I think its called “koo-ch” grass and i have it in spades! I grabbed my spade after watching this - i had hit the dense patches. But for less dense patches I found a hand cultivator works great - mine is actually broken so there’s only one “L” shaped tong left. I can gently pull the rhizomes out mostly intact… but its slow. My plan for control is to trench around my plot, dig as much of the rhizomes out as I can, lay down cardboard to protect the tarp from the sharp rhizomes, then tarp the plot and hope its all dead next year!
I think that's the same as quack grass. Last year I had my left shoulder replaced and couldn't work the garden and now the quack grass has invaded. After watching many videos on how to deal with it, I decided that old fashioned sweat and elbow grease was the only way to go and I've been doing what you do .
Thanks for the vid, we are doing this process now on our allotment and it is reassuring to know you have had success with this method. Great vid, thank you.
When I worked as a gardener in a national park the gardeners would weed couch grass out of the flower beds. We couldn’t use your approach as it would have disturbed the flowers so instead we’d tease out the roots using pointy tipped mortar trowels. We’d compete to see who could tease out the longest rhizome without breaking it. We called it “chasing couch”. While I hate couch I still enjoy the challenge of teasing out a long rhizome.
I think most uncared for allotments will have this grass in abundance. I used to compost mine. Then I tried drying it for months on the surface. Piled on a tarpaulin, but now I chuck it in a wheelie bin and cover with water. It will decompose into a foul,liquid. I have no idea if the resulting smelly water has any benefit, but I use it to water the plot and think to myself that because it smells so awful it must have some nutritional benefit to the soil. Returning all those minerals those roots have hoovered up when they were growing.
I didn't realise I had this grass as last year it wasnt too bad. This year I started having grass grow up through the raised beds! Something they don't tell you about no dig is that some perennial weeds like this really just need removing before you start. Im in for a marathon dig this year and hopefully I can put a massive dent in the amount of couch grass, bindweed and brambles in my paths.
I have had the same problem with my allotment but perseverance does pay off. I have a full size plot and after two years of digging it out by hand, holding back what seems like a tsunami, I'm finally on the home stretch. Cardboard and mulch keeps off weeds but it won't kill off any couch roots. Any stray ones left behind, dig it out straight away before it spreads. So far I've managed to eradicate it from completed areas, just the last bit to go. I didn't compost any of it, bagged it up and took it to the recycling centre, where they can compost it. Couch grass has been a slog and I was not going to risk introducing any of it back in the soil
I have a huge old garden that has been neglected for decades and couch grass is everywhere. It also has in many places heavy clay soil that makes this kind of removal of it very difficult. So at the moment I am mulching to increase the organic matter in the soil and make it easier to remove the grass. But oh boy, the amount of rhizomes it makes in the mulch is quite staggering. I will use a tarp on an even area where I plan to establish a kitchen grarden, mut the orchad/food forest areas that have paths and shrubs and trees and perennials are quite tricky and I don't know what would be the best way to approach it.
Try 2 chickens on the part still full of your weed. My neighbours chicken run looks like the moon, bare and full of holes. The only downside is that chickens don't like/annihilate all weeds, like bindweed. Been there with way more weeds, including Japanese Knotweed. Used a roofers propane burner before tarping it longtime. Weeds, garden waste and kitchen scraps produce nowadays all the compost I need for my no-dig raised beds. But I mix in a lot of shredded cardboard. Soaking the cardboard before shredding it by hand , is way easier. It may have been a fluke but last years I added crushed charcoal to the compost bin and watered the beds with rotted down weeds (diluted) and had good results: less pests and higher yields. I don't buy special biochar, just BBQ stuff. The special may be better, but I bett the Amazonians did not have all the fancy techno avail when they created their terra preta well over 500 yrs ago.
In the winter I was tearing up long grass from the meadow to add green waste to a hotbed I was developing. I had lots of manure in the box I was breaking down, after three months, thinking I'd return to quality compost, I found the whole box was swarmed with couch grass. I'm more.gutted about fhe nutrients I've lost to this stuff. Going to seal it and lock it away and hope it rots itself down haha
I have a neglected lawn on clay soil. I am trying to dig out sections at a time, replace the clay with a mix of sand & topsoil, then reseed. It is a long slow process.
