Digging Mare's Tail?

[katkatkat]

Two weeks in to my first ever raised beds and before my seedlings have poked their heads above the ground I am already battling mare's tail. I've heard horror stories about it regrowing from the tiniest fragment and am currently attacking it with a "pull out from as deep as I can get my fingers" method. I realise I'm in for the long haul.

However, I'd like to improve my heavy soil by adding in some nice organic matter. The internet seems to be divided on whether digging is a bad thing or not. Should I just chuck all the organic stuff on top and give it a bit of a gentle fork to aerate the soil below, therefore minimising the chance of breaking any mare's tail roots? Or am I okay to dig and mix it in without making the problem worse? If I dig should I riddle all the soil to remove roots before putting it back in?

Thanks

[bearded bloke]

If your soil is anything but heavy clay I would say, lay it on top & let the worms do the work

[katkatkat]

Thank you. Up until this weekend I wasn't convinced I had any worms but I finally spotted one so one of the beds at least does have!