The way I got rid of it in one garden was to till and cover with a black tarp for a year. One garden was successful. Though the perimeter of the garden is slowly creeping in.
I’m curious to see how this pans out. In the past we’ve dealt with Bermuda grass by laying down about an inch of cardboard and then sheet mulching about 1 foot high above it. It worked quite well as long as we kept sheet mulching twice a year. When we transitioned to raised beds, management became even easier.
So I’ve been researching quackgrass for about a month. Looking for ways to kill it out of my yard. Your strategy is pretty good from what I’ve read and found other places. Couple suggestions, I have watched a few videos on cultural practices to slow quack down and most common is the mowing. You just said that right now as I’m watching ha. So mowing short around your garden could kill it if you plant a cover crop that does well being mowed short. The cover crop will choke it out as your mowing. Maybe you already thought of that idea. Second, I’m not sure if you’re total against chemicals but even if you are, vinagre or nitrogen could be used but if you’re putting an application on it should be done in the late fall. That is the time the grass is pushing the most energy to its rhizomes and it will be much more effective.
Thanks for the ideas. It's very helpful for others looking for people's experiences or tips. I have a 1 year update video that will be going up any day (once I have 10 mins to make a thumbnail lol)
I laughed when you said “weed of the devil”! This weed teaches me humility and patience and serves as a great metaphor. But it also causes flair ups with carpel tunnel and exhaustion! I’m going to try your suggestion for our horse grooming pen.
The great metaphor is this: It's easy to take care of while its little, one can almost do it by hand, but quackgrass when it is full grown leads to death and suffering.
It seems for garden size plots you could probably get mechanical advantage by not just tilling the soil but also passing it through a filter. ie. dig down 1ft, run the material through a quarter inch screen, char or discard the plant biomass, particularly the rhizomes and root systems. Then you get rid of them in one season vs. several, and you also rid your plot of rocks if you haven't already. Finally, to maintain the barrier, use a trencher to dig a 1 ft down and 2-4 inches wide. Leave as an air gap or if you can't maintain the air gap fill with aircrete.
In my vegetable garden I rototilled half of the space, cutting couch gras into small pieces, with a lot of organic matter and then I put a landscape fabric over it. I did it in the late summer so maybe that should do the trick, maybe not we'll see. I also planted fruit trees and in spring I'll rip couch grass to the bare soil and try to overseed white and red clover.
Hi Phil, thanks for the video. You didn't mention Round Up on it, I wondered if glyphosate would kill the rhizome? I just use it on a small portion of the lawn, and in a week or two, I'll till, rake all the rhizomes out and get rid of them, then plant my lawn seed, hoping this will work. Yep, weed of the devil. Iowa.
Cant wait for the update. I had a ton of quack grass in my small backyard. I made some mistakes that i'm having to correct but over all I dealt with it as follows: Starting last Winter 1. I tried to lay contractors paper over my 10x10 foot garden area. 2. I tried to layer about 3-4 inches of wood chips 3. I planted the surrounding area with a covercrop blend. 4. I was able to dig a trench around 2/3 of the garden but couldnt do the rest due to fence/neighboring property Where I was able to dig the trench, I have almost no issues with crab grass. Where I planted the cover crop, I have almost no issue with crabgrass. My worst spots are the parts of the garden near where I could not dig the trenches and I'm so far able to keep up with them pulling them out by hand.
I have a video coming out tomorrow morning with and update on the quackgrass. Using the tiller repeatedly made a huge difference and we have very few plants left. Using a tarp is another great method. The trench idea is a good one 👍
I absolutely HATE quack grass!! I have to manually clean it out of my beds every year. This year I'm going to attempt to put some sort of barrier around the perimeter. Not sure if it will work because I've sometimes found rhizomes almost a foot down in the soil.
