Kitchen Garden Forum

My new plot, recently carved out of a former meadow, has an area of twitch (couch) that basically straddles the path. While I can eliminate the twitch from my plot, it doesn't know it isn't supposed to grow from the communal path back onto my plot. So, the boundary line is purely abitrary. How on earth do I therefore stop my plot being constantly invaded by twitch?

I seem to recall that twitch isn't a great competitor vis-a-vis other grasses and therefore tends to disappear over time. Is there hope?

I have a spot on my plot where there is couch grass in the path. Mowing keeps the top under control but it doesn't disappear. I have to dig well alongside that spot to get out all the runners knowing that I'll have to do it again and again... even though I try to keep a clear edge.

I suppose you could let the bit that comes into the bed grow and then use a systemic weedkiller on it and hope it takes it back into the main area.

MW

Hi Barry

My original 'Plotted History' thread mentioned just how much couch grass I had to deal with when I took the first plot section on in 2012, and also how much has been dealt with as I have been offered extensions to the plot.

We are talking serious amounts of couch root, I could have carried out an April fool joke about growing underground spaghetti

Careful removal at first dig got rid of a lot, burnt as much as I could. After that it was a case of removing what little bits I could as I carried out normal cultivation. Digging by hand helped, the rotavator was in danger of just churning it back in.

Since I have done nothing special other than regularly cultivate normally, and the couch is getting less and less persistent, I can only assume that just as I have read in articles it does not like disturbance.

Nowadays the couch is not really been a problem to manage and is not that visible.

You'll get there

Now general weed growth, that's another matter. In the war between me and weeds the weeds keep attacking.

I've got couch on the plot & it never goes away but you can control it fairly well. Each spring I attack the areas with just my hand fork as you can miss it with the garden fork and just turn it back into the soil effectively spreading it. I collect it in an old trug with a broken handle and just fill it with water & leave it to rot.

It is quite shallow growing so could you put a barrier alongside the path Barry, in the hope it will turn back in on itself? Something like those metal rolls of lawn edging, but the largest width, as you don't want any gaps as it will just come through.

Westi

I have thought about using some edging around the plot from ground level down to try to exclude invasive grass from the surrounding paths; as Westi says, it shallow roots. I haven't bothered as it isn't a huge problem. I get more backache from trying to get rid of the air seeded grasses.

With twitch a significant problem on what is a start up allotment, I am deploying a lot of weedkiller to remove it quickly.

On one patch, I am tyring a slower approach, diluting the concentrate much more than suggested and applying a full dose over three sprayings. On another patch, I am diluting as on the packed and using just one spray. The reason for doing this is that many systemic weedkillers don't do what it says on the tin, ie they don't kill the roots first time, but just the tops, meaning you have to reapply several times before the plant loses energy reserves and dies. However, by feeding little and often, the weedkiller doesn't appear initially to the plant to be that strong, so is taken down deep into the roots.

It is still early days to say which approach will work, but from the very diluted spray applied some time ago, the twitch is now beginning to look very sick indeed.

Barry, you must do what you think is right but I would always follow the instructions.
If you are using glyphosate then I am aware that commercial users have more concentrated versions than the retail packs.
I try to soak those items (couch amongst them) I wish to kill off and, yes, I often need to go back but using under-strength solution means that you know you will need to return.
The manufacturers themselves acknowledge that weed-killing is a continuous process not a once-and-for-all exercise. After all these are living plants and if you kill off one, its next door neighbour has room to grow.

An interesting thread for many, I'm sure. But for me I just need to know what you people are talking about when you refer to "couch".

I have a very invasive grass that grows off little bulbs and I have other grasses that are invasive enough to need multiple applications of glyphosate. In fact the grass that grows from the little bulbs just looses its top growth after glyphosate but soon comes back.

Afternoon Richard, Twitch, couch or black grass, as it's called around here, is a very invasive grass that is a real problem. It speads very quickly from it's spear like roots that look very much like thin spagheti. When these roots are young, they break very easily and every piece that is left in the ground will make a new plant.. But as the roots get a little older, they are strong enough to push through many things, including potatoes.

Ok,thanks for the explanation. So what is this grass that grows here and has little bulbs as roots ? It forms clumps and sheep don't eat it. It does respond to glyphosate though glyphosate rarely kills the bulbs. Perhaps calling them bulb lets is a better description, if you're struggling to identify I can take a photo.

I'm not sure what your grass is, Richard......a picture will help one of us identify it, i'm sure.

Roots and some green for you. And Beti is helping as usual.

Is she attending mixed puppy classes?

If so then she's Betws-y-Coed.

Richard she is just sooo pretty! I bet you're enjoying the company even if not the help!

Westi

Beti wants to be involved with everything I do to the point I have to restrain her either on a long lead or in the puppy pen.

I got used to not having a dog though I recently realized how much I missed the early morning walkies watching the sun coming up over the Presselli hills with the sky streaked by the jet trails from the transatlantic flights all,coming in, were under the flight path here.

I got used to staying in bed until eight instead of being woken at 5.30. She has just started sleeping through though prior to this week I would have to get up at least twice in the early hours for toilet.

Yes, she is a very pretty dog, it's difficult walking anywhere without being stopped by people that want to cuddle her.

So, what about those grasses, don't tell me you are all stumped. They grow everywhere here and are incredibly invasive. Easy to pull,up when the plant is young but only multiple hits with glyphosate will knock them out.