Manure full of weed seeds

[Spinney2008]

Hi there,

I took over an allotment last October which was covered in couch grass. My partner and I raked up as much as possible before layering with lots of cardboard and manure. We have weeds everywhere including couch grass. After talking to some other allotment holders it turns out the new weeds have come in with the manure… We keep pulling them up and trying to tease out the couch grass but it seams to be getting worse as we disturb the soil, what should we do?

Thanks

Lucie

[bluebell]

I was in a similar situation with an allotment taken on last May. Covered with couch grass. I used a good mulch but it still manages to come through to some extent. It is gradually getting less and less so I would say keep at it and you will eventually win. I have also found one of the worst sources to be the grass paths around the edges that give me a perminant battle to stop the couch sneeking in from the edge.

[charles]

 Yes Lucie you started well but are only part way there. When soil is covered with couch, I recommend black polythene for total light exclusion, unless you want to plant straightaway (which is when organic matter is good – but needs weeding…).

I have the same thing at Homeacres in patches of the garden where couch was obviously well established until I made beds this winter. They are cropping well now but I go through twice a week with a trowel to lever out the shoots of grass which keep emerging, and bindweed too. As Bluebell says, it is a long process but I hope you are growing veg too in the manure on top.

As for new weed seeds, they need dealing with as soon as you see them, when small: hoe or scuffle with a trowel or pull them.

Your first year is clearly difficult, you had a weedy plot. If you feel fazed by it now and are not planting, I would cover with plastic, half the plot at least until next spring, and crop the rest.

[Spinney2008]

Thank you for your words of encouragement it does seam to be a little easier to pull them up, perhaps they are getting weaker! Lucie

[Spinney2008]

Thank you for advice. We have black polythene on just under two thirds of the allotment while we start with one end. We know were in for the long term but glad to hear we are doing the right thing.

Lucie

[Author]

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