hello,
I've a lot of couch grass to clear, that's be left unchecked for a couple of
years.
I started forking over and removing the roots by hand, but its going to take
a very long time.
been reading a little about glyphosate and I thinking I may use it, but can
I grow vegetables after?
I was also going for a "organic" approach, would glyphosate contradicted
that?
also would I still have to remove the roots or can they be left in the
ground, or would this make the soil no good for growing.
thanks
Paul

In article , PA
writes
I was also going for a "organic" approach, would glyphosate contradicted
that?
Glyphosate or any of its derivatives are not acceptable for use in
organic food production. Commercial growers are banned from using it.
Recreational growers can do as they wish, but the resulting crops are
not recognised as organic grown.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

In article ,
PA wrote:
hello,
I've a lot of couch grass to clear, that's be left unchecked for a couple of
years.
I started forking over and removing the roots by hand, but its going to take
a very long time.
been reading a little about glyphosate and I thinking I may use it, but can
I grow vegetables after?
I was also going for a "organic" approach, would glyphosate contradicted
that?
also would I still have to remove the roots or can they be left in the
ground, or would this make the soil no good for growing.

Go for it. Glyphosate was developed specifically to kill couch grass,
and one spraying should be enough. You want to cut it down, let it
green up and then spray it. The roots may make digging a bit tedious
for a short while, but will rot quite fast. While gyphosate is not
'organic', it will not leave a residue used in that way.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
While gyphosate is not
'organic', it will not leave a residue used in that way.

It will not leave a residue in soil, but it will leave it in the plant.
Thus herbicides will be present in the parts of the plant to be eaten
and will enter the food chain.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

"Alan Gould" wrote in message

It will not leave a residue in soil, but it will leave it in the plant.
Thus herbicides will be present in the parts of the plant to be eaten
and will enter the food chain.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.


Please advise of the recipe you can recommend to the originator of this
chain the recipe for cooking couch grass; then he will not have to use
glyphosate!

Ron

In article ,
Alan Gould wrote:
In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
While gyphosate is not
'organic', it will not leave a residue used in that way.

It will not leave a residue in soil, but it will leave it in the plant.
Thus herbicides will be present in the parts of the plant to be eaten
and will enter the food chain.

I was never suggesting that he should spray the couch grass with
glyphosate, dig up its roots, and boil them for supper. Thank you
for enlarging my perspectives on the diet of organic gardeners!

A one-off use of glyphosate to get rid of couch grass is pretty
close to residue-free. No, I am NOT suggesting planting Monsanto's
damn varieties and spraying the hell out of growing food crops.
In that case, you and I are in close agreement.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I certainly would not want any of my veg near Glyphosate
Couch grass is pretty easy to clear with sensible digging its bindweed thats
the devil but even that with care and patience can be removed .......you
should have seen our plot when we bought it
"PA" wrote in message
...
hello,
I've a lot of couch grass to clear, that's be left unchecked for a couple
of
years.
I started forking over and removing the roots by hand, but its going to
take
a very long time.
been reading a little about glyphosate and I thinking I may use it, but
can
I grow vegetables after?
I was also going for a "organic" approach, would glyphosate contradicted
that?
also would I still have to remove the roots or can they be left in the
ground, or would this make the soil no good for growing.
thanks
Paul

thanks every one for your input, I'm still in two minds though....
the bit I don't get is: if no residue is left in the soil, what about when
the roots of the weeds start to break down wont they release chemicals,
which will be then taken up by whats ever growing?
the trouble is I've got about 450 square meters to clear and its taken about
an hour to do one properly
and now I'm dreaming of roots
thanks
Paul

In article , PA
writes
thanks every one for your input, I'm still in two minds though....
the bit I don't get is: if no residue is left in the soil, what about when
the roots of the weeds start to break down wont they release chemicals,
which will be then taken up by whats ever growing?
Most of the roots will not break down, they will survive and re-grow
with increased vigour to replace the temporarily wilted plant tops.

If glyphosate is used as a spray, it can carry by air for quite a
distance depending on atmospheric conditions at the time of use. Small
quantities of it settling on nearby food plants will render them unfit
to be described as organic grown. Commercial growers attempting to sell
affected crops have lost their organic certification by that means.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

"bnd777" wrote in message
...
I certainly would not want any of my veg near Glyphosate

Why not? It breaks down very swiftly in the soil. If your vegetables had
absorbed any, they would simply have died like the weeds did.

Top posting spoils the continuity of a thread.

