Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: villagedefender on August 11, 2005, 12:07:39
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I know this subject has been covered many times, but, it's always nice to see if anyone has new ideas.
I have sprayed my couch grass with roundup and only a few areas have started to re-grow. Can I now rotovate the areas that appear dead?
Or should I spray again?
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Ah, the evil couch.
I've sorted through 75 cubic metres of soil by hand, one bed down six to go.
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I pulled a red onion yesterday and a couch root had gone straight through the middle of it. It was growing in one of the beds I dug first and that had ony recently been rotovated. I found it very difficult to get all the root bits out. Thebits I am digging ove now have settled down and the roots of all the perrenials are much easier to spot and much easier to get out. I shall be tackiling the old onion and garlic beds later using the much improved digging, kneeling and hand sifting technique I have developed - slow progress but effective.
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Hi Villagedefender, I personally would re-spray to make sure all the couch grass and roots are dead. If every bit is dead it's less likely to come back.
I'm very interested in your user name, I know of a pony called Village Defender, any connection?
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You can only re-spray re-growth when it's come back and is leafy or has plenty of green bits on it as roundup only acts on those bits :) That's best though as you can guarantee it won't get it all first time round.
I wouldn't get too hung up about weeds. They're always going to be there and when you tackle one lot there'll still be more and then they'll be growing while you're not looking so you can't ever eradicate them all.
I wouldn't rotovate at all as it just churns up the weeds up. It chops worms up too :(
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I shall be tackiling the old onion and garlic beds later using the much improved digging, kneeling and hand sifting technique I have developed - slow progress but effective.
This is what I have done with my new bed, it is hard work but it should give my crops a good head-start on the couch.
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I wouldn't rotovate at all as it just churns up the weeds up. It chops worms up too :(
Doesn't regular rotivation wipe couch out in the end? Not that I would chose that root as that bare soil is going to lose its fertility pretty qucik.
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I have just finished digging the first bed on my lottie 2.5mx1.5m- it took me 3 hours to dig out the couch grass! :o Maybe I was being too fussy sifting through every tiny bit?
I think I might try the roundup for the rest? ;)
How long does it take to kill couch grass if I cover it with carpet?
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I have just finished digging the first bed on my lottie 2.5mx1.5m- it took me 3 hours to dig out the couch grass! :o Maybe I was being too fussy sifting through every tiny bit?
I don't think you were fussy, I sifted a huge bed by hand, and I am going to do it with the rest. You may as well get on top of it as soon as possible.
I think I might try the roundup for the rest? ;)
I can see the temptation, but I am determined not to use chemicals.
How long does it take to kill couch grass if I cover it with carpet?
One year should see it nearly gone and two should make sure, I believe.
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I found that carpets work well, but you must either bury the edge to stop the couch getting to the light, or spray the edge with roundup as the green growth appears. This is very effective, but not if you're organic, where the only chemical you are allowed to use is sweat.
Brian
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I've been covering my allotment with plastic and cardboard and such. The exclusion of light clears the top weeds off but as soon as the coves come off the weeds come up. It's nature :) At least covering them up keeps them at bay :)
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Covering with ground cover will kill them off eventually, but it would take 2 years really.
Of course the seeds present in the soil will just wait until the cover is off before springing up - I think I read that some bean seeds were found in egyptian tombs and were still viable so you may have a while to wait for those ones 8), still theyre easy to hoe.
If you do use plastic mulch for couch make sure its tough stuff, we used cheap in the strawberry beds and the couch just spears through.
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Patience is what you need for couch; I just reckon to reduce it a bit more every year. Over six years it's gone from totally rampant to a minor nuisance.
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I got the tough stuff. It's usually got stripes or squares on it. The cheapest I've seen it is at our garden centre but none left so got some from the internet from www.allplas.co.uk or allplaz
It's very tough and can be used for paths. I have some at home and it's been down five years on a bit of ground I''ve not got round to doing anything with yet and nothing has punctured it
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I have just finished digging the first bed on my lottie 2.5mx1.5m- it took me 3 hours to dig out the couch grass! :o Maybe I was being too fussy sifting through every tiny bit?
