Progress report and advice needed re 'crouch grass', please.

[Does the Cooking]

I've cleared most of the plot and dug about half of it. The advice, on another thread, to take photos was good because I can see that that I'm making progress, albiet it slowly.

I have, what I think is called, 'crouch grass' and normal grass to deal with. Do I just dig it over and let nature take its course or do I need to shake soil from it and place grass with other dead plants. As ever, thanks folks.

PS Are there other things that I should be doing? The more I get involved the more I realise that I know so little.

[chris]

You really need to get all the bits of root out, it'll just regrow otherwise.

Easiest way I found was to lift a clump of eat with a fork, and either hit if mid air or throw it down and hit it with the back of the fork. It breaks the clod up and then you can use the fork to sift through. Hard to explain.

I had couch all over my plot, it took me 3 times to get rid of it (each time clearing the plot as the infestation of it was so bad, and I let it catch glimpse of the sun!)

Other things? I don't think anyone stops learning, so just tackle it in manageable chunks and enjoy it!

[rustylady]

"Normal" grass can either be buried as you dig or put onto the compost heap.

Couch grass on the other hand is awful stuff. It has long thick white roots and needs to be dug out carefully complete with roots. If you leave even a bit of root it will regrow and spread. Don't compost it - you can kill it by drowning in a water butt or by sealing it in black binbags.

[Aberdeenplotter]

You really need to get all the bugs if root out, it'll just regrow otherwise.

Easiest way I found was to lift a clump of eat with a fork, and either hit if mid air or throw it down and hit it with the back of the fork. It breaks the clod up and then you can use the fork to sift through. Hard to explain.

I had couch all over my plot, it took me 3 times to get rid of it (each time clearing the plot as the infestation of it was so bad, and I let it catch glimpse of the sun!)

Other things? I don't think anyone stops learning, so just tackle it in manageable chunks and enjoy it!

Chris, I think you need a wee edit there matey.

Couch is evil stuff.

[veggiechicken]

Chris is on some funny diet, Ap Does make you wonder about his table manners

[Two_Sheds]

'crouch grass' .. Do I just dig it over and let nature take its course

Nature loves couch grass, she'd have it everywhere if she could

You cannot leave it, ignore it or *shudders* rotavate it (that simply makes 100s of root cuttings).
It needs removing, every last scrap. Even then, you will miss some and it will regrow in areas (don't lose heart, we all have some couch). Mine is all down both sides of my plot, because my neighbours take the "ignore it" option on one side, and "rotavate it" on t'other.

Now is the best time to get it out, before the sun comes and makes it grow fast and strong.

Get it out, but don't waste it: it's full of nutrients that your garden needs. It must be totally deprived of light. As Rusty says, stack it in doubled black sacks for a year, like you do with leafmould, or drown it in a sealed water butt.

The quickest way to kill it dead is to leave it on a baking hot path, but you need summer for that.

When all looks dead (no green, no white, just brown) then it can be added to the compost heap.

[chris]

Chris, I think you need a wee edit there matey.

Couch is evil stuff.

Damn phone ! I hate texting/writing on it!!

[chris]

Chris is on some funny diet, Ap Does make you wonder about his table manners

Well, I can burp incredibly loud - that's gotta count for something, right?

[Plot10]

On a couple of my beds I've dug it out but turned the clumps upside down on top of the soil and covered with cardboard for the next couple of months till I'm ready to plant. Will it regrow? Should I lift the cardboard, remove the clumps and put them in a black bag as advised?

[chris]

If there's any roots in it, and it definitely is couch then yes it'll regrow!

[Aberdeenplotter]

^^^^^^ wot he said

[Lazgaot]

Depending on your soil and the extent of the couch grass you could:
1) Dig it all out really carefully with a fork and sieve out any broken pieces.
2) Strim it right down to soil level and cover it with cardboard (or any other light excluding material) and wait till Spring. Uncover and let it start growing again and then spray it with glyphosate once or twice. That should get 90% of it I reckon. Then you can carefully dig out any stray bits.

Either way you should do it thoroughly and as completely as possible. Now is a good time to get a handle on it as it isn't growing.