What is this weed in my backyard?

[daniT]

it is as good as impossible to remove, I broke 2 metal hoes yanking it out and was able to lift up a thick carpet of solid runners a good 60cm thick. It’s grown up inside the fence and sprouted at the top into the neighbours yard and the worst part is that underneath the growth it’s like a bog, wet sludgy and stinking! I want it gone but today I found the previous owners put down a thick black plastic layer under the soil-I guess to prevent anything growing, but nothing stops this Chernobyl weed! Can anyone tell me it’s name and possibly any tips on how I can kill it dead please! Thanks guys!

 

 

[EricL]

Hello @daniT 

It looks like the runners of couch grass. Unfortunately, they are difficult to kill and remove, plus they borrow as deep as 150mm under the soil. When unearthing the runners (the long roots) it's important to find the main source and remove it from the soil. I don't recommend chopping it as this will not stop its growth. Every single piece of it must be removed from the soil or it will grow again.

I suggest using a garden trowel to lift the soil and sifting through it to allow the runners to come to the top. You'll then be able to track it to the main source and remove the whole lot.

Let me call on our experienced members @Noelle and @Adam_W for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[daniT]

Thanks so much Eric! I think I may have found the’centre’ of it for want of a better description. Everything I pulled was runners until I got to a big cluster where they were more tightly packed and surrounded by heaps of little roots-does that sound like it?

[EricL]

Hi @daniT 

It sounds like you've found the main root. Please remember to track all the runners and don't be tempted to cut them, otherwise the runners will just keep on going. 

Eric

[daniT]

Thanks again so much for your helpful advice, I’ll do my best! The only concern I have now is that I snapped many of the runners when I was trying to pull them out ( before you told me how to do it properly) , do you think that will create any issues down the line?

[EricL · Accepted solution]

Hi @daniT 

I recommend trying to track down those parts that you chopped up. I know that it's a lot of work, but it is important that you get all of it. Even a small root has the potential to regrow.

Eric

[Noelle]

On the money @EricL !  Persistence is the key - it may take a while to trace and remove every piece and every new shoot that appears, but eventually that is the best solution.