Quack grass

[Bfitzgerald3]

I'd like to find a good, non round-up method of removing quack grass. This spring i put together a screen system (a 2x4 frame with construction cloth...shovel in dirt, shake, dirt falls throug, rhizomes and rocks remain) ha worked pretty well. Places where i used this have almost no grass remaining, other places not s good.

The idea is to build a vibrating table, angled in a way to let the bad materials flow down the screen with the dirt falling through to the garden. I really dont want to sift the whole garden by hand.

Do you think this will work to rid the garden of QG?
Is there a better option?

Personally, i'm at the point where I'd love to use chemicals to solve the problem, but i've been threatened with bodly harm and/or death if I do so.

 

[Renze]

cultivate it every week so the roots dry out in the sun. Thats how we used to kill quackgrass roots.

 

[Bfitzgerald3]

Yeah...cosidering that...how many weeks does this take?

 

[Renze]

Depending on how long it stays dry....

 

[bigtiller]

There was a horticulturist from Earl-May on TV recently showing how to get rid of it. He said to dig out the clump, leaving a 6 inch deep hole and then spray round-up on any roots left in the hole. Then 10 days later fill the hole with fresh soil and grass seed.

And I thought dandy-lions were a pain

 

[OldMcDonald]

Tell the person who objects to the use of chemicals to clean it up. Or at least ask them to spend half a day at it. I am all in favour of using organic methods where they are practical and feasible, but I use glyphosate for speed, simplicity and a sure kill. There is no point in being an organic fundamentalist if it seriously interferes with all the other things you have to do to survive.

 

[Luremaker]

...

The idea is to build a vibrating table, angled in a way to let the bad materials flow down the screen with the dirt falling through to the garden. I really dont want to sift the whole garden by hand. ...

It's already been done. See AKPILOT's Screening Plant thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/119273-screening-plant-project.html

 

[Renze]

There is no point in being an organic fundamentalist if it seriously interferes with all the other things you have to do to survive.

spot on ! What does the fuel for digging and screening the soil, cost ??