Any idea what this is?

[Nurseygreen]

I pulled back the tarp on my allotment yesterday and it's covered with this. Any idea what it is? I'm digging it out as I go but there's a lot of it :/

[Bren In Pots]

It looks like couch grass :-

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=283

[astraman1]

id agree it looks exactly the same as mine ive had the black plastic on it since august

make sure you dig out all the roots too luckily they dont go too deep

[NatalieCooke]

Evil stuff!
We've put weed control over ours. Haven't looked at it for a few months!

[WendyC]

Or bindweed. Equally evil stuff.

[Nicola.P]

Couch grass or Devils lawn as I have now started to call it. I have dug 2 small beds and had 6 sackfuls of the stuff and have another 3 beds and paths to go.

[Nurseygreen]

There's loads of it but it does seem quite easy to remove thankfully. I only took 2 rubble sacks with me on Monday and filled them in minutes, so I'll be back this weekend with a whole roll haha.

[Nicos]

Hard to see....but I'm thinking it's more like bindweed roots?

They look like spaghetti and couch grass has fine feathery roots/ tufts off it.

Can you see any leaves attached it?

[bearded bloke]

Looks like bindweed to me

[muddled]

I think bindweed looks more 'plastic-ish'.
Your picture looks to me like couch that has been deprived of light for a while.

I covered my couch with black plastic for nine months and got similar to the picture but the bindweed still lived, was purest white, thick as my little finger and (for want of a better word) it was sort of crinkly. However, treatment for both devils is the same....dig out all you find, never rotavate it and gradually, over the seasons, it will become less of problem.

Or you could use an evil chemical weedkiller but I've never done that so can't comment.
Either way, good luck!

[Glutton4...]

Bindweed. It looks smooth in texture - like spaghetti or noodles! Whereas couch grass is sectional, with sort of 'joints' along it, with a hairy frill of rooting points all round it at each 'joint' if that makes sense!?

[Nurseygreen]

It has had thick plastic tarp over it for a while although I don't know for how long. I'll just keep digging it up, bagging it up and taking it to the tip then good thing the car has a big boot haha!

[Mr Bones]

Looks like bindweed. Drowned for a few months it makes great plant feed but it'll smell worse than comfrey and nettles put together.

[Greenleaves]

Bindweed for me too