mulching couch grass

[esther]

Hi Charles
I attended one of your courses last year and came away very enthused but frustrated by lack of growing space. I was delighted to be offered an allotment plot in February this year.
It is heavy clay and has well established couch grass all over it. We tried digging it out in a portion of the plot and decided that isn’t practical or achievable for the whole plot.
We are planning on laying down cardboard and/or degradable plastic then 6inches of manure/green compost on top so we can plant straight away.
Do you think this will deal with well established couch grass?
I am also planning on putting weed fabric round fruit trees/bushes for a year or so as the existing bushes were swamped by couch. We have dug out round them.
Any ideas on stopping couch recolonising from the grass paths around the plot?

Best wishes
Esther

[charles]

 Hello Esther, it sounds like you are being diligent and committed, and can clean up the couch eventually but thick infestations take time, and it is more difficult when the couch is around roots of bushes. Weed fabric sounds good for them.

Your idea for planting straightaway into  a six inch mulch of manure and compost on cardboard is good. Use the thickest cardboard you can find or even two layers, so you will need a lot, but only for this year. Also you can use either thick cardboard or mypex fabric or black poly for paths between beds and the couch must be killed there or it will simply invade your nice beds.

To prevent couch recolonising from any edges of your plot, a long term answer is to cut thin strips of six inch wood into the edges: couch roots are mostly quite near the top. Keeping grassy edges mown short also helps. Enjoy the process.

[Author]

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