A patch of my garden borders a field which is covered
in couch grass. The field is being sold, and is no
longer home to any animals.

During this short hiatus, I would very much like to
murder the edge of the field's couch grass. Given that
grass is not growing very quickly at present, and I
need a quick solution, can anyone suggest a
product/method that would do the job - preferably
without leaving a harmful residue that could affecy
animals.


--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

On Sun, 3 Mar 2013 21:15:38 -0000, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

A patch of my garden borders a field which is covered
in couch grass. The field is being sold, and is no
longer home to any animals.

During this short hiatus, I would very much like to
murder the edge of the field's couch grass. Given that
grass is not growing very quickly at present, and I
need a quick solution, can anyone suggest a
product/method that would do the job - preferably
without leaving a harmful residue that could affecy
animals.

Glyphosate is AFAIK your only option, probably with a couple of repeat
treatments. There is no selective weedkiller that is effective on
couch.

Downside is that if, say, you killed a metre border around the field,
in a couple of years couch in the remainder would have grown and be
invading your territory again.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the sensible end of Swansea Bay where the ground is
drying out nicely and the pond is back where it ought to be.

On 03/03/2013 21:15, Roger Tonkin wrote:
A patch of my garden borders a field which is covered
in couch grass. The field is being sold, and is no
longer home to any animals.

During this short hiatus, I would very much like to
murder the edge of the field's couch grass. Given that
grass is not growing very quickly at present, and I
need a quick solution, can anyone suggest a
product/method that would do the job - preferably
without leaving a harmful residue that could affecy
animals.

Glyphosate is the method of choice for killing all grass.

You should check that your neighbour isn't an organic farmer though.
Grass killed by glyphosate takes on a characteristic orange brown colour
instantly recognisable to anyone in the business.

Don't be tempted to spray with a strongly solution you need a slow
two-three week kill to zap the roots as well as the tops.

It is a bit early to apply it but if it is warm and sunny and the grass
is obviously growing then it should be effective. You can improve the
kill rate with a scorched earth policy of burning off the dead material
once it is tinder dry (taking care not to set light to any fences)
leaving a black band which makes it easy to spot weed any survivors.

I do more or less the same to keep ground elder at bay.

Regards,
Martin Brown

In article ,
says...

A patch of my garden borders a field which is covered
in couch grass. The field is being sold, and is no
longer home to any animals.

During this short hiatus, I would very much like to
murder the edge of the field's couch grass. Given that
grass is not growing very quickly at present, and I
need a quick solution, can anyone suggest a
product/method that would do the job - preferably
without leaving a harmful residue that could affecy
animals.

One side of our garden is bordered by one of the farm's sheep fields
and we have the same problem. I use glyphosate spray
once a year and that does the trick. I do it along a narrow strip, just
6", working from the field side so there's no chance of spray drift out
onto the grazing, on a windless day when the sheep are out of the field;
once it's dried off it's harmless to them. No objections from the
farmer.

When I have the Sheen gun fired up for something else I give the dead
grass strip a quick blast with it to tidy up.

It's a little early for glyphosate yet .. grass needs to be in full
active growth for best result.

Janet.

On Sunday, 3 March 2013 21:15:38 UTC, Roger Tonkin wrote:
A patch of my garden borders a field which is covered

in couch grass. The field is being sold, and is no

longer home to any animals.



During this short hiatus, I would very much like to

murder the edge of the field's couch grass. Given that

grass is not growing very quickly at present, and I

need a quick solution, can anyone suggest a

product/method that would do the job - preferably

without leaving a harmful residue that could affecy

animals.





--

Roger T



700 ft up in Mid-Wales

Agreed with the others, Glyphosate but it's a bit early at your altitude. Then for maintainance keep spraying a barrier strip just inside your boundary - it doesn't need to be very wide every time you get a decent bit of foliage to spray.

Rod

On 03/03/2013 21:15, Roger Tonkin wrote:
A patch of my garden borders a field which is covered
in couch grass. The field is being sold, and is no
longer home to any animals.

During this short hiatus, I would very much like to
murder the edge of the field's couch grass. Given that
grass is not growing very quickly at present, and I
need a quick solution, can anyone suggest a
product/method that would do the job - preferably
without leaving a harmful residue that could affecy
animals.


If you are going to spray on someone else's land then make sure you get
their permission before you do, or you could be in deep dodo

Thanks for all the responses, glyophosphate it is
then. Will take a wander down the road to see if the
local farmer has any industrial strength stuff around.


--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

On 04/03/2013 20:24, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Thanks for all the responses, glyophosphate it is
then. Will take a wander down the road to see if the
local farmer has any industrial strength stuff around.

No, see up thread. You need a standard, slow killing, weak dilution.

Your best bet is to find out who the new owner is and ask them nicely
if you could treat a barrier strip on their new land at your expense
and do it when the grass in full growth.
--
Phil Cook

On 04/03/2013 20:24, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Thanks for all the responses, glyophosphate it is
then. Will take a wander down the road to see if the
local farmer has any industrial strength stuff around.

If he will let you have some then be sure to dilute it to the correct
working concentration (or slightly weaker). You want a long slow kill to
eliminate as much of the underground roots as possible. Using it too
strong will kill the tops before the poison has time to translocate.

Even better is to ask the new owner if they mind you creating a small
barrier layer around your

Regards,
Martin Brown