Allotments 4 All

Ok I have a plot and have had it for a long time. And also the couch grass the same lenght of time.

Any tips on how to get rid of this perenial problem and make my digging much easier and enjoyable please.

I am sick and tierd of bending down to fish out couch grass roots and bindweeed roots.

The_Snail

Really Wardy ? I am intrigued, as I thought couch would keep spreading with no-dig? How do you eliminate it?

Derekthefox :D

I thought about the no dig but I am a young old fashioned gardener if you understand what I mean.

The_Snail

Leave it till spring let it get some growth as in leaves then give it a good spraying of glyphosphate (Roundup). ..Jim

Yes I think it is a case for spraying. O well I hope it works this year as it is getting on my nurves every time I dig I have to take out a mat of couch grass. So it is the chemical approach.

The_Snail

PS. I might try the no dig methord on one section of the plot. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

Hi snail I too suffer the dreaded couch grass and have decided to give in and resort to chemicals but only on the path and then

I am not finnished yet !
I plan to grow grass paths as I heard couch is weakened by mowing I am going to apply chemicals to the edges every so often as I am surrounded by untended plots. I dont want to use chemicals but I dont see any alternative unless anyone else has a better solution.
liz

I have to be honest, I am not plagued by couch grass now, I used to be, but it is mostly under control, just the edges by the hedges (oooh poetry !)and along the paths. And in the bushes.

Derekthefox :D

Try this site to see how he shifted it with rotovating...Jim





http://www.holland-brand.co.uk/rotovate/rotovating.htm

I've got mine well under control by digging. I still have to sort the ground elder but that's largely thanks to my kleptomaniac neighbour; for a couple of years I didn't dare dig my flowebeds because everything disappeared from the dug sections. So it got the perfect opportunity for a comeback.

Quote from: growmore on December 14, 2005, 14:26:00
Try this site to see how he shifted it with rotovating...Jim
http://www.holland-brand.co.uk/rotovate/rotovating.htm

Jim, I did one of my plots like that, and it does work, you just need a bit of patience, Also, it's incorporating organic matter, and that can't be bad. I did it once a month ( the plot was raw meadowland) from about April through to November for one year, then the next I did it twice, then planted potatoes, then did it twice again after they came up.

I don't think I could do the amount of digging that is quoted in the link, although once the plot has been dug once, it then gets flicked over quite easily just using a fork ... My plot only really gets dug properly once a year, after that it is just dressing by the fork ready for planting. My plot is reasonably clear of couch now, but just persistent little areas, which are fortunately easier to handle now

Derekthefox :D

Quote from: Dominique on December 18, 2005, 08:45:42
But now the GOOD news : couch doesn't come back

That is assuming you have managed to remove every tiny last piece of root? I just accept that there will always be some couch on my plot ...

Derekthefox :D

As you get down to the last few roots it's fairly easy to follow them along and get every bit out; it's the mats of it which are a pain. It's much harder to get the last bit of ground elder as the roots are brittle and break off.

I agree Robert, single roots are fairly easy, but I seem to have lots of small areas which are still heavily matted. Perhaps I have just not been seeing the wood for the trees, originally my plot was very heavy with couch. That is what I keep telling myself anyway. Getting the roots out does leave a well broken soil though ...

Derekthefox :D

That's a pain, but as long as they get dug over regularly the quantity does drop off steadily. I just dig the couch and ground elder out whenever I harvest a crop.

If you let the bindweed get a good covering of leaves one spraying of glyphosphate (Roundup) is  enough to nail it for good...It is no good spraying it when it firsts pops up put a stick or cane in ground  and let it grow up it a while till it gets some leaf. then spray it ...  If it pops up between crops do same with a stick or cane but apply it to leaves of bindweed with paint brush instead of a spray...Jim

What I like to do with weeds like that is to use a pop bottle cut in half and use the top bit and put it over the offending weed then with a self mixed weed killer zap it! Thus not affecting the surrounding crops.

But on a large scale sorry I say spray especialy with bindweed. As roots can go down 3 foot. If not more. So a Tip feed your bindweed so it grows quicker than ever then blast it with glyphosate then it will die quicker than ever.

Crewl aint I  :o

The_Snail

My allotment neighbour uses the same method Snail ... he has managed to eliminate a heavy infestation of marestail in his gooseberries using this technique ...

Derekthefox :D

It seems a never ending story, chasing the weeds, but I have to be honest, excluding this last season, everything is getting better ...

Derekthefox :D