Wheatgrass in the lawn can induce sheer desperation. What to do? We have tips on how to stop or even eradicate couch grass in your lawn.
Wheatgrass on vegetable plots in the garden is already a great evil. Adding it to the lawn can cause sheer desperation.
Although couch grass actually also belongs to the grass family, more precisely to the ear grasses of the sweet grass family, it does not look right in a well-tended lawn. On the one hand, it grows faster than the grasses in the lawn mixture and thus stands out clearly, on the other hand, its leaves are lush green to bluish, shimmering. In addition, couch grass grows in different growth directions with wide-spreading stalks.
The annoyance about that might be limited if she could be fought effortlessly. But the opposite is true.
Perhaps you have successfully eradicated couch grass elsewhere in your garden. Then you are probably still aware: perseverance and diligence are required for this. This applies in particular to combating couch grass in the lawn.
Why is couch grass so stubborn
Quecke is derived from the Old High German word Queck and means "strong" and "lively". And that alone indicates a strong urge that the plant has to propagate.
Many species develop long, underground rhizomes. They have the ability to form roots at each individual node. Even the smallest root remains can produce new plants again. This allows the couchgrass to spread rapidly, whereby its long rhizomes are firmly attached to other grasses of its kind.
Because of the root network, it is very difficult to remove the annoying plant, especially if lawn care has been neglected for a long time. Compacted soil and a lack of nutrients and moisture favor couch grass infestation in the lawn.
Prepare lawn sowing carefully
Don't give couch grass a chance in the lawn. This means that you should already create the best possible conditions when laying out a new lawn.
» Prepare Lawn Site
❶ Collect weed roots from the new lawn areafloor as much as possible. You must pay particular attention to the very light-colored, almost white couch grass roots, as small scraps of root can quickly spawn new couch grass.
❷ As soon as you have collected the new area, you can preventively treat the soil with a weed killer, for example "RoundUp".
- Spray the weed killer - do not water
- Do not sow the new lawn until 7 days after treatment with chemical weed killers
- Please note the warnings on the package insert
❸ Poor quality lawn seed is another cause of couch grass growth and spread. The “Berliner Tiergarten” seed tends to develop a lot of weeds. Bred for fast growth, this seed contains inexpensive forage grasses.
Although these grasses shoot up quickly, they do not form a closed turf, as is actually desired.
❹ Wheatgrass seeds that fly around can settle on the prepared soil or as soon as the new lawn is seeded. As soon as the young plants emerge, you should pluck them out of the new lawn. Loosen the soil around the root area with a kitchen knife so that you can pull out young couch grass with the root.
Removing couch grass from existing lawns
❶ You can eliminate most of the unwanted couch grass manually on existing lawns. However, the treatment is lengthy. That's why you need to regularly pinch out regrowing plants.
- If the couch grass appears sporadically, cut it off with a sharp knife. It is best to start doing this before the couch grass flowers or sets seeds. Because the plant can not only reproduce via root runners, but also via seeds.
- Remove as much of the root system as possible, preferably the entire root of course.
❷ We also recommend a special weed puller to remove couch grass in the lawn. Here you should observe the following steps:
- Reach deep into the earth with this gripping device and grasp the plant with its roots and runners.
- Then gently shake the prick back and forth and pull the couch grass out of the ground.
This work is particularly useful after a downpour when the lawn is soggy. The roots are well grasped.
You can use a conventional weed cutter to remove most weedstrust. It is constructed in such a way that no pieces of root remain in the ground. However, couch grass can form long runners that tear when the plants are removed and parts remain in the ground. Couch grass can multiply on these root pieces. Pinch out the new plants regularly to curb couch grass growth.
Personally, I get along best with an asparagus cutter (this model) when fighting couch grass. It's very stable and I can dig really deep into the ground.
What to do if the couch grass growth gets out of hand?
If part of the lawn is already badly affected by couch grass growth, for example on the outside, you can "treat" it with opaque film. However, you have to be patient for this, because after the foil treatment, the lawn of the previously newly laid out area has to be laid out again. With this method, the lawn grasses under the film are badly affected and can die.
» How dark foil can help
- Cover the affected lawn area completely with dark foil
- Weigh down the edges of the foil with wooden beams or stones
- After that, no rain or sunlight must penetrate to the ground
- Leave the film on the area to be treated for at least one gardening season. A period of 12 months is recommended, because the longer the film is on the infected area, the more effective the treatment. In the best case, the entire couch grass dies off
- If you remove the foil after 6 to 12 months, dig the lawn thoroughly and carefully remove all dead plant remains
- Last but not least, sow new grass seed or lay out turf on the treated lawn area.
In summary, if you fight couch grass in your lawn as early as possible, you can eradicate this lawn weed completely. However, if couch grass has already multiplied underground, it will be a game of patience to get rid of this pesky weed once and for all.