Flaming Couch Grass!!!!

[FionaH]

I have two nice big stacks of turf that have been rotting down since summer 2009. I took a look at them today and they are full of couch grass roots

To be fair I am not sure what couch grass looks like when its growing, grass just looks like grass to me, but the roots are the unmistakeble spaghetti type. I either didn't notice them or didn't recognise them at the time.

Any ideas what to do next? I don't fancy bagging it all up and taking it to the tip! The logistics would be a nightmare as I would have to get the kids to help I was going to use the well rotted stuff for my raised beds, am wondering if I can seperate the roots out?

[Jeanied]

Bag it anyway and keep it dry for a year. Use very strong black bags. It should turn into compost and you can use it next year - I did this with the roots I dug up on my lottie - about 10 bags full - it ended up as quite crumbly compost with only a few live white roots left.

[Two_Sheds]

It does look just like normal grass, it's the roots that are the tell-tale

Can you bag them up to rot, like leafmould? You need to exclude all light though

I killed mine in water butts (it took 4 butts to start with). Filled with water, left to drown & rot: made lovely fertiliser

[FionaH]

Bagging it up is going to be a pia. I will need to get the lads to help and they are never in! I had them in two big stacks covered in tarp. That obviously didn't exclude enough light

Ah well if needs must I will dig out the cattle prod and get the lads on it

Thanks for the help girls

[Two_Sheds]

I had them in two big stacks covered in tarp. That obviously didn't exclude enough light

That's what I did in my first year, because there was so much and no other option. A lot died, but a lot lived, so I had to frequently rake through the heap and pull out the spaghetti roots: these then went into the water butts

[Jeanied]

Why not get a good length of the thick black plastic from work, Fi, tarp the stacks over with that and replace the tarp on top as well. Double layer it as it were.

[FionaH]

I think I will go with Two Sheds suggestion and rake through it. I will have to bin the roots as I don't have the space or the butts to drown the flaming stuff.

My boys were meant to be home this morning to help me turn the compost bins but no sign of them yet so I will beat them soundly and get them to help with this next weekend.

Top it all its started snowing!

[Aberdeenplotter]

Hi Fiona,

when I took on my last plot it was infested with the damned stuff and I forked over every square inch shaking out the roots after first of all throwing every forkfull against a piece of wire mesh. Soul destroying stuff. I still got wee bits growing afterwards but they were easily dealt with. Glyphosate based beedkiller like roundup or tumbleweed does sort it out properly and glyphosate biodegrades when it hits the soil so no harmful residues from the treatment. There does need to be active growth for it to work though and even then it takes two to three weeks to do its stuff.

[FionaH]

I really should have blitzed it with Glyphosate before I lifted the turf mate! Now it is stacked and everything else has rotted down, just the roots left so no growth. I can see days of sieving and raking coming on

[Aberdeenplotter]

Try giving it a shake out with your fork. I know it's a pain but worth the effort.

[FionaH]

Will do, my back is nacked at the moment, hence using a cattle prod on my kids to help, if and when they are ever home and conscious at the same time

[Aberdeenplotter]

Pssst, tell them you have a bag of pound coins in there that they can have