couch grass/twitch

[j.flett]

hi came across a interesting snippet/if turnips are planted among couch grass secretions from the t/roots kill the grass,as the t/nips dont want competition ,ill try this out as twitch is a pain.regards jf.

[Polly Fouracre]

I think if that were the case there would be a lot more turnips grown than there are! It may be that the constant weeding does more than the turnips to keep down twitch!

[Snadger]

Calliente mustard which is also a brassica has soil sterilising properties so I wouldn't rule out the turnip scenario at all!

Havings said that I've seen couch grass growing through a potatoe!

[di]

Our second season growing spuds....took advice from a couple of old timers & planted them straight into ploughed ground...every single ****** spud had a little spear growing through it!!...never again!!We've just taken on another plot which is covered in the stuff and other than a couple of beds that I'm gonna try the lasagne method on,I shall painstakingly remove every last inch of the stuff!!....or maybe I should just cover it all with a mustard/turnip mix!?

[snakeshack]

have been told that tomatoes kill couch grass as they secrete a toxin.have two or three old half packs of seed so might be worth a try,if it doesn't work i'll just have to weed the tomatoes more often.

[Flummery]

Interesting snakeshack. I ran out of space for toms last year and put some in a horribly overgrown border rife with couch grass. I won't know till the growing season if it worked!

[lynda66]

i don't have couch grass, but i spread my turnip seeds over a metre square of soil and left them to it, didn't weed after i sowed them, and have just removed the last of them, there were about 8 overwintered and went rotten ...... and it's the only weed free patch in the whole garden