*SUGGESTION:* To lay out a defined bed area...start by mowing down everything, but do NOT till. Then allow the weeds to start poking themselves up. If the number of plants is no too excessive, then use a torch to burn the plants down. Cover the area with a black silage tarp, and cook the plants that pop up. Allow 5 days minimum of cooking. Uncover and allow 2 days to see if any new plants spring up. If they do, cover again for at least 3 days. *To prevent future incursions, rent a trencher, and bury an underground HARD barrier at least 6 inches down around your bed. Or...maintain a 6 inch air trench all around.* WitchGrass can creep, but those seeds surrounding your garden will keep paradropping in, and keeping your Witch Trials and burns going forever unless you go after them with ruthless hatred and justice. #WitchesMustBurn
We repeatedly tilled the whole area multiple times which seemed to stop it in its tracks other than a few small patches. We will see what happens in the spring but yes we plan on tarping off any unused areas as well as rotating our chickens thru them. This year's garden area will be managed by good old fashion weeding and landscape fabric
I heard that comfrey makes a good perimeter plant..It also will make anew plant every time you chop the root..yet left alone it will simply grow each year in the same place and squeeze out other plants..there fore makes a good edging...I have some. I will split the ryzhomes and see if it works for me..Thanks.
The way I got rid of it in one garden was to till and cover with a black tarp for a year. One garden was successful. Though the perimeter of the garden is slowly creeping in.
I’m curious to see how this pans out. In the past we’ve dealt with Bermuda grass by laying down about an inch of cardboard and then sheet mulching about 1 foot high above it. It worked quite well as long as we kept sheet mulching twice a year. When we transitioned to raised beds, management became even easier.
"devil weed"...you nailed it
I have a chain link fence. Quack grass lives there always. No matter what I do.
My plan is to put patio blocis long ways under all my chain link, but expensive, so I pilfer any free ones I can!
So I’ve been researching quackgrass for about a month. Looking for ways to kill it out of my yard. Your strategy is pretty good from what I’ve read and found other places.
Couple suggestions, I have watched a few videos on cultural practices to slow quack down and most common is the mowing. You just said that right now as I’m watching ha. So mowing short around your garden could kill it if you plant a cover crop that does well being mowed short. The cover crop will choke it out as your mowing. Maybe you already thought of that idea.
Second, I’m not sure if you’re total against chemicals but even if you are, vinagre or nitrogen could be used but if you’re putting an application on it should be done in the late fall. That is the time the grass is pushing the most energy to its rhizomes and it will be much more effective.
Thanks for the ideas. It's very helpful for others looking for people's experiences or tips. I have a 1 year update video that will be going up any day (once I have 10 mins to make a thumbnail lol)
I didn't even know what that grass was called, my new friend! Ernie was watching this video and I wanted to find it so I could add you too!
Salute for sticking to your guns and not spraying. Best of luck on the plan.
I laughed when you said “weed of the devil”! This weed teaches me humility and patience and serves as a great metaphor. But it also causes flair ups with carpel tunnel and exhaustion!
I’m going to try your suggestion for our horse grooming pen.
The great metaphor is this: It's easy to take care of while its little, one can almost do it by hand, but quackgrass when it is full grown leads to death and suffering.
Great video
It seems for garden size plots you could probably get mechanical advantage by not just tilling the soil but also passing it through a filter. ie. dig down 1ft, run the material through a quarter inch screen, char or discard the plant biomass, particularly the rhizomes and root systems. Then you get rid of them in one season vs. several, and you also rid your plot of rocks if you haven't already. Finally, to maintain the barrier, use a trencher to dig a 1 ft down and 2-4 inches wide. Leave as an air gap or if you can't maintain the air gap fill with aircrete.
Johnson Grass, trying pigs at the moment so glad to see your setup
In my vegetable garden I rototilled half of the space, cutting couch gras into small pieces, with a lot of organic matter and then I put a landscape fabric over it. I did it in the late summer so maybe that should do the trick, maybe not we'll see.
I also planted fruit trees and in spring I'll rip couch grass to the bare soil and try to overseed white and red clover.
