I have just taken over an allotment, which has not been worked for several years. It is covered in tough meadow grass, and underneath a veritable profusion of 'twitch'. The plot is about 25 yards long by about 10 yards wide and faces south.
I have begun to dig out the 'bootlaces' and bury the ordinary grass, but this will take ages to accomplish. Is there a better way to clear this dreaded weed, and get the land ready for this year?
Also is there a right and wrong about planting rows North - South or East - West? Thanks. Panda

Sounds like you need some round up! its non residual which meen it will only be effective for around 24 hour. I'm not sure what your up to but if you want to kill of any of the longer / taller grasses then you can use a wip wipe techneic to alow the plants beneth to come through. If your looking to just clear the area then keep digging! you could hire a varity of power tools from places like A plant etc. rotovate and then rake.
good luck

Turf Doc

"panda" wrote in message
news :
: I have just taken over an allotment, which has not been worked for
: several years. It is covered in tough meadow grass, and underneath a
: veritable profusion of 'twitch'. The plot is about 25 yards long by
: about 10 yards wide and faces south.
: I have begun to dig out the 'bootlaces' and bury the ordinary grass,
: but this will take ages to accomplish. Is there a better way to clear
: this dreaded weed, and get the land ready for this year?
: Also is there a right and wrong about planting rows North - South or
: East - West? Thanks. Panda


There used to be a weedkiller available to amateurs that would kill couch
but as far as I know it has long since disappeared. The best way is to carry
on as you are, perhaps clearing a foot width each day. The other alternative
is to cover it with something dark for a year and exclude the sunlight,
which will kill it.

As for the rows, you get more sunlight on crops planted north south but who
knows if it makes any significant difference. More and more people are
planting in 'blocks' instead of rows in our field but rows are easier to hoe
though.

In article ,
"Robert" writes:
|
| There used to be a weedkiller available to amateurs that would kill couch
| but as far as I know it has long since disappeared. The best way is to carry
| on as you are, perhaps clearing a foot width each day. The other alternative
| is to cover it with something dark for a year and exclude the sunlight,
| which will kill it.

There still is. It's glyphosate (Roundup, Tumbleweed etc.) Let
the couch grass green up to a couple of inches, spray with DILUTE
glyphosate, and it will die - grasses are very sensitive to it.
You can wait and repeat, dig over and repeat, or dig over and
plant.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote after...
"Robert" wrote:
|
| There used to be a weedkiller available to amateurs that would kill
couch
| but as far as I know it has long since disappeared. The best way is to
carry
| on as you are, perhaps clearing a foot width each day. The other
alternative
| is to cover it with something dark for a year and exclude the sunlight,
| which will kill it.

There still is. It's glyphosate (Roundup, Tumbleweed etc.) Let
the couch grass green up to a couple of inches, spray with DILUTE
glyphosate, and it will die - grasses are very sensitive to it.
You can wait and repeat, dig over and repeat, or dig over and
plant.

We don't like using chemicals if we can avoid it but our last allotment was
covered in couch grass and other perennial weeds so we used Roundup as soon
as we saw green growth, waited a month and then used it again on any new
growth. Cleared the couch totally, I just dug it in roots and all as it was
totally dead.
Only problem was the couch trying to come back from the surrounding area
every year.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
:
: In article ,
: "Robert" writes:
: |
: | There used to be a weedkiller available to amateurs that would kill
couch
: | but as far as I know it has long since disappeared. The best way is to
carry
: | on as you are, perhaps clearing a foot width each day. The other
alternative
: | is to cover it with something dark for a year and exclude the sunlight,
: | which will kill it.
:
: There still is. It's glyphosate (Roundup, Tumbleweed etc.) Let
: the couch grass green up to a couple of inches, spray with DILUTE
: glyphosate, and it will die - grasses are very sensitive to it.
: You can wait and repeat, dig over and repeat, or dig over and
: plant.
:
:
: Regards,
: Nick Maclaren.

I see some moron has decided to throw away his dummy with the messages
recently posted!

Anyway to our thread ....I never thought of using that weedkiller. There
used to be one that you could mix up and spray in amongst fruit bushes etc.,
and it only killed grass. You don't know if there's anything like that
around still do you?

"Robert" wrote in message
...

