|
177 posts
|
Posted 26 Apr 10 6:29 PM
buffalo grass is a constant pest invading my garden How do I control it without using poisen sprays?
|
|
19 posts
|
Posted 30 Apr 10 1:01 PM
This warm season couch grass will slow down as the weather cools and go dormant in winter. In Auckland it tends to stay green through the winter, while further south it browns off. It's not dead though, just dormant.
As a rhizomous grass it's harder to control, but makes a good tough low water demanding lawn if you don't mind it.
Selective herbicides not so useful… and sadly hard to control organically, you can pull out the runners for manual control but its never ending. If it’s in a defined area then dig it out.
If you want to get rid of it then use herbicide and spray out the affected area now (may ned a repeat spray) and then rake out, prep and oversow - Autumns a good time for this.
|
|
53 posts
|
Posted 28 Jun 10 1:15 AM
If the grass is constantly creeping into your garden use a barrier... Lots of choices... It needs to be a barrier that is deeper than the roots of the grass... so dig a hole and have a look how deep the roots go. Barrier options can be as simple as digging a trench and keeping it sprayed with a herbicide that is biologically friendly... or, using root barrier which can be purchased from the hardware store in rolls (usually 10cm or 15cm high by a few mm wide and 10m long), or bricks mortised together, or all those wine bottles poked in upside down... so many options...
If it's a large area of grass, to kill simply cover with black plastic and leave in the dark until dead.
If it's a patch of lawn you want to create a garden on, cover in newspaper or cardboard, layer on straw/mulch/compost and away you go... no light = no growth.
|
|
53 posts
|
Posted 28 Jun 10 1:16 AM
another barrier idea i just remembered...
plant a dense row of comfrey, and or canna lillies, and include hydrangeas if you want too.
Idea being that the dense root systems of the comfrey or canna don't allow easy access for grass roots and the hydrangeas shade the ground - grass don't like shade, it really slows it down.
|