Topic: couch grass in shared path

[campanula]

The path between my plot and my neighbours is just pure couch grass. She doesn't really mind whereas I am driven demented by this hideous grass wrecking my perennial plots. Left to my own devices, I would spray it off, remove the top layer and do a quick returf but she more or lass shits a brick at the mere mention of spray although she has conflated 'organic gardening' with 'do nothing' gardening...but hey.
Facing yet another season of digging out the entire length of the plot, I am thinking about some really reliable barrier method...which is preferably as cheap as chips. Ideas?

[johhnyco15]

couch is reasonably shallow rooted so if your edge of the path was 6" or more deep this should slow it down also along said edge if you plant tomatoes along the edge this will stop it in its tracks hope this helps with this annoying problem

[campanula]

As it happens, I do have a long bed of tomatoes edging the bed but have not noticed any slacking on the couch efforts to take over my plot. Regarding depth, does the rhizome not simply nip underneath a shallow barrier in a manner similar to bindweed. It has actually penetrated timber edging (gravel boards) so I was ruefully considering using a hoarded pile of roofing slates - it extends the entire plot length - 55metres so that would be goodbye to roofing my shed. I did try trenching but my very sandy soil simply collapsed so some support is needed. Is there a heavy grade plastic sheeting or summat? At a loss, feeling despondent after an entire afternoon to clear half a measly bed.

[johhnyco15]

as in the pic above these plots we deep in couch when i took them over however by keeping edges deep and persistently digging out the grass now im  almost free of the pest and the edges now have returned to normal depth it takes time but in the end it will work i was that soldier lol

[campanula]

Ah, apols for my bad-tempered response, Johhnyco - still gloomily despairing. Although a plot boundary of tomatoes is not feasible, I am interested in allelopathic relationships - indeed that net of symbiotic connections between nematodes, mycchorrhizae, bacteria and plants.
Yep, I know there is no easy out for this one - it's shoulder to the wheel, moil, toil, dig and delve...sigh.

[johhnyco15]

Ah, apols for my bad-tempered response, Johhnyco - still gloomily despairing. Although a plot boundary of tomatoes is not feasible, I am interested in allelopathic relationships - indeed that net of symbiotic connections between nematodes, mycchorrhizae, bacteria and plants.
Yep, I know there is no easy out for this one - it's shoulder to the wheel, moil, toil, dig and delve...sigh.

indeed it can get even the lighthearted down in the dumps

[galina]

. Left to my own devices, I would spray it off, remove the top layer and do a quick returf but she more or lass shits a brick at the mere mention of spray although she has conflated 'organic gardening' with 'do nothing' gardening...but hey.

Campanula, as 'double digging dudette'  is your motto, well perhaps there is your solution.  You offer to dig it out of the path, respect that the neighbour does not wish to have spray drift and other weedkiller problems, and returf the path because you are the one who is not happy with just strimmered off couch grass.  Perhaps in late autumn when the path will be less trodden.  Weedkiller may not be the only answer.   

[campanula]

I have indeed offered to dig out the entire path but my neighbour needs access on both sides of her plot and will not countenance the idea, even though I have offered to returf immediately. My neighbour dug a deep trench on her side and is quite happy with strimmed couch  but if I was to do the same, our sandy soil would likely subside since the path is only 18inches wide. - She does not have to deal with the couch as there is nowhere for it to go, apart from creeping right across my plot. So, whilst I am respectful about the use of weedkiller, I feel it should be a 2-way street with some respect shown towards weed removal (and diseased plants) when other people are affected.
Moreover, this has been an issue for 15 years and I have lost many, many plants - entire strawberry beds and asparagus for example and I am now at the end of my patience.
I could, of course, simply remove 9inches of path (or the bit nearest my plot|)...but that strikes me as a selfish way of dealing with it so a barrier (as I no longer wish to deal with weed and disease drift), I had hoped, would be a potential answer.

[Digeroo]

Plot neighbours can be very annoying.  So I sympathise.  Mine has dug a deep trench right up against my boundary (standing on my plot to do it and damaging anything unlucky enough to get trodden on.)  Each year it gets deeper and his now getting on for a foot deep.  So my soil is disappearing.  Then he has gone round accusing me of trampling on his onions which had simply fallen over as they do before they dry.  It can be difficult.  They seem to have one rule for themselves and one for you.

I would weed kill and then sow as soon as it dries with something, may be an annual grass.  Then as the couch dies back the annual grass will be growing and hopefully no one will notice the change over.  And if they do notice you will be very surprised.

[johhnyco15]

have you tried to get the site management involved tell them your woes  and problems maybe they will have a word on the qt just otherwise if it all falls on death ears get the roundup out hope it all gets sorted

[Vinlander]

The only alternative to a really deep barrier (more than 30cm) is to lay the barrier at an angle so the couch climbs up rather than pushing itself down. This works at about 30cm deep as long as you keep pulling/breaking/cutting the roots that appear before they can bend over and root in your plot.

The couch may go down under it eventually - I don't know as I only tried this for a couple of years.

After that I moved to digging out paths to 1 spit, using the (otherwise wasted) topsoil on my raised beds and immediately backfilling the trench with woodchip and walking it a few times before and after rain until I didn't need to top it up except quarterly. It makes a lovely springy surface that is a joy to walk on - if you do a test section your neighbour might be impressed enough to want more.

Good for drainage in winter, good as a 'sponge' for water in summer.

Any odd bits of couch that reappear are easily pulled out of woodchip, and when seedling grasses become a regular invader, say 2 years,  it's rotted to a lovely dark grainy humus - then it's time to dig it out, use it as mulch/soil improver and re-fill the path.

Cheers.