[Franz Heymann]

Couch grass is pretty easy to clear with sensible digging its bindweed
thats
the devil but even that with care and patience can be removed .......you
should have seen our plot when we bought it
"PA" wrote in message
...
hello,
I've a lot of couch grass to clear, that's be left unchecked for a
couple
of
years.
I started forking over and removing the roots by hand, but its going to
take
a very long time.
been reading a little about glyphosate and I thinking I may use it, but
can
I grow vegetables after?
I was also going for a "organic" approach, would glyphosate contradicted
that?
also would I still have to remove the roots or can they be left in the
ground, or would this make the soil no good for growing.
thanks
Paul

"PA" wrote in message
...
thanks every one for your input, I'm still in two minds though....
the bit I don't get is: if no residue is left in the soil, what about when
the roots of the weeds start to break down wont they release chemicals,
which will be then taken up by whats ever growing?

When the roots rot, the residue enters the soil where it is neutralised like
the original stuff was when it fell on the ground.

[Franz Heymann]

the trouble is I've got about 450 square meters to clear and its taken
about
an hour to do one properly
and now I'm dreaming of roots
thanks
Paul

On Sat, 2 Aug 2003 18:58:36 +0100, PA wrote:

I've a lot of couch grass to clear...


After reading a number of other replies, let me suggest an
alternative, organic approach. It depends on the fact that couch
grass likes to have its rhizomes just below the soil surface.

Cover the infested area with black plastic sheeting and wait. The
couch grass rhizomes will start growing on the surface of the
soil immediately under the plastic. Allow some time for this to
happen -- perhaps as long as a season -- and clearing will be a
matter of simply lifting the plastic and peeling off the
couchgrass rhizomes.

A thick, loose organic mulch will also have much the same effect.
In that case, the rhizomes will be an inch or so below the
surface, but they are very easy to pull out of a layer of loose,
unconsolidated organic matter.

Note that both of these methods take time. I suspect that there
is a general principle at work: if you want to stay organic, you
can expect to spend a fair whack of time. If you want results
*tomorrow*, then you have to use chemical x-icides.


The black plastic method may have another effect: if the soil
underneath gets hot enough from the sun, it will just cook the
couch rhizomes.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

On Sun, 3 Aug 2003 12:19:07 +0000 (UTC), bnd777 wrote:

Couch grass is pretty easy to clear with sensible digging...

You obviously have never gardened on marine clay!


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

In message , Alan Gould
writes
In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
While gyphosate is not
'organic', it will not leave a residue used in that way.

It will not leave a residue in soil, but it will leave it in the plant.
Thus herbicides will be present in the parts of the plant to be eaten
and will enter the food chain.

Any green plant with glyphosate in it will be dead inside two weeks. As
a translocating weedkiller it is very effective.

The only plants that can survive are the GM Roundup Ready stuff that
contain a soil fungi gene that can detox glyphosate in real time before
it can harm the plant. This isn't an issue in amateur gardening (yet).

Hit something green with glyphosate spray by accident and you have to
chop it off to be certain of saving the plant. A few heavily waxed
plants can resist it (holly seedlings sometimes do), but I would not
like to rely on this.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

In message , Alan Gould
writes
In article , PA
writes
thanks every one for your input, I'm still in two minds though....
the bit I don't get is: if no residue is left in the soil, what about when
the roots of the weeds start to break down wont they release chemicals,
which will be then taken up by whats ever growing?
Most of the roots will not break down, they will survive and re-grow
with increased vigour to replace the temporarily wilted plant tops.

You live in a world of your own. Glyphosate will kill grass stone dead
roots and all. I have been using it recently for exactly this purpose.
Very little glyphosate weedkiller applied precisely is needed to wipe
out couch grass. Translocating weedkillers take out roots as well as top
growth. The trick is to hit only the intended target without causing
collateral damage in an overgrown ornamental border.

It has been around now for a couple of decades and is as close to an
environmentally friendly weedkiller as you are ever likely to find.

A few very tough weeds with large deep roots and small tough waxy leaves
can survive it (and for some reason buttercup is partially resistant).

If glyphosate is used as a spray, it can carry by air for quite a
distance depending on atmospheric conditions at the time of use. Small
quantities of it settling on nearby food plants will render them unfit
to be described as organic grown. Commercial growers attempting to sell
affected crops have lost their organic certification by that means.

Whilst it is reprehensible for anyone to spray when there is a wind that
can take spray drift onto adjacent plants the result is generally a dead
plant. Clearly this would make them very difficult to sell.

Please provide evidence that trace glyphosate metabolites have been used
to revoke Organic(TM) grower licences. I can just about believe it has
happened given how crazy UK supermarket driven agriculture has become.

Tomatoes:
Forget the taste but is it round red, blemish free and exactly 5cm
across.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown