Help! My fruit bushes are completely overgrown with couch grass!
This is one of the commonest problems on Ashford allotments, made worse by the clay soil on so many sites. Once couch grass - or its fluffier but just as annoying cousin 'twitch grass' - get in among fruit bushes, hand weeding won't get them out because the roots are all tangled up with the roots of the fruit bushes.
There is a way round this. Glyphosate weedkiller (like 'Roundup') only kills plants when it touches green leaves. On brown bark, or where the plant is dormant under the soil (like rhubarb in the winter) it will do no harm.
You can water the couch grass with glyphosate weedkiller at any time when there are no leaves on the fruit bushes - absolutely no green leaf or emerging buds to be seen. But the plants must be fully dormant!
It is sometimes said that glyphosate weedkiller only works in spring, early summer or autumn. The truth is that it will work at any time when the weeds are actively growing. Couch grass grows actively all the year round, so you can treat it with glyphosate in the winter, as long as there isn't snow or a hard frost.
There is a way round this. Glyphosate weedkiller (like 'Roundup') only kills plants when it touches green leaves. On brown bark, or where the plant is dormant under the soil (like rhubarb in the winter) it will do no harm.
You can water the couch grass with glyphosate weedkiller at any time when there are no leaves on the fruit bushes - absolutely no green leaf or emerging buds to be seen. But the plants must be fully dormant!
It is sometimes said that glyphosate weedkiller only works in spring, early summer or autumn. The truth is that it will work at any time when the weeds are actively growing. Couch grass grows actively all the year round, so you can treat it with glyphosate in the winter, as long as there isn't snow or a hard frost.
Does that mean it's too late this year? Do I have to wait till the leaves drop in autumn?
There is a cheat's way round this problem often used by professional gardeners. You will need the glyphosate weedkiller and a watering can which you use only for weedkiller (not a spray), plus a roll of sturdy bin-bags and some string. This technique will work on small fruit bushes but not raspberries or rhubarb.
NOTE: YOU CANNOT USE THIS TECHNIQUE WITH ANY OTHER KIND OF WEEDKILLER!
Enclose each fruit bush fully and carefully in a bin bag. Make sure there are no holes in the bag, and that no odd leaves are poking out. Tie the open end of the bin bag tightly round the stem of the fruit bush right close to the ground.
You can now water glyphosate weedkiller on the couch grass without it touching the fruit bush. Wait till every last drop of weedkiller is dry before carefully removing the binbag!
There is a cheat's way round this problem often used by professional gardeners. You will need the glyphosate weedkiller and a watering can which you use only for weedkiller (not a spray), plus a roll of sturdy bin-bags and some string. This technique will work on small fruit bushes but not raspberries or rhubarb.
NOTE: YOU CANNOT USE THIS TECHNIQUE WITH ANY OTHER KIND OF WEEDKILLER!
Enclose each fruit bush fully and carefully in a bin bag. Make sure there are no holes in the bag, and that no odd leaves are poking out. Tie the open end of the bin bag tightly round the stem of the fruit bush right close to the ground.
You can now water glyphosate weedkiller on the couch grass without it touching the fruit bush. Wait till every last drop of weedkiller is dry before carefully removing the binbag!
Once the grass has started to yellow, you can rip the topgrowth away and compost it safely. Now mulch the bushes with mushroom compost or well-rotted manure to give them a helping hand!
You'll see in the first season a radical increase in new growth. Levs will be larger and fruit better developed and plumper. Keep the plants weed-free and you'll get an even bigger improvement in the following year. If any bits of couch escape the late-season dose of glyphosate, you can clobber them during the winter. And don't forget to prune your bushes for the maximum crop and a lovely neat finish! |