Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Quackgrass and your garden bed
A friend of mine asked me about getting rid of quackgrass in the garden. So I did some research, turns out the best defense is not to have any to begin with. Uh, too late!
Yes, I said quacking… this is a nasty infestation of quackgrass. It COULD have come from a plant you brought home and inadvertently tucked into your garden. A little more information from the University of MN on quackgrass.
Once there, persistence at pulling it out is a requirement. Once in an established garden, the best advice is to hand pull it out, but those roots will break off in the soil and those rhizomes are wicked.
Quackgrass does NOT respond to selective weed killers, that means get out the big guns, a non-selective killer that includes glyphosate (Roundup) and glufosinate ammonium (Finale). That is from the University of MN.
If you choose this route, you’ll have to dig your keeper plants out. And carefully check that you haven’t left quackgrass roots tucked in the soil with your desired plants. THEN wait 10 to 14 days before replanting.
Do NOT till that soil just in case there are rhizome remnants of the beast. One garden site offers a non-chemical method, boiling water. Wait a week and douse it again. I’m not sure about that one but if you’re adamant about not using chemicals, then try it. You’ll still need to pull your plants out, their roots don’t like boiling water either.
Here’s different perspective on the quacking pest: The Joy of Quackgrass