I don't think you were fussy, I sifted a huge bed by hand, and I am going to do it with the rest. You may as well get on top of it as soon as possible.
I think I might try the roundup for the rest? ;)
I can see the temptation, but I am determined not to use chemicals.
Couldn't agree more - I am also at the same time trying to increase my soil depth in the shallowest areas by breaking up rocks using a big iron spike. It is very very slow progress but it will be worthwhile in the long run. Clean, organic veg that has aready been salted by the sweat dripping off my brow. :D
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The Areas that appear dead wil be dead .So its ok to rotovate them. The areas that aren't dead will need another treatment .Wait till they have plenty of leaf on ...cheers Jim
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Ive got an couch infested veg plot, and so far ive only dug about 3 meters by 4 meters and has taken me about 12 hours in total[not in the same day]
It was a large plot but have given up half as i would never of cleared it all without weed killer, which i dont want to use.
My plot was rotavated just before i got it, so its not an easy task.
Ive been told by the other plot holders that ive got with the worst plot there. great >:(
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Everyone has couch infested plots. It's just a fact of life ;D I'd only do a bit at a time and plant something in that bit so that I'd have something to look forward to to keep me motivated. I'm motivated by food so keep growing stuff as I clear my plot rather than waiting til I've cleared the lot, which would take me an eternity. :)
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Ive got an couch infested veg plot, and so far ive only dug about 3 meters by 4 meters and has taken me about 12 hours in total[not in the same day]
It was a large plot but have given up half as i would never of cleared it all without weed killer, which i dont want to use.
My plot was rotavated just before i got it, so its not an easy task.
Ive been told by the other plot holders that ive got with the worst plot there. great >:(
My plot is infested, but all my neighbours tell me I picked the best. It was a toss-up couch or brambles.
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I have just been watching River Cottage Series One on video, and when Hugh is digging his first beds I noticed that his soil is riddled with couch rhizomes. I wonder what he did to deal with this, as it is not mentioned at any point in the programme and he is operating as an organic grower.
Oddly enough it gave me comfort, as he shortly produces prize winning produce from this infested soil, seemingly without too much trouble.
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I just dig mine out every time I take a crop. After the first couple of goings over, it becomes quite quick to dig out the few remaining roots, and there are fewer every time.
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You know that I do the black placcy sheet mulch thing over cardboard. Well the spud bed was a great success and loads of spuds off the manure. The cardboard rotted away and the soil looks good once the plastic had been taken off and the bed looked lovely and dark and weed free. Oh no it isn't. There's couch coming up right left and centre. So they were only having a snooze under that warm dark blanket ;D The cardboard did keep them at bay though and no couch came up into my spuds so it's either cover it up again and grow through sheet mulch or go over it by hand and pull the couch out. Eeeny meeny ......... ;D
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Almost half of our plot was covered in thick couch grass when we took it over, and as we didn't want to use any chemicals we covered areas over and then when it was weakened we dug it out as best we could. Two years on we have only a minimal area at the back now with couch grass. I am a great believer in getting something planted in as soon as you have a place clear, it doesn't matter if you still get pockets of it, you will gradually get shot of it the more it is cultivated. :) busy_lizzie
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My new lottie is also covered in couch....I've been doing a mixture of no-dig and dug beds, but I've been leaving grass on the paths in between the beds. Is this a huge mistake?
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It can be since the couch will survive in the paths if you're not very careful. There's an old grass path down the centre of my plot which has always been the main reservoir of the stuff. I'm gradually getting rid of it and replacing it with a brick path, but as I have to scavenge the bricks it's taking years. either keep the grass well mowed, or get rid of it and start over from seed.