Wheatgrass is one of those weeds that are particularly feared. The reason: the rhizome-forming grass does not only spread through seeds. The subterranean creeping shoots can grow up to one meter in all directions every year and make combating it very difficult. With the right measures and tools, however, you can successfully push back couch grass and stop it from spreading.
On the one hand couch grass is a nuisance, on the other hand it is a healing weed
Why is couch grass so resilient?
Couch grass is a perennial flowering spike grass that forms widely branched roots. If you pierce them with a spade, a new plant can form from each part.
The seeds remain germinable in the soil for a very long time. They are spread by wind and their adhesive property. Culms can form at each node of the rhizomes, which grow into large clumps.
Couch grass is not only extremely adaptable as a weed. It thrives on almost any substrate, regardless of whether it is humus-rich garden soil, sandy substrate or heavy, loamy, compacted soil. Their resilience makes them survivors.
Preventive measures against couch grass
- If the couch grass begins to spread in the vegetable patch, you can sow mustard, oil radish, buckwheat or rapeseed very densely as a cover crop. This deprives the weed of light and it dies.
- Planting potatoes is often recommended. The tasty tuber limits the growth of the sweet grass, but does not prevent it.
- Marigolds with their root exudates do not like couch grass at all. If you transplant the vegetable patch with the pretty flowers, the annoying grass stays away.
The successful fight
Because of the special properties of the rhizomes, you should not even try to get rid of the couch grass with a hoe or tiller. Unfortunately, weeding, cutting off or simply digging up is not very helpful, as the plant spreads happily due to the many torn-off root pieces.
The couch grass can only be removed by hand by carefully digging up the roots and carefully picking out the smallest root parts. To do this, dig up the area bit by bit with the digging fork and pull the long creeping shoots out of the loosened soil.
Then leave the bed fallow for a while and weed out all newly sprouting stalks, including the roots. You can also always comb the soil with a rake. The shoots of the couch grass are light-colored and visually stand out well against the dark soil.
Never put the rhizomes on the compost immediately, but let them dry in the sun for a few days. It is better to dispose of them with household waste or in the organic waste bin.
tips
Couch grass is an old medicinal plant. Its ingredients have a diuretic effect. In earlier times it was used as a tea for kidney pain and bladder infections. Since the active ingredients do not last too long in the dried state, you should always use couch grass fresh as a medicinal herb.