Twitch

[mark c]

Can anyone tell me what I can use to get rid of a fairly large area of twitch,
I want some thing to kill it but also so once its dead I can put potatoes in.
Thanks
Mark

[Snadger]

Glyphosate is a systemic weedkiller and is usually recommended but if you're feeling fit you could always dig it out!

[Flummery]

You might need a couple of goes with glyphosate - it's a tough weed. We always called it twitch at home (Manchester) but when I came here I heard it referred to as couch.

[Headfry]

I have heard it called squitch! by an old essex boy

[Paul Wagland]

Definitely couch grass down this way, though I have heard twitch from a few old boys. Twitch describes it rather well I think!

Digging it out is the best way - it's not too persistent in my experience. My newest allotment is covered with it and I'm just hooking it out as I dig across the plot. Cheaper, quicker and less antisocial than glyphosate.

[Snadger]

Twitchgrass,couchgrass,coochgrass,wickengrass,scutchgrass,quickgrass,doggrass,quackgrass,Agropyron Repens or plain old 'pain in the butt'!!!!

[mark c]

Thanks for the replys , i have a bit of a glass back so was really looking for a weed killer
if I use Glyphosate how long till I can plant on the ground and is that what I ask for in the garden centre or is their a brand name.
Thanks
Mark

[Snadger]

I think most of the weedkillers labeled as 'systemic' have glyphosate in them!

Roundup and Glypher are two trade names that spring to mind. Just have a look at the active ingredients on the bottle and apply as directed. It usually takes two to three weeks to work but becomes inert once it touches the soil so theoretically you could dig soon after. I would give it an initial spray, leave it a fortnight then spray again to make sure you've hit everything. It will probably take about a month for the stolons and rhysomes to die though!

PS You need dry weather (I wish!), full active leaf growth and fairly windless conditions to apply it! It doesn't want to be too still though or else it just hangs in the air waiting for the wind to blow it onto someone elses plot!

[Two_Sheds]

Rather than spray it on, you can water it on with a watering can, which obviously reduces 'drift'.
Really, read the instructions on the pack. It needs to be diluted correctly, applied correctly, at the right time of day, to the right stage of growth, etc. If you just slosh it around willy-nilly, it won't work. It can take four weeks or more to have an effect, and even then you may have to reapply if it doesn't kill all the roots.