Gardeners’ Forum: “Horrible grass - help!!”
Back to Gardeners’ ForumHorrible grass - help!!
Posted by Liz Woosey on Saturday, April 7, 2001 1:55 pm ADTTwo years ago I moved out to the country. Last year I didn't do anything with the vegetable garden and it slowly got covered with grass. Yesterday I went out to start spading and found that this grass has long white shoots growing underground. My soil is full of it! I garden organically. Other than digging the whole garden up and pulling it by hand, is there another method to get rid of this stuff?
re: Horrible grass - help!!
Posted by Howard Harvey on Saturday, April 7, 2001 4:05 pm ADTThese are perennial-type grasses which spread by underground roots -- as you have discovered!! You can dig them all up and out - which is a tough job. The other answer is to stop the green tops from nourishing the roots. You have to cut the tops down constantly over a season or two, and that should cause the roots to die off.
re: Horrible grass - help!!
Posted by Liz Woosey on Sunday, April 8, 2001 9:03 pm ADTThank you. I'll try that and hope for the best in my vegetable garden!
re: Horrible grass - help!!
Posted by doreen russell on Sunday, April 8, 2001 10:21 pm ADTIt sounds like quack grass.That stuff is terrible.You might try to mulch heavily or with black plastic to get rid of the grass.If it is quack grass be prepared to pull weeds. Each piece broken off will sprout and come up,but you can usually pull up long roots if the ground is soft enough.I'd try the mulch.
re: Horrible grass - help!!
Posted by jo on Saturday, June 2, 2001 10:28 pm ADTI've planted a couple of crops of buckwheat,tilling it under a few days after it flowers. It stops the weeds and helps the soil.