Just sitting at my allotment, having a cup of tea after spending the morning on my friends allotment plot. She lost her husband earlier this year after a long battle with cancer and so hasn’t actually done anything since last year to the plot as a result. So I I too, have been battling the dreaded couch grass, the docks and the dandelions this morning. And you’re right move, it takes is a fork and a Lorra lorra elbow grease.
Thank you for the video. I found it while researching ways to clear the Bermuda grass from at least the areas where I am planting vegetables and flowers. It is a battle that seems I am losing year after year. Do you have a tip on how to control this “medusa beast” grass, please? Thank you.
To control couch grass you have to remove the tap roots, when weeding as soon as i see green shoots apearing . After rain they pull out easily. 2 other old foes are dockleaf ,dig the tuber up early . Horses tail any tiny part remaining will grow again.
I used a twisted tiller, just becouse is easy for me, and find that I had to do it 3, 4 times before I had the courage to plant anything...but still have some
Me to!!! Now there’s no weed killer that I can buy, that is potent enough to kill the damned stuff. On the beds themselves, because they are cultivated, it’s there but not a bad problem. However the paths just trimmed with a mower it sneaks in from the Sid’s of the bed from paths which from my last garden and this one when I started it 35 years ago it was one big bed , forked over in October. Dig in compost for next years Legumes. The other sections of the bed were just forked over waiting for next years spring sowing. Not a particularly good garden but the heavy composting of one bed every 3 years meant a slow improvement. The business took priority and I seemed to grow brambles , thistles from next door. Retired and I seemed to be starting from scratch but at least it’s enjoyable. With of course couch. Grass and other weeds everywhere. 😏
Just been given a 10 rod plot full of this devilish thing, after waiting 5yrs, I had a 5 rod plot. Sometimes it does feel hopeless Some say rotavate it, but many are against that, its back breaking work.
rotovating it will make it worse. 1cm of rhizome will sprout into more couch grass and send more runners out. you need to dig, and pull every bit of rhizome out, its quite satisfying when you pull a good 40cm root out intact
You can get rid of it just stay on top of new growth.. any roots/rhizomes left in the dirt they will grow again.. and then any couch grass will eventually grow in from the outside… just stay ahead of it and you can keep it out
That is how I do, but I am really exhausted, always dig, remove roots carefully. But I never, NEVER do this grass in my compost! It will go in garbage bags, far far faaaaar away from my garden and house!!!!!
I think its called “koo-ch” grass and i have it in spades!
I grabbed my spade after watching this - i had hit the dense patches. But for less dense patches I found a hand cultivator works great - mine is actually broken so there’s only one “L” shaped tong left. I can gently pull the rhizomes out mostly intact… but its slow.
My plan for control is to trench around my plot, dig as much of the rhizomes out as I can, lay down cardboard to protect the tarp from the sharp rhizomes, then tarp the plot and hope its all dead next year!
I removed all soil and burnt the rhizomes, it still grows if left in big piles. Learnt the hard way 😂
I always dump the wheel barrel full of grass/rhizomes in with the chickens. It helps fill in the holes they dig and the chickens love it
I think that's the same as quack grass. Last year I had my left shoulder replaced and couldn't work the garden and now the quack grass has invaded. After watching many videos on how to deal with it, I decided that old fashioned sweat and elbow grease was the only way to go and I've been doing what you do .
Thanks for the vid, we are doing this process now on our allotment and it is reassuring to know you have had success with this method. Great vid, thank you.
When I worked as a gardener in a national park the gardeners would weed couch grass out of the flower beds. We couldn’t use your approach as it would have disturbed the flowers so instead we’d tease out the roots using pointy tipped mortar trowels. We’d compete to see who could tease out the longest rhizome without breaking it. We called it “chasing couch”. While I hate couch I still enjoy the challenge of teasing out a long rhizome.
