Ouch, me back!! Blooming couch

[Mothy]

Well, I was expecting a mere couple of hours digging today, but my OH disappeared on a spur of the moment shopping trip and said take as long as you like.

I was doing fine until I hit a patch of couch grass  :(, what a swine to dig, slowed me right down and only got about half of what I'd hoped to get done.
Is there an easy way of coping with it? Or is it like everything else,  hard work is the best answer?

Pass the Radox  :)

[Mothy]

[Mrs Ava]

Hard work I'm afraid.  Tis a killer, but slow and steady wins the race...........eventually!  It is all those tangled roots and it makes me mad loosing all that soil.  I have piled all of mine high and will cover it and see if eventually it all breaks down, otherwise I plan to cover the mound in hot horsey poo and plant some squashes in it.

[Derekthefox]

Digging is the answer, but think of the upside, at least all the soil is well broken down afterwards. Your backache is shared with me!

[Doris_Pinks]

Yup good ol radox I am afraid!!!

[gavin]

Couch?  Kids' stuff!  ;D

In amongst our couch we have weeds like this



Hmm - not after today though!  Kids did a great job of cutting it down in October - and I dug the rest of the b....r out today :) :) :).

It was a bunch of suckers from a plum tree on the next door plot, so no tap root to deal with --- but miles of spreading root, and "sub-suckers" to get out.

Off to enjoy a soak in fortified Radox now!  :)

All best - Gavin

[Sarah-b]

Yes Tim - just keep stripping it out.
Be as thorough as you can.
If you have paths which are grassy, make sure you have an "exclusion zone" between the path and the veg bed. This can be a gulley or a bit of wood. This stops the weeds spreading back into your bed during the summer. Otherwise by September your beds will be about a foot narrower on each side (if you know what I mean).

Sarah.

[Moggle]

TimJ, I don't really have any useful suggestions, but just wanted to let you know, that I too am plagued by couch, so you have my empathy.

I'm going to pile all the roots/rhiozomes up and when the site secretary 'flames' the plot with the flame gun, I'm going to ask him to have a go at flaming the couch pile too, and try to get something back from them.

Apparently it rots down if you put it in water, but I think I'd need a small paddling pool for all of mine! :o

[aquilegia]

Moogle - how about a dustbin? An idea I stole from Bob Flowerdew - I put all my suspect weeds (perennial roots and anything with flowers and seed heads on) into a dustbin then fill with water. I leave it for three month and then put the solids on the compost heap and use the liquid as a liquid feed. I'm coping with one bin at the moment for a year's worth of weeds.

[Mothy]

Thanks for the advice folks....especially like the idea of a dustbin Aquilegia...there's a spare one just outside of the back door!!  :)

[Pseudonym]

I used roundup on my couch grass or as it is known locally (Twitch Grass)..It is a systemic herbicide leaves take it in , it works down and kills roots etc.
Got to be a dryish day when You use it ..Six hours without rain from applying it..
It killed it all after leaving it for 3 to 4 weeks ..I then set  potatoes where it had been and had a god crop too..... :)

[Mothy]

Hmmmm, would RoundUp leave any trace in the soil? I know it's Glyphosphate based and farmers probably plaster it all over their land anyhow but that doesn't make me feel any easier. I have considered using it on the plot next door which has been neglected for over 25 years in order to keep it back. I would be interested in everyone's opinions  :)

[Fingle....]

I use an old shopping trolley to riddle the soil and it leaves the grass and roots on top !

and the tilth at the bottom can easily be picked thru for roots

awesome !!

[Mothy]

Now, there's a thought....better go to Tesco!!  ;D