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
:
: In article ,
: "Robert" writes:
: |
: | There used to be a weedkiller available to amateurs that would kill
couch
: | but as far as I know it has long since disappeared. The best way is
to
carry
: | on as you are, perhaps clearing a foot width each day. The other
alternative
: | is to cover it with something dark for a year and exclude the
sunlight,
: | which will kill it.
:
: There still is. It's glyphosate (Roundup, Tumbleweed etc.) Let
: the couch grass green up to a couple of inches, spray with DILUTE
: glyphosate, and it will die - grasses are very sensitive to it.
: You can wait and repeat, dig over and repeat, or dig over and
: plant.
:
:
: Regards,
: Nick Maclaren.

I see some moron has decided to throw away his dummy with the messages
recently posted!

Yes and unfortunateley for me it's blasted o/e .I forgot to never let o/e
compact messages whilst online--serves me right.

Anyway to our thread ....I never thought of using that weedkiller. There
used to be one that you could mix up and spray in amongst fruit bushes
etc.,
and it only killed grass. You don't know if there's anything like that
around still do you?

There was something but it got the chop for domestic use (I think).
When I have time I will find out more for you.

In article , Rupert wrote:
"Robert" wrote in message
...


Anyway to our thread ....I never thought of using that weedkiller. There
used to be one that you could mix up and spray in amongst fruit bushes
etc.,
and it only killed grass. You don't know if there's anything like that
around still do you?

There was something but it got the chop for domestic use (I think).
When I have time I will find out more for you.

No, that's glyphosate again. There was something before, but it
wasn't just banned - it was superseded by glyphosate in commercial
use!

Glyphosate simply washes off bark and is neutralised by the soil
(and eventually broken down). When you see commercial orchards
with dead grass around trees, that is glyphosate being used.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article , Rupert wrote:
"Robert" wrote in message
...


Anyway to our thread ....I never thought of using that weedkiller.
There
used to be one that you could mix up and spray in amongst fruit bushes
etc.,
and it only killed grass. You don't know if there's anything like that
around still do you?

There was something but it got the chop for domestic use (I think).
When I have time I will find out more for you.

No, that's glyphosate again. There was something before, but it
wasn't just banned - it was superseded by glyphosate in commercial
use!

Glyphosate simply washes off bark and is neutralised by the soil
(and eventually broken down). When you see commercial orchards
with dead grass around trees, that is glyphosate being used.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We use paraquat [grammoxone] around the base of fruit trees. It kills
all but perennials and works/ shows almost within hours. This is followed
later with roundup, selectively, on the surviving perennials. Paraquat
is only a fraction of the cost of roundup and totally forgiving if splashing
the tree's leaves. [ Only kills those splashed]. Roundup is not forgiving
and if a rootstock has a sucker showing then the whole tree will be at risk.
Grammoxone would only have affected the sucker. It is very poisonous and is
dyed to show where touched, as it became quite popular!!.
Best Wishes Brian.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article , Rupert wrote:
"Robert" wrote in message
...


Anyway to our thread ....I never thought of using that weedkiller. There
used to be one that you could mix up and spray in amongst fruit bushes
etc.,
and it only killed grass. You don't know if there's anything like that
around still do you?

There was something but it got the chop for domestic use (I think).
When I have time I will find out more for you.

No, that's glyphosate again. There was something before, but it
wasn't just banned - it was superseded by glyphosate in commercial
use!

Glyphosate simply washes off bark and is neutralised by the soil
(and eventually broken down). When you see commercial orchards
with dead grass around trees, that is glyphosate being used.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thanks Nick I think I have got that. Glyphosate did come and go and then
reappear as you say, I had forgotten about that.
I am still convinced that there was some *selective*weed killer for Couch
grass that domestic users could use at one time.
I think it got the chop in the sense that the Agro manufacturers could not
be bothered to undertake the new testing that was required.
I am certainly not ware that anything selective remains for use in this
country , however , the US may be a different matter.

The message
from turf doc contains these words:

Sounds like you need some round up! its non residual which meen it will
only be effective for around 24 hour. I'm not sure what your up to but
if you want to kill of any of the longer / taller grasses then you can
use a wip wipe techneic to alow the plants beneth to come through. If
your looking to just clear the area then keep digging! you could hire a
varity of power tools from places like A plant etc. rotovate and then
rake.
good luck


*NEVER*, but *NEVER* rotavate over couch, even if you think you've
killed it all.

You haven't.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

"Rupert" wrote in message
...

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article , Rupert wrote:
"Robert" wrote in message
...


Anyway to our thread ....I never thought of using that weedkiller.
There
used to be one that you could mix up and spray in amongst fruit bushes
etc.,
and it only killed grass. You don't know if there's anything like that
around still do you?

