Lasagna gardening and couch grass

[janzbro]

when starting new veg beds using the lasagne method, will this kill off couch grass underneath as I have read its a bit of a bugger to kill off.
I am planning on leaving it over winter before planting in spring.

[roitelet]

Sorry to say couch grass will grow through almost anything. The best way is to dig out as much as possible and keep on weeding it out, or you can go down the chemical route when it is growing well. It's a bit late now better left until spring.

[KevinM67]

I would try and get as much out as possible. Wait until the frosty/icy days - it comes out quite easily then.

[janzbro]

but isnt the ground rock hard as well?

[KevinM67]

but isnt the ground rock hard as well?

Only if it so cold that it doing serious damage to the reproduction organs of brass monkeys - then yes, the ground will be too hard to dig.

However, if it's only sort of icy/frosty - then I find my soil (which is heavy clay) a pleasure to dig over in those conditions - and the couch grass comes out a lot easier.

[DannyK]

I've found it still alive after months at the bottom of my compost bin. Chemicals seem to be only way to kill off permanently.

[janzbro]

I have a go at digging it out but if it rears its head again then Its chemical warfare time

[hellybore]

I dug up turves of grass mixed with couch grass and buried them upside down two spits deep. This seems deep enough to kill it as it hasn't come back. It's a lot of hard work though, it might be easier to weed it out!

[alldigging]

I've found it still alive after months at the bottom of my compost bin. Chemicals seem to be only way to kill off permanently.

It will die in the compost heap but needs to be inside the heap. Making sure it's really well covered up is essential.
If you stick it (and other nasty weeds) in black compost bags and leave them for a couple of years it all rots down really nicely.

[Aberdeenplotter]

It will die in the compost heap but needs to be inside the heap. Making sure it's really well covered up is essential.
If you stick it (and other nasty weeds) in black compost bags and leave them for a couple of years it all rots down really nicely.

Unless the compost heap is really hot, putting couch in there is a recipe for disaster. Most allotment compost heaps don't get hot enough and the contents degrade rather than compost down and this will feed couch rather than destroy it.

[KevinM67]

If I was doing a lasagne bed -I would do it the same way I make lasagne at home.

Ensure the dish (bed) was free of any nasty left over food (couch grass) and make sure there was no traces of detergent (weedkiller) that would impact on taste. The finished product is so much better.

Just saying like.