On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 13:28:26 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

Well I have heard that Japanese Knot weed is edible when cooked!

The young stems in Spring taste a bit like sour rhubarb but at this
time of year they are too chewy for my teeth.

Steve

--
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In article ,
lid says...
and according to a recent episode of Lewis, a gardener can confuse bind weed
with Japanese Knot weed

Well, only if that "gardener" happened to be the kind of doctor who
could confuse mumps with menopause; or the kind of driver who could
confuse a railway crossing with TESCO'S car park.

Janet.

On 13/11/2014 13:28, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Martin" wrote ...

"Bob Hobden" wrote:

"Martin" wrote
You can buy a membrane that is opaque, but water permeable. Using
this it
takes
at least a year to kill the couch grass under the cover. You need to
kill
the
couch grass on a strip of land along the edge of the cover first
otherwise
the
couch grass under the edge of the membrane grows outwards towards the
light.
Use glyphosate while you can, before it is banned. From 1 January
2015 in
the
Netherlands there will be a ban on the use of glyphosate, except for
agriculture. In particular local authorities and private individuals
are
banned
from buying and using it. It was found that glyphosate applied to
roads and
pavements by local authorities was sometimes being washed down the
drains
by
rain before it had time to break down.

That is not a problem with the chemical it's a problem with the use
so why
ban it, just stipulate where/when it can/can't be used by local
authorities
(No hard surfaces for example

That eliminates its main use by local authorities in the Netherlands.
Urban
roads are covered in bricks/pave.

), makes no sense and forces users to resort to
much worse and long lasting chemicals. I bet they haven't considered
what
the alternative is.
Sometimes I despair of those in authority.

The local authority alternative appears to be killing weeds with
steam. Dutch
local authorities have already stopped using glyphosate.

Well I have heard that Japanese Knot weed is edible when cooked!

The young shoots

Many years ago I took on an allotment that had recently been opened. One man had rented the plot before me, and given up. I thought I would try the old trick, grow potatoes. The soil was terrible, no life in it. I put in one row of potatoes and soon realised that something needed to be done. I had access to an animal breeding unit where the animals were kept on sawdust. By the time I got it, it was urine sodden with a whole range of different animal faeces. I spread this out and put in another three rows of potatoes. The first row of potatoes produced about the same number of potatoes as I had planted. The other three were amazing. I decided to spread sawdust over the rest of the plot and leave it for the winter. This plot was full of couch grass and I found that by spreading the sawdust over the ground a couple of inched deep the couch grass quickly grew through it, but what amazed me was that all the roots came up the to sawdust and were easily removed. It shouldn't be too difficult to get some sawdust and soak it in liquid manure and leave it over winter as a mulch, and then dig it in as a fertiliser. You are not left with anything to get rid of afterwards.

"Janet" wrote in message
t...
In article ,
lid says...

Carpet is also better as it allows water through

Isn't that a bad thing if you are trying to kill couch grass?

Doesn't matter. Lack of light kills plants.

Janet.


Yes but if you stop the water going into the ground it has to go somewhere
and you end up with very wet soggy areas around the edges and dry areas in
the middle. as both things will exclude light I was merely pointing out that
carpet lets the water through. Either way its going to take at least 6
months 12 would be safer.


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

Thank you for this posting.

Although it will be difficult to find animals on sawdust in our region
(nor would I probably condone it) the description is very interesting
and should lead to a few good ideas.

On Thu, 13 Nov 2014 19:49:50 +0100,
Bigal wrote:

It shouldn't be too difficult to get some sawdust and soak
it in liquid manure and leave it over winter as a mulch, and then dig it
in as a fertiliser.

Sawdust and dung are still available and the sawdust being the only
variation in a well-established procedure, I shall give it a try.

Unfortunately, our lumber mills begin to understand what they were
wasting for too long and took to *selling* sawdust (for money). Who told
them...

Bye,

Michael

--
Location: Lower Normandy (Orne), France
GnuPG/OpenPGP 4096R/3216CF02 2013-11-15 [expires: 2015-11-15]
sub 4096R/2751C550 2013-11-15 [expires: 2015-11-15]

On 13/11/2014 13:28, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Martin" wrote ...

