couch grass: diligence or acceptance?

[Mr Bones]

Hi Realramona and welcome to the vine. Just posted on another thread, Mexican Marigold roots give off an exudate that deters couch. Don't think MM's would be practical to get couch out of beds but I found it made a useful barrier to stop it coming back in from next doors.

[realramona]

Hi Realramona and welcome to the vine. Just posted on another thread, Mexican Marigold roots give off an exudate that deters couch. Don't think MM's would be practical to get couch out of beds but I found it made a useful barrier to stop it coming back in from next doors.

Ooh, will def try that as the communal paths on 3 sides of my plot are covered in couch, too. Thank you!

[jackarmy]

Yep, also just ordered some seeds, cheers Mr B

[ESBkevin]

I wonder if the previous gardener scooped of the top soil with most of the couch grass and piled it up, but then failed to follow up in the deeper bed or in the piles you have found.

Anyway a good fork and some patience is your best approach. In dry soil friable the soil will fall off making long strands of the couch grass roots easy to pick out. Of course you might not have friable dry soil, my guess is the piles will be more recently disturbed so when we've had a week or two dry weather that might be a good starting point. Of course you'll have to tackle a part of one of the beds to have somewhere to put the cleaned soil from the pile.
I would also say add cardboard and compost/manure/anyorganic/woodchip to any unused beds that can be left a season, this will 1) suppress weed growth. 2) the worms will work the soil making it more friable so that when you need to fork it in the winter or next spring, it will be easier to work and pull out the couch grass.

On a side note, does anyone alse know couch grass as twitch? My Father was from the midlands and always called it that.

[lottie dolly]

twothirstygardeners.co.uk/2016/05/mexican-marigold-natural-born-weed-killer/

have a look at this,

[realramona]

I wonder if the previous gardener scooped of the top soil with most of the couch grass and piled it up, but then failed to follow up in the deeper bed or in the piles you have found.

On a side note, does anyone alse know couch grass as twitch? My Father was from the midlands and always called it that.

I think that might be it, yes. Though there were some evenly spaced dead plants in the bed, hmm, it's a bit like being an archeologist, this new-plot lark!

I have heard it called twitch, too

[Snoop Puss]

Crumbs, LD. Six feet tall? Put many of those in and I'll be wading through a jungle to find my cabbages!

I've been trying to work out what Mexican marigolds are: I've found Tagetes minuta and Tagetes lucida.

Plus, not to be grown near legumes as they inhibit legume growth.