Topic: Weed suppressing membrane and couch grass

[Hector]

We have had success in killing off couch with a decent , thick membrane we left down for several months but wondered what the minimum time is to bump off the roots as well as surface growth?
Thanks
Jackie

[Melbourne12]

When we've done the same thing, the roots have still been active, and need to be removed when preparing the soil for planting.  Same goes for bindweed, whose roots seem to be able to survive for a long time.

We have had success over this last winter in killing couch including the roots with a combination of glyphosate applied in the autumn and membrane over the winter, to tackle a new piece of allotment that we'd taken over.  I know some people don't like to use chemical weedkillers, but this really needed some serious reclamation.

[Hector]

Thanks for that, as we are planting Asparagus I am worried about couch getting intertwined with it. I'll go through and remove roots then :( I had vain hope of deceased roots :)

[Melbourne12]

Oh, yes, thumbs up to an asparagus bed!  Once it's finally established and in production, you'll congratulate yourselves on investing the time to keep it weed-free.  Good luck!

[artichoke]

I have a very productive asparagus bed - 20 crowns planted in 2003 - and have to admit that over the years couch and bindweed have crept in from nearby paths. I keep them hacked back as much as possible, but the asparagus survives and grows like a weed. Yesterday I was weeding it ready for the start of the season, and cut off the tip of a spear! Admittedly it was underground and palest white, but it's already on the move! And it's only mid-March....the earliest before has been mid-April, and usually it is not seriously productive before late April.

[Hector]

Thanks artichoke. As a family we have dug all weekend  to reclaim a bit of ground not covered by weed membrane...seperated out stones and couch and planted 20 one year old crowns of Pacific Purple. We are all very tored...but a nice tired. I've always loved Asparagus, so this is exciting. I followed what Monty Don said in his Asaragus planting video and put in quite a bit of grit. Couch is hateful stuff....a real motivation to keep on top of it all.

[amphibian]

We used to pick Asparagus wild in the Carso above Trieste when visiting family in Italy - it grows surrounded by bushes, shrubs, thistles and trees deep in long grass - and it thrives. Funny how we have to so spoil our domestic crops to get good dividends, yet in the wild things will grow in a thimble full of soil wedged into a crack in a bit of limestone in the shade of a tree.

[squeezyjohn]

I've just done the same and planted 30 crowns of Gijnlim after pretty extensive weed root clearing, manuring and raising up the ridges where it will be to avoid water logging.  They've only been in half a week and the spears are starting to emerge - I'm going to gently earth them up with clean bought compost to try and keep them protected from any frosts that might happen in the next few weeks.

Just knowing how great it could turn out in the long run is about as exciting as anything I've ever done on the allotment!  No picking this year though!  Lots of care and attention this year and next and hopefully they will establish well.

Good luck to all asparagus planters out there ... I'm sure it's worth the effort at the beginning!

Cheers

Squeezy