"Bob Hobden" wrote:

"Martin" wrote
You can buy a membrane that is opaque, but water permeable. Using
this it
takes
at least a year to kill the couch grass under the cover. You need to
kill
the
couch grass on a strip of land along the edge of the cover first
otherwise
the
couch grass under the edge of the membrane grows outwards towards the
light.
Use glyphosate while you can, before it is banned. From 1 January
2015 in
the
Netherlands there will be a ban on the use of glyphosate, except for
agriculture. In particular local authorities and private individuals
are
banned
from buying and using it. It was found that glyphosate applied to
roads and
pavements by local authorities was sometimes being washed down the
drains
by
rain before it had time to break down.

That is not a problem with the chemical it's a problem with the use
so why
ban it, just stipulate where/when it can/can't be used by local
authorities
(No hard surfaces for example

That eliminates its main use by local authorities in the Netherlands.
Urban
roads are covered in bricks/pave.

), makes no sense and forces users to resort to
much worse and long lasting chemicals. I bet they haven't considered
what
the alternative is.
Sometimes I despair of those in authority.

The local authority alternative appears to be killing weeds with
steam. Dutch
local authorities have already stopped using glyphosate.

Well I have heard that Japanese Knot weed is edible when cooked!
Yes it is, steam like asparagus

--
Adventure before dementia.
http://www.secondchance-rehoming.co.uk/

On 12/11/2014 18:11, Janet wrote:
In article ,
says...

Hi,

I have recently taken on a large allotment which has a severe case of
couch grass invasion. Could someone please tell me the best thing to
cover the area with whilst I am working on other parts of the
allotment.

Consider old wool carpet on a canvas backing.

Locally, I can get any amount, delivered free from the carpet company
that removes it before fitting new carpets. They are delighted to give
it away (and deliver free) because they would otherwise have to deliver
it to waste disposal and pay commercial waste rates.

Janet.



My local authority has banned carpet from allotments.....check your site
rules.

--
Adventure before dementia.
http://www.secondchance-rehoming.co.uk/

"Pete C" wrote

Janet wrote:

says...

I have recently taken on a large allotment which has a severe case of
couch grass invasion. Could someone please tell me the best thing to
cover the area with whilst I am working on other parts of the
allotment.

Consider old wool carpet on a canvas backing.

Locally, I can get any amount, delivered free from the carpet company
that removes it before fitting new carpets. They are delighted to give
it away (and deliver free) because they would otherwise have to deliver
it to waste disposal and pay commercial waste rates.

My local authority has banned carpet from allotments.....check your site
rules.


See the first part of my reply of the 12th, probably the reason.
People cover most of their plot with carpet and try to garden on a small
bit, some time down the line they realise they cannot manage the hours of
work or get bored and give up. The carpet gets left on the plot until the
Council realise the rent hasn't been paid, weeds have grown through it, and
the next person that takes on the plot has to try to remove and get rid of
smelly old wet partly rotten carpet stuck to the ground with weeds. Seen it
too many times.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
On 12/11/2014 13:13, SecondFromLeft wrote:
Hi,

I have recently taken on a large allotment which has a severe case of
couch grass invasion. Could someone please tell me the best thing to
cover the area with whilst I am working on other parts of the
allotment.

If I can help it I do not want to use any weed killers. I have read
covering over is one of the better solutions.

My two thoughts of covers are a think black plastic polythene sheet
Something like : ('HEAVY DUTY BLACK POLYTHENE PLASTIC SHEETING 4M WIDE
DPM ROLLS 300MU 1200 GAUGE | eBay' (http://tinyurl.com/nr4csbh))

With option two being heavy duty garden control fabric. Something like :
('Kenley Garden Landscape Weed Control Fabric Ground Cover - Heavy Duty
100GSM | eBay' (http://tinyurl.com/lewfp78))

Does anyone have any preference over these two options or am I missing
something better on the market.




Depends on you budget. The cheapest option is to go to a carpet retailer
and ask them for a bit of rubbish carpet, then place that over. The
trouble with the black polythene, especially the thin variety is that
winds will soon wreck it.

Carpet is also better as it allows water through

I'm with the carpet option too. Some carpet retailers fit a new carpet and
take the old one away as part of the deal. They are only too thrilled to
let you have them. Works well.