimmed the grass. i would have broke up the soil in big chunks with the fork and then beat the lot with the fork to release the soil from the roots. the long grass would aide in giving you a handle on holding it. roundup might work out expensive depending on the size of your plot so best thing is to dig them out with good old fork and then work the soil for the finishing touch ready to grow. you will get the odd weed growing and they will forever keep growing so no matter how much roundup you use its the fork and spade that is a man's best friend.

[azubah]

I would cover it with manure, leave it over winter, then plant spuds in mid/late March.
You could cover part with black plastic and keep digging the roots out as much as you can on the rest, but don't overdo it and get fed up.

[lucyp]

Just a warning about planting spuds if you have a lot of couch - I have lifted tubers in the past with couch roots growing into them  .  There's no real substitute for forking, pulling, forking, pulling - and yes, it is peculiarly satisfying.

[Salmo]

If you strimmed the plot it is best if you rake off as much debris a possible before you apply Roundup. The reason for this is that cut grass left on may cover some of the couch leaves and prevent the Roundup from getting to it.

As long as there are green leaves the Roundup should work.
Do what it says on the label.
 - Apply when the leaves are dry.
 - Only apply when there will be 6 hours without rain afterwards.
That is surprisingly difficult at this time of year.
Wait until the couch has turned yellow before you disturb it so that the chemical can get right down in the roots. That may take 2 or 3 weeks, especially if it is cold.

You will not kill it all as some plants will not have green leaves.

Whether you choose to dig or rotovate will not matter as the roots should be dead and chopping them up will not matter. In the Spring any couch still alive will shoot. You will then have to decide whether to spray again or just dig it out, depending on how much there is.

Although you can plant immediatly after applying Roundup my advice would be not to plant any Autumn crops such as garlic/onions/shallots, and not to be in a hurry to plant early in the Spring until you can see how much couch has survived.