There was something but it got the chop for domestic use (I think).
When I have time I will find out more for you.

No, that's glyphosate again. There was something before, but it
wasn't just banned - it was superseded by glyphosate in commercial
use!

Glyphosate simply washes off bark and is neutralised by the soil
(and eventually broken down). When you see commercial orchards
with dead grass around trees, that is glyphosate being used.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thanks Nick I think I have got that. Glyphosate did come and go and then
reappear as you say, I had forgotten about that.
I am still convinced that there was some *selective*weed killer for Couch
grass that domestic users could use at one time.
I think it got the chop in the sense that the Agro manufacturers could not
be bothered to undertake the new testing that was required.
I am certainly not ware that anything selective remains for use in this
country , however , the US may be a different matter

**********
The very first house I had, was blessed with a garden which had never been
cultivated and was solid with couch grass, The thick net of the roots at
about nine inches under the surface soil and I slogged at it for a long
time. I double- dug all of the area and did my best to take out every scrap
of roots.

I dug two spades-width down and two spades width across each separate line
of digging.
To do this you have to barrow the whole of the first double trench to the
far end of the garden to enable you to fill in the last trench when you
reach there.
I did my best to pick out all the roots . even the small bits of the couch
grass, because if you don't you have still got the infection because the
little white buggers left in the soil sprout immediately you've turned your
back.
It's a hell of a job but I was young and full of go.
Was it a success?. -- Dunno!. I got another house soon after. But I will
tell you this,
I had finished all the work, had the wholes area cleared, planted out with
roses and other perennials plus a new lawn area sown with new grass seed
two days before we moved.
I decide to leave everything in the garden for the next incomer and I would
start all over again in the new house.
We shifted in the morning but in the middle of the afternoon I discovered
I'd left a small bag of tools in the downstairs toilet at the house we'd
shifted from,
I went back to get it and guess what I found.
There was not one plant to be seen, - the whole lot had disappeared. I
didn't bother too much about that but what hurt was, - I had left the sown
lawn with the top of the soil rolled and heavily laden with the finest grass
seeds, (an equal mixture of New |Zealand Browntop, and N.Z Fescue. - very
expensive.). One of my dear ex-neighbours had shovelled the whole of the
top off, bagged it, and hopped back over the fence. Nobody had seen or
heard anything - in bright summer daylight!.
Doug
**********

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:
The message
from "doug" contains these words:

I decide to leave everything in the garden for the next incomer and
I would
start all over again in the new house.
We shifted in the morning but in the middle of the afternoon I discovered
I'd left a small bag of tools in the downstairs toilet at the house we'd
shifted from,
I went back to get it and guess what I found.
There was not one plant to be seen, - the whole lot had disappeared.

LOL. Years ago, a neighbour of mine heard the wrong removal-date on
the grape vine. So, we were still living there when she turned up at
dawn and started excavating my plants from the open-plan front garden.

Was she embarrassed when I opened the front door to wish her good
morning :-)


When my then SO and I moved into a rented house in Monifieth we found
that the previous incumbents (allegedly devout JWs, Closed Bretheren or
something similar) had taken all the light bulbs, all the curtain rails,
all the 13A plugs which a considerate council had provided with the
property when new, all the small bathroom fixtures like toilet-roll
holder, rail, mirror, etc, and most of the plants in the garden had
gone, as well as the gravel from the path...

Good thing we thought it was funny! I must say, I was a bit miffed as
they knew very well we'd be fairly late in the day moving in, and had a
four-year-old in tow.

Imagine the glee when spring came and we found they'd missed half a
dozen bulbs! Carine wouldn't hear of me digging them up and taking them
round to their new address.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message
k...
The message
from turf doc contains these words:

Sounds like you need some round up! its non residual which meen it will
only be effective for around 24 hour. I'm not sure what your up to but
if you want to kill of any of the longer / taller grasses then you can
use a wip wipe techneic to alow the plants beneth to come through. If
your looking to just clear the area then keep digging! you could hire a
varity of power tools from places like A plant etc. rotovate and then
rake.
good luck


*NEVER*, but *NEVER* rotavate over couch, even if you think you've
killed it all.

You haven't.
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

**********
How very true!. Use a rotovater and you chop up the roots of the couch
grass.
That has drastic consequences. Twenty thousand will appear where only two
thousand existed before. You have to work at it slowly as the years roll on
and slowly grubbing 'em out as best you can, and you may, - I say may, -
clear it.
Doug.
**********