I think most uncared for allotments will have this grass in abundance. I used to compost mine. Then I tried drying it for months on the surface. Piled on a tarpaulin, but now I chuck it in a wheelie bin and cover with water. It will decompose into a foul,liquid. I have no idea if the resulting smelly water has any benefit, but I use it to water the plot and think to myself that because it smells so awful it must have some nutritional benefit to the soil. Returning all those minerals those roots have hoovered up when they were growing.
I feel I'm not alone!!!
I didn't realise I had this grass as last year it wasnt too bad. This year I started having grass grow up through the raised beds! Something they don't tell you about no dig is that some perennial weeds like this really just need removing before you start.
Im in for a marathon dig this year and hopefully I can put a massive dent in the amount of couch grass, bindweed and brambles in my paths.
Explains why I'm having problems with clumps forming in my garden. Thanks for the tips
I am also having a tough time with this grass. Thanks for your ideas.
I have had the same problem with my allotment but perseverance does pay off. I have a full size plot and after two years of digging it out by hand, holding back what seems like a tsunami, I'm finally on the home stretch. Cardboard and mulch keeps off weeds but it won't kill off any couch roots. Any stray ones left behind, dig it out straight away before it spreads. So far I've managed to eradicate it from completed areas, just the last bit to go. I didn't compost any of it, bagged it up and took it to the recycling centre, where they can compost it. Couch grass has been a slog and I was not going to risk introducing any of it back in the soil
Same Grass, same problem here in in saxony, Germany
Brilliant thank you just what I was looking for getting rid of the bugger 👌👏👏👏
It's a pest in North America, too. My front garden in Seattle is completely taken over.
I have a huge old garden that has been neglected for decades and couch grass is everywhere. It also has in many places heavy clay soil that makes this kind of removal of it very difficult. So at the moment I am mulching to increase the organic matter in the soil and make it easier to remove the grass. But oh boy, the amount of rhizomes it makes in the mulch is quite staggering. I will use a tarp on an even area where I plan to establish a kitchen grarden, mut the orchad/food forest areas that have paths and shrubs and trees and perennials are quite tricky and I don't know what would be the best way to approach it.
Try 2 chickens on the part still full of your weed. My neighbours chicken run looks like the moon, bare and full of holes. The only downside is that chickens don't like/annihilate all weeds, like bindweed. Been there with way more weeds, including Japanese Knotweed. Used a roofers propane burner before tarping it longtime. Weeds, garden waste and kitchen scraps produce nowadays all the compost I need for my no-dig raised beds. But I mix in a lot of shredded cardboard. Soaking the cardboard before shredding it by hand , is way easier. It may have been a fluke but last years I added crushed charcoal to the compost bin and watered the beds with rotted down weeds (diluted) and had good results: less pests and higher yields. I don't buy special biochar, just BBQ stuff. The special may be better, but I bett the Amazonians did not have all the fancy techno avail when they created their terra preta well over 500 yrs ago.
In the winter I was tearing up long grass from the meadow to add green waste to a hotbed I was developing. I had lots of manure in the box I was breaking down, after three months, thinking I'd return to quality compost, I found the whole box was swarmed with couch grass.
I'm more.gutted about fhe nutrients I've lost to this stuff.
Going to seal it and lock it away and hope it rots itself down haha
I have a neglected lawn on clay soil. I am trying to dig out sections at a time, replace the clay with a mix of sand & topsoil, then reseed. It is a long slow process.
Just sitting at my allotment, having a cup of tea after spending the morning on my friends allotment plot. She lost her husband earlier this year after a long battle with cancer and so hasn’t actually done anything since last year to the plot as a result. So I I too, have been battling the dreaded couch grass, the docks and the dandelions this morning. And you’re right move, it takes is a fork and a Lorra lorra elbow grease.
Elbow grease is the only way, thanks for watching, I hope you had a nice day down the plot 😊
Hi we have that and we have dug out most over the years , we still get little bit because we kept grass paths but not a problem now .
It’s good to know I’m not the only one battling it.