Hi Phil, thanks for the video. You didn't mention Round Up on it, I wondered if glyphosate would kill the rhizome? I just use it on a small portion of the lawn, and in a week or two, I'll till, rake all the rhizomes out and get rid of them, then plant my lawn seed, hoping this will work. Yep, weed of the devil. Iowa.
Put a trench around your perimeter. Quack grass can't jump a trench.
Haha a moat would be great lol. I was thinking a 6' wide perminant chicken coop around the whole garden
I think the rhizomes will just tunnel under the trench
Hey there, great video - How did it turn out? Did it work?
Cant wait for the update. I had a ton of quack grass in my small backyard. I made some mistakes that i'm having to correct but over all I dealt with it as follows:
Starting last Winter
1. I tried to lay contractors paper over my 10x10 foot garden area.
2. I tried to layer about 3-4 inches of wood chips
3. I planted the surrounding area with a covercrop blend.
4. I was able to dig a trench around 2/3 of the garden but couldnt do the rest due to fence/neighboring property
Where I was able to dig the trench, I have almost no issues with crab grass. Where I planted the cover crop, I have almost no issue with crabgrass. My worst spots are the parts of the garden near where I could not dig the trenches and I'm so far able to keep up with them pulling them out by hand.
I have a video coming out tomorrow morning with and update on the quackgrass. Using the tiller repeatedly made a huge difference and we have very few plants left. Using a tarp is another great method. The trench idea is a good one 👍
ha- 'perennial weed of the devil'!! thanks for the great info!
Sheep will eat the quack grass down to nothing. Eventually it will stop growing back
I absolutely HATE quack grass!! I have to manually clean it out of my beds every year. This year I'm going to attempt to put some sort of barrier around the perimeter. Not sure if it will work because I've sometimes found rhizomes almost a foot down in the soil.
I will be posting an update video in the next week or two!
We made the mistake of thinking tilling and tarping would kill quack grass, Not! The rhizomes will actually grow right through potatoes.
So far I have tilled the garde area a total of 5 times and there are very few rhizomes sprouting... we will see how it goes next year!
@@philandhannahslittlefarm1464 - you guys look to be around Grand Forks? We left the city behind in 2014 for the Cariboo.
Not quite grand forks but close..we are in the Similkimeen valley. We considered moving there but all our family is on the coast..
Is it okay if I took a rooster and put it with my chickens ( 50 days old) or it gonna couse problems ?
He may get picked on as he is the newcomer. If you put him in the evening before it would be better as they will all wake up together
@@philandhannahslittlefarm1464 Thank you!
*SUGGESTION:*
To lay out a defined bed area...start by mowing down everything, but do NOT till.
Then allow the weeds to start poking themselves up.
If the number of plants is no too excessive, then use a torch to burn the plants down.
Cover the area with a black silage tarp, and cook the plants that pop up. Allow 5 days minimum of cooking.
Uncover and allow 2 days to see if any new plants spring up. If they do, cover again for at least 3 days.
*To prevent future incursions, rent a trencher, and bury an underground HARD barrier at least 6 inches down around your bed. Or...maintain a 6 inch air trench all around.* WitchGrass can creep, but those seeds surrounding your garden will keep paradropping in, and keeping your Witch Trials and burns going forever unless you go after them with ruthless hatred and justice. #WitchesMustBurn
We repeatedly tilled the whole area multiple times which seemed to stop it in its tracks other than a few small patches. We will see what happens in the spring but yes we plan on tarping off any unused areas as well as rotating our chickens thru them. This year's garden area will be managed by good old fashion weeding and landscape fabric
Yes the plastic barrier will be a good way to keep the riasomes from creeping back in
It must be extremely frustrating to having to deal with it.
Yes it is!
Thanks for the video. We have been stuuggling with quack grass as well. Tilling multiple times is possibly the step we are missing. Hogs worked great
It's an uphill battle keeping grasses off the garden plot.
I heard that comfrey makes a good perimeter plant..It also will make anew plant every time you chop the root..yet left alone it will simply grow each year in the same place and squeeze out other plants..there fore makes a good edging...I have some. I will split the ryzhomes and see if it works for me..Thanks.