Topic: Roundup systemic on new plot - how long ?

[mentallot]

I was hoping to turfcut and rotavate but lots of couch grass apparently. So new plan is Roundup and rotavate. In practical experience (ie not manufacturers blurb) how long do I need to leave the Roundup before I rotavate and what's the advantage to covering with black plastic etc.

Thanks :)

www.nn6.blogspot.com - work in progress  :)

[kt.]

Depending on which variant of roundup - 6 weeks onwards.  Plus it depends how thick the couchgrass and weeds are. 

[cambourne7]

personally I would spray one week blowtorch everything 2nd wk week 4 spray again then leave 6 weeks ;)

[cornykev]

While you wait 6/10 weeks you could be digging
Turfcut and dig the roots out if you don't they'll come back to haunt you
Cover the parts your not digging with black plastic and roll back as u go, it will weaken the weeds
Rough dig the first bed and plant spuds, as you trench dig the spuds u would pull up more weeds anyway
No to chemicals and rotavater as the latter will just tenfold your weed problem
Rome wasn't built in a day,u won't get it all done this year, so a bit at a time
This is my opinion anyway
 :D

[RobinOfTheHood]

Worth using glyphosate as a one-time deal with this in my opinion, there is one just like it over the road from me that's had several (poor) attempts at being cleared. Been burned and rotavated and had beds dug out but nothing has really touched the couch grass.

I reckon 2 sprays over 8-10 weeks would have cleared it ready for rotavating.

[BoardStupid]

Glyphosphate works best when weeds are in growth so don't chop back before spraying

[Bill Door]

I am with Cornykev on this one.

Dig a bit for spuds and don't worry about taking all weeds out.

Plant spuds then start on remainder of the plot.  Pile it high and once an area (enough that you can dig in say a week) has been dug leave the pile for a week or so then spread it back out and rake out the loose weeds on top.  Cover with black plastic and plant courgettes, marrows, cucumbers and toms through holes.

In the mean time do the same for another part of the plot until the whole plot is dug over.

yes weeds will grow back but as long as you keep hoeing or moving the soil the weeds will not establish.

best of luck

Bill

[Unwashed]

What kind of soil?  The approach for heavy clay would not be the same for light sandy soil IMHO.

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's too early for weedkiller yet; wait till the weeds are growing strongly. Experience suggests that you'll kill the more delicate weeds, while the tougher ones will survive and thrive with the lack of competition.

[jennym]

If you are going to use roundup, you need to pick a period when the couch is growing, and is nice and green and when the weather is going to be dry and not windy for at least a day. The cheapest way to buy it is in concentrated form (a small bottle) and dilute it yourself exactly as per the instructions on the bottle, and apply it with a fine sprayer, but if it's windy you will need to apply it using a watering can with a fine rose to avoid drift. You will see the grass starting to go yellow in about a week, then you can be sure it's worked, and rotavating can start.

If you decide to cover the couch, you need to leave it covered for at least 6 months IMHO to kill it, using a cover that will block out the light but let the rain through.

If you dig out the couch, it will take time and you do need to get all the roots out.

On the very heavy clay here, I used all three methods in different areas in the first year or so. Digging out gave the clearest effect and also dealt with the problem of compaction. Herbicide and rotavating dealt more quickly with a larger area which enabled me to plant more quickly, but I noticed the odd clump of couch sprouting here and there, probably I missed a few areas with the spray. Covering wasn't something I found very effective for a quick result in the early days, but it is something I use now to keep weeds at bay around bushes and trees.

[aj]

Or just cover in cardboard, and compost/manure/bricks to weight cardboard down and plant through.

Then when you harvest most of the grass will have died back and the couchgrass will be able to be pulled out as it will also be weakened.

Believe it or not, there are other ways than poisoning your soil. Which, if I am not mistaken, you are going to want to use to grow your edible food in? So it pays to treat it better than poisoning it with Roundup.

[lincsyokel2]

best stuff to cover out is silage sheet, but i cant find a cheap source of it. This is the thick black plastic farmers use to cover piles of silage, comes in huge seamless pieces up to 20m x 30m. If you are going to smother weeds, you need to exclude both light and water.

[Melbourne12]

personally I would spray one week blowtorch everything 2nd wk week 4 spray again then leave 6 weeks ;)

^^^ as above, but I might leave it until week 3 before taking the flame gun to it.

[mentallot]

Thanks to everyone for reading and responding on this  (and previous related threads :)

After much thought, we hired a turf cutter, marked out the plot with 20' top for shed chooks etc, then 5 * 9' beds with 2' paths between and a grass area at the bottom for fruit trees, and just de-turfed the beds.

Thought that was hard work until I started rolling up and moving the turf. Mostly mounded upside down into barrows to cover and (I'm told) turn into wonderful loam in a year or so ready to return to the beds.

The digging starts this weekend, and the beds covered with plastic until ready to be attacked.

Great sense of satisfaction looking down at the work done - pretty important for me to get loads done while the first bursts of inspiraration are still strong ! Now all I need to do is decide how to build fort chicken ...

[1066]

sounds like you've done lots! And yes the turf will become fab loamy soil in about a years time, I did this in a previous garden and it worked a treat  :)