I kept thinking about grass paths but not sure I can handle the maintenance of them
Thank you for the video. I found it while researching ways to clear the Bermuda grass from at least the areas where I am planting vegetables and flowers. It is a battle that seems I am losing year after year. Do you have a tip on how to control this “medusa beast” grass, please? Thank you.
Watched this to give myself a boost
*I can do it I can do it
Go for a late seed of Forget me not and ground cover of Libes to build for a great spring/summer display
Great video by the way
To control couch grass you have to remove the tap roots, when weeding as soon as i see green shoots apearing . After rain they pull out easily. 2 other old foes are dockleaf ,dig the tuber up early . Horses tail any tiny part remaining will grow again.
I have just recently took on allotment will weed membrane help with this particular weed I've found area about 3 Square metres
I used a twisted tiller, just becouse is easy for me, and find that I had to do it 3, 4 times before I had the courage to plant anything...but still have some
Me to!!! Now there’s no weed killer that I can buy, that is potent enough to kill the damned stuff.
On the beds themselves, because they are cultivated, it’s there but not a bad problem.
However the paths just trimmed with a mower it sneaks in from the Sid’s of the bed from paths which from my last garden and this one when I started it 35 years ago it was one big bed , forked over in October. Dig in compost for next years Legumes.
The other sections of the bed were just forked over waiting for next years spring sowing.
Not a particularly good garden but the heavy composting of one bed every 3 years meant a slow improvement.
The business took priority and I seemed to grow brambles , thistles from next door.
Retired and I seemed to be starting from scratch but at least it’s enjoyable. With of course couch. Grass and other weeds everywhere. 😏
Great real life gardening at this time o year.
Great advice 😊🌱
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Just been given a 10 rod plot full of this devilish thing, after waiting 5yrs, I had a 5 rod plot.
Sometimes it does feel hopeless
Some say rotavate it, but many are against that, its back breaking work.
rotovating it will make it worse. 1cm of rhizome will sprout into more couch grass and send more runners out. you need to dig, and pull every bit of rhizome out, its quite satisfying when you pull a good 40cm root out intact
I've dug it out 3 to 4 times a year. I give up. Going with weed membrane for a few years.
I clicked on this hoping for a miracle but it turns out I've been doing it right. Elymus Repens is the devil.😂
Tolle Videos ❤ Abo habe ich da gelassen ❤
You can get rid of it just stay on top of new growth.. any roots/rhizomes left in the dirt they will grow again.. and then any couch grass will eventually grow in from the outside… just stay ahead of it and you can keep it out
Thank you! My garden is covered in this grass of the devil, it’s invaded my rose & lavender bed again, I’m fighting a losing battle
Advise lifting this spp
Makes good compost but takes time ....best way is be on top
A herdevasious such as Rosemary or Lavender, Bluebells, and summer flowering SPP will take over eventually.
It is a grass so needs light. Pulling roots kills over time. Just a keep at it plant and it will die although spread in if your not carful
That is how I do, but I am really exhausted, always dig, remove roots carefully. But I never, NEVER do this grass in my compost! It will go in garbage bags, far far faaaaar away from my garden and house!!!!!
We have is much of it, the chickens love love it! we then feed it to them, soon we find that we don't have enough lol
Ohhh I didn’t know that. We’re planning to get some chickens in a few weeks too
@@Plot81 honestly they love it and it’s sooo good for their eggs!
It dont like being cut or pulled. Better pulled and plant something in the area.
It's meant to be related to bamboo, which is why it's so difficult to get rid of.
after doing the dig plant sweet potato in the area for a year
Crabgrass has roots that can go down 18 “ or better . Better gardening through chemistry.
Do not be tempted to spray. It will resist.
Lift the plant always
Aphids hate couch grass. I blend it in water and spray on aphids.
It will always come again......lift it.
So the only way is destruction, savage😅
roundup sorts its,if you lift roots let them dry in sun before composting
Round up is awful for health and environment
@@stoppa28 not if used correctly
it is the worst weed
Just spray it with glyphosate and you'll never see it again. Once your plot is clear of weeds you can switch to organic growing.