• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • Nancy Reading
  • John F Dean
  • r ranson
  • Jay Angler
  • paul wheaton
stewards:
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Leigh Tate
  • Devaka Cooray
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Matt McSpadden
  • Jeremy VanGelder

to handle couch grass or am I insane

 
Posts: 13
4
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hi, I had a successful sheet mulch garden in 2020, then couch grass grew over the whole thing. My neighbour is also dealing with it, their entire garden was taken over. The weather here is extremely windy, hot sun, little shade, very sandy soil. It used to be a wetland over a hundred years ago, and there are ponds close by (Australia).

I've discovered something called TARR (Take-All Root Rot), a fungus that can kill couch grass all at once. It's usually something lawn growers aim to prevent from happening as it's practically impossible to remove. Just like couch grass.

Would it be too crazy to just try and get TARR to organically happen in my yard so all the couch grass dies off? I'm kinda new to gardening honestly and I don't know if it will have some kind of bad effect for potential future veggies. Just, if I reverse all the tips that *prevent* TARR from happening for Lawn Growers, could that potentially get TARR to occur for me? Then once all the couch grass is dead I can pull it all out because all that's left is sand and then just sheet mulch from there. Of course more couch grass could blow in on the wind or by birds. But it should be easier to remove especially once other plants are established, I'm thinking.

This is just an idea, does this sound viable or insane
 
steward
Posts: 16100
Location: USDA Zone 8a
4280
dog hunting food preservation cooking bee greening the desert
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Since I had not heard of this I found this article:

https://aggieturf.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/E-615-Take-all-root-rot-factsheet.pdf

Take-all root rot is caused by a fungus,
Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis, that lives
in the soil. The fungus lives in many parts of Texas
and is commonly found in both diseased-looking
and apparently healthy-looking turfgrass.



I am wondering do you feel that this fungus is in your part of the world?

If you get it started how will you keep it from taking over your whole property>

More info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaeumannomyces_graminis_var._graminis
 
Alex Laker
Posts: 13
4
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Anne Miller wrote:

I am wondering do you feel that this fungus is in your part of the world?

If you get it started how will you keep it from taking over your whole property



I found some research articles which confirmed it was definitely in my state and affecting the cereal crops. I use oat hay for mulching, which has rye in it. Oats are resistant, but rye can carry the fungus. So it might be in my yard already, would just need to create the right conditions for it.

I will not be able to prevent it from taking over, that is a losing battle. Which is why I need to ask about it haha. Nothing else growing except for this couch grass, wild oats, various weeds of different kinds. I pretty much planted everything I had, watered it, and watched the grass just grow instead.

UPDATE: Yeah I found out its a bad idea. Seemed a bit too good to be true. It will affect other crops, or so Mt sources say. It's best not tempt fate haha
 
Anne Miller
steward
Posts: 16100
Location: USDA Zone 8a
4280
dog hunting food preservation cooking bee greening the desert
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Alex Laker wrote:UPDATE: Yeah I found out its a bad idea. Seemed a bit too good to be true. It will affect other crops, or so Mt sources say. It's best not tempt fate haha



Alex, I am glad that you did that research.  The internet is full of great ideas that may or may not prove to be useful.

I like to do experiments before telling the world about these great ideas.

Then I can say look this works.
 
cat heaven has trees that produce tuna and tiny ads
A PDC for cold climate homesteaders
http://permaculture-design-course.com
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic