Ruth Stout's Worst Enemy (rhizomatous grass in a deep mulch garden)

We've talked a lot about the benefits of the Ruth Stout method on this channel. But just because it does most things really well, doesn’t mean it does everything perfectly. And while it can sometimes seem like a magic bullet, as it turns out, it’s not completely without it’s flaws. So in this video, I want to talk about Ruth Stout's worst enemy, and how we intend to deal with it: Quackgrass (AKA: witch grass, couch grass, scutch grass, devil's grass, bermuda grass, etc.)
OMAFRA: www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/c...

[@oddstr13]

«So, if you like us have discovered some of this grass in *your* garden…» What do you mean? *I* am attempting to discover my *garden* in this grass…

[@josephlangford6473]

Love your comment. Had a good laugh, been there.

[@cutiepoodle]

🤣👍

[@azgardenlover370]

My problem is nut grass. I am trying to find my soil in this mess. Same issues. Not winning any of these battles

[@sherrymacaroni5916]

I have painstakenly cleared a lot of garden space of quackgrass. The toil was so long that I thought I was the only person who would actually do it. I was even embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know I was that eccentric. But it doesn't stop there. It seemed like often the quackgrass would grow in my compost pile ( which I failed to keep hot enough thru carbon nitrogen balancing and turning, etc. So, I had massive amounts of evil grass which were threatening to reinvade through compost. This year, after moving again, I spent an absolutely embarrassing amount of time teasing the quackgrass out from a long overgrown garden plot. Then, even more bizarrely, I took it inside, bucket by bucket by bucket, laid it out in roasting pans, and put it in the oven to ensure it would not continue to grow in my poorly managed compost pile. I roasted a freakin' ton of it. Luckily there were no witnesses.

[@BackToReality]

Oh my goodness, thank you for this comment. You've made me feel so much better! ;)

[@sherrymacaroni5916]

@Ed B several years ago I tried to boil the long white quackgrass rhizomes like spaghetti, but it was a total fail.

[@shellieh685]

Sounds like it may have been therapeutic as well. Did you yell (at least in your mind) DIE, DIE, DIE! While it was roasting? 😉 Hope you have a great year!

[@jalenejohnson8484]

This feels like an equivalent to the movie Office Space where they are beating up the printer with the gangster music overlapping them 🤣🤣🤣 oh my goodness thank you for this! I love that you cooked them! When you said they were in your compost my heart sank in horror as I imagined you spreading it all over your garden. Then you cooked it and immediately were wearing a super hero cape! Awesome! Thank you for being vulnerable in sharing something you wanted to hide 💜

[@MountainGardenGirl]

Would you like to see a fb page with a place to share these ideas in a more interactive way...I asked the author to start one.

[@epicdabber1008]

Never has a 20 min video gone so fast

[@BackToReality]

:) Thanks!

[@ricardobejeraste3569]

That is very true, but also very normal for this channel! All I could wish was for longer videos, as it is so pleasant to watch and I learn so much!

[@carmenortiz5294]

I disagree. Over 24 minutes to end up with solution: pull by hand and leave nothing behind.

[@machematix]

I never thought I'd be so entertained watching grass grow. Subscribed.

[@epicdabber1008]

Carmen Ortiz I’m congratulating him because he made two points 24 mins and also very entertaining

[@janetthornton7909]

I too have been plagued with quack grass. The best method I have found to stop it getting into my garden is a physical barrier. We cut metal roofing into 18” wide strips and bury it vertically around the garden perimeter. We overlap the pieces about 6” and rivet them together. The joints are the vulnerable places of invasion; there can be no gaps or the grass will find those and creep in. Has worked very well for us

[@MooshBoosh]

The production quality of this wowza. And I'll be searching for some of her books, her writing sounds nice.

[@BackToReality]

Thanks so much :) And for sure, I hope you can find some. They are a joy to read.

[@robkilpatrick4283]

Agreed. Very thorough and informative and all of that wrapped in a great presentation. This video earned my sub. Thank you!

[@aaronmgriffin]

Agreed. I'd love to see a little information of how you make these videos. I always find that fascinating

[@micheals1992]

Some of these things won't work in certain climates, if you're somewhere where slugs flourish straw and hay mulch will create the perfect environment for slugs to live in

[@teresahiggs4896]

There’s an video of her being interviewed also ....on KZbin.

[@BackToReality]

QUICK CORRECTION: Owen Davies just pointed out that the "clover" I showed at 2:38 is actually "wood sorrel". Doh! So, I guess that makes FIVE weeds that regularly make it through our mulch. Sorry for the mistake, but many thanks to Owen, for the correction!

[@MeliponiculturaenCostaRica]

Oh yes, those nasty creeping rhyzome plants, in the tropics they are the norm, either vines from the sweet potato family, to fleshy grasses that may creep over dry soil for meters before needing to root again, or the most horrible I have yet found, Hydrocotyle umbellata. I had to kill all the lawn of my house to get it out and plant again good grass. I was hoping I could manage it, but every month it got worse and worse. So in gardens the best option is to use raised beds, they may perfectly be used with the permanent mulch, and provide a heavier protection against those creepers, you may stop them before they climb to your working area. Also among the raised beds, all the walking areas are mulched and a dug up fence is placed, wire fencing lets all weed get inside, so a solid 50cm fence is what I placed, no grass seeds fly away when you mow nor armadillo may get in.

[@shelinlin1900]

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[@shelinlin1900]

Rrrrrr

[@ThePresidentAnybody]

Common wood sorrel is pretty tasty as well.

[@thisorthat7626]

@@ThePresidentAnybody Thank you! I never knew what this weed was that I kept mistaking for clover. Good to know it has positive uses. LOL

[@wagglemonkey]

my favorite rhizome barrier is comfrey. the roots are just too hearty for even crabgrass to try to compete through it when well established. Also its the easy to propagate that you can thicken the barrier just by cracking the roots with a shovel.

[@bobbywheeler6933]

I just planted 20+ comfrey roots just outside the fence of my garden. I learned this from Sean @edibleacres. He's mentioned comfrey as a rhizome barrier multiple times in his videos.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@bobbywheeler6933 I scrolled down specifically to ask about comfrey. I heard about it being a rhizome barrier on Edible Acres, too. I like comfrey anyway, for mulch and making tea. Last year I transplanted one into a raised bed and just pulled it out a couple weeks ago - the harvest of roots from that one plant was enormous considering it only takes a piece a couple inches long to start a new plant. We bought a few root pieces of Bocking 14 (doesn't produce viable seed) a couple years ago and it's probably the highest-returning investment I've ever made. Our German Shephard really loves to lay down right on top of a comfrey plant. But it really doesn't seem to bother the plant one bit; it will spring right up again the next day.

[@rosecoward3292]

Except my concern is that comfrey is on the list of invasive weeds because it is impossible to get rid of them. They too spread through the three methods mentioned above.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@rosecoward3292 Get the Bocking 14 cultivar of comfrey. It does not spread by rhizomes and it does not make viable seed. It just stays where you put it. Now if you till it and break up the roots, yes each root piece can grow a new plant. I don't till anyway, but regardless I only plant comfrey along property lines, next to the driveway etc, where it's very unlikely the roots will be disturbed. Unless of course I dig one up to use to plant more comfrey.

[@leenverlinden911]

@@rosecoward3292 I planted Blocking 14 last year and pulled it in fall. Indeed a stubborn weed. Every few days I pull up the new leafs and add them to a comfrey tea.

[@bethaddis4377]

When quack grass would take over my garden. I would fence it and put pigs on it. They love the toxins. They eat the mulch. EaTill the soil. Eat the grass and the rhizomes Fertilize and I get bacon. I love my pigs

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

Toxins?

[@metetong2065]

Clever, do you think that sheep will be able to do the trick to?

[@BrokenZen311]

You think chickens would work?

[@leelastarsky]

@@BrokenZen311 I have couch and kikuyu on my property that has survived freaking BUSHFIRES. NOTHING kills it. My chickens have not killed it, BUT they eat every blade that emerges, so it is currently not appearing anywhere that my chickens have access to. So it's not cured, but it is being kept at bay. I'm quite sure that when the chickens are removed from the equation the grass WILL be back.

[@sp10sn]

Sheep, chickens, goats, etc don't root into the ground the way pigs will. I imagine that's the rhizome killer right there.

[@comradecid]

similar varieties also plague areas of the united states. i once spent an entire season hand-tilling and hand-screening my entire property to a depth of one-and-a-half feet in an attempt to get rid of it. the effort was back-breaking... and ultimately futile. never have i hated a weed so much.

[@MistressOnyaCox]

Your vids easy to watch simple voice over makes huge difference. Everyone walks around with camera In face. THIS IS WAYYYYY BETTER THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUU

[@g.y.o5419]

I feel your pain! Bind weed and Couch Grass, it drives me nuts. It took me 2 summers to totally dig out every last bit of it from a 30x30 area. It kept creeping back in from the borders of my garden. The best way to deal with it that I have found is, tarp the grass to kill the tops off. When you have left it long enough to kill the top off and left with bare soil, dig the roots out and get rid of it. Don't compost it, it will just spread again...as i found out when I first started lol!

[@jlasud]

digging in planks standing on their edge on the edge of your garden works in keeping them stinky rhizomes to advance in your garden. I've tried it,and seems to be very effective. I've used about 6 inches wide planks,as they seem to be advancing quite close to the surface.

[@g.y.o5419]

@@jlasud That will certainly do the job. The only long term issue with that is, that wood will eventually rot away. I am trying to get some concrete pavers to do the same thing, but as yet I don't have as many as I need to do it.

[@jlasud]

@@g.y.o5419 Yep. depending on the wood,it lasts 4-20 years. Concrete probably lasts longer,however personally,would not put it near my garden. Either way,it's a part of the solution.

[@1is7ener65]

I have both weeds as well and share a lawn with a neighbour whose yard is infested with it. I prefer yanking out the grass vs bind weed lol. I have tried it all except chemicals and cannot get rid of them due to my neighbors lawn. The best was when I left my intex pool out all year then finally put it away. The grass went through two layers of tarp and most roots were in a ball. The bindweed died or moved on elsewhere in the yard.

[@AS-df6eu]

Couch grass isn't all bad.... it seems to compete somewhat with my chamber bitter. When those two start chasing me into the house... I'm moving...

[@jenniferbreukelman4738]

I absolutely love your videos! You make everything so easy to understand (even from the tone of your voice to the wonderfully done graphics) You are willing to deal with topics that show also your struggles rather than nothing but successes. Thank you both for taking the time and energy to share with others.

[@spacegodfight]

I build my beds 30' by 40' with a moveable fence to create a chicken run where I will leave about 30 hens for a season to kill the grass. Then I will build the beds the next season with hay and wood chips in the paths and a good 3' border around the whole thing. I also have been building a border of comfrey all around the garden plot that blocks the rhizomes from coming back in and provides some good green mulch. Anything that gets past that I weed by hand. I can grow in the bed for 2-3 years and then cycle the chickens back in to clean up the plot and add nutrients. I've only been doing it for a few years now but it's been working well without much labor as my market garden is a 1 man show.

[@ItsKango]

I always get excited when you guys upload a video :D

[@danrobsilva]

This was super interesting to watch and extremely well produced, much like all of your videos.

[@sweetbizil]

Another help you could try is a vegetative rhizome barrier such as rhubarb or non-spreading comfrey -- just a thought. Super great video as always. Goes to show that no method is foolproof and that all land devoid of vegetation WANTS to be filled with lush greenery, even when covered sufficiently. Guess that brings me to my ideology -- planting so much good stuff close together that it crowds out the grass (and each other somewhat, but that is better than the grass). You touched on it at the end too. Nature wants erosion control and the cycles of bare soil to grassland to shrubland to forest to fire/disaster and then start all over! It's difficult to fight nature as she is persistent and has so many tricks up her sleeve. Guess we sedentary agricultural humans have nothing but antagonism and bones to pick with this natural process, until we once again enter into the cycle we historically inhabited as nomadic creatures, just tens of thousands of years ago... Much love

[@xingcat]

Super-interesting! I love seeing all the deep-dive info about gardening that I almost certainly won't use, but I'm so glad that people can share.

[@sylmarie6494]

Your videos are always so well-researched and document. I really appreciate following you guys. I've learned a great deal. Thank you for taking the time to create.

[@ksiezycowyTurlak]

You guys are awesome. I really enjoy checking out your content while not being in the garden myself. Great work!

[@claudiaw9246]

I always look forward to your videos, because I learn something new each time! As usual, your clear explanations combined with the visuals make it easy to follow along, even when it comes to a topic like this. I had NO idea how relentless this particular weed was, but it's good to know that it has its redeeming qualities. PS Love the Tribbles reference, ha ha.

[@etamonenciu7110]

Wow! Your videos are so top notch every time and such a pleasure to watch! Very informative and easy to understand! It's the things that I needed to grasp for our next step in the garden! Thank you for sharing the results of your hard work with us! It's such a blessing!

[@p.t.anderson1593]

This has to be the best video I've ever watched on grass. Bravo!

[@emmaslow]

This is your first video I have come across and I'm in awe of both the informative content and the brilliant visual animations. Thanks for putting so much time into this, and for focusing on the sorts of issues that are the nitty gritty of all those actually growing things, rather than catering purely for an audience merely wanting to be entertained (entertainment is great, it's just extra helpful when you're struggling for answers to be able to find such detailed information). 🙏

[@Jacksparrow4986]

Many have said so already, but your videos are just great. Feels like listening to friends, as you're not yet grandparents aged ;) the research, the animations and voiceover, the puns, the star trek reference, the topics and the approaches you take - I literally like all of it. Will see if quackgreass gets pianfull for our garden, we have a rhizomous plant that I'm trying to reduce to favor my strawberries. Keep it up!

[@MsMariaSierra]

The vain of my existence!!!! I just spent weeks fighting it off!! Took over the entire garden. Hopefully doing the trench around will help prevent it’s creeping back! Love your videos. They’re sorely missed.

[@lgshort]

Thank you guys for these videos. You have improved my gardening methods and success.

[@mikefriend7570]

The most resilient grass I’ve EVER come across . Watching your video has given me an even deeper respect for this species. I have spent most of this summer ‘rooting out’ this grass, and also poisoning it in my lawn I have to confess. Only time will tell how good a job I’ve done

[@commonlaw5400]

Your precise diction is extraordinary and much appreciated. Thank you for sharing your adventure.

[@mcohen8025]

So glad KZbin reccommended this video! I'd never seen your channel before, but now I'm subscribed.

[@chiefchick]

This is the best video I have seen about explaining weeds in detail. We already know about the rhizome, bec as gardeners, we encounter it all the time. But, in my personal experience, I have ever used hay/straw once and that was to protect a seedling from the last frost. Well, what do you know, I did notice less weeds!! And the weeds that came up i quickly pulled so that summer, I had less weeds! Yes, suffocating them does work!

[@abj358]

You folks make the best, educational grade videos for sharing your gardening experience. Thanks for taking the time and trouble to make your results easy to understand and replicate. You say at the end of this vid that we're the best. Actually, you're the best. Thanks, again.

[@Chiryaaghar]

Please post frequently.. love ur work..

[@cindycalvert4875]

I have 2 kinds of grass that propagate by creeping, and I really appreciate this video for all of the options to take care of it. I think being in a city with my growing area almost surrounded by concrete and asphalt will help a little, but I will definitely try digging a trench in the area I can’t control in any other way!

[@sauceLegs]

battling this grass now in my new garden. thanks for the video and all the others on ruth's method. love it

[@justangvano]

I've had a lot of problems with quackgrass. This gives me hope. Thank you!

[@mariannegibson1407]

Thank you for this, pretty much all of our grass is couch grass, so this resonated with me! I am digging out my paths and putting the soil onto the beds for precisely this reason. When I started my first beds, I used the inverted turf from the area as the bottom layer of the bed. I had no idea how hard it was for grass to die in a cool, rainy climate! I am now using any turf I remove to create a low windbreak turf wall instead. One small tip i have learnt - I was given a load of leylandii trimmings, which everyone says not to compost or mulch with because they kill everything. Well, they're actually pretty good at smothering couch grass, and potatoes will still grow through them - a great example of 'the problem is the solution'!

[@beggo1989]

Every time you post a new video it's a small celebration. I adore you're videos and my only complaint is that they are so far apart. Keep up the good work!

[@CarlosRuiz-en9iy]

I used chickens to till, eat, and destroy Bermuda Grass (another stoloniferous grass) here in Southern California. I worked really well and i was on accident!

[@scwheeler24]

We have it to here in Texas. I hate the stuff but I cannot convince my hubby. He loves it. It impossible to have any kind of raised bed or flower gardens the grass is unrelenting and takes over everything. I’ve been using the totes method and it keeps that nasty stuff out of them. And don’t use grass clippings. No, no, the seeds survive. I even hate but I do use leaves in the fall. You have to be careful not to get grass. Ugh I hate the stuff

[@maggiescalf5312]

Yes! I use my chickens too! I deep mulch with wood chips but let my hens in the garden in between each growing season. This year we double fenced the perimeter for a chicken moat in hopes that they keep the grass from coming in from the lawn.

[@caseG80]

@@maggiescalf5312 they say pigs do an amazing job against them

[@keralee]

@@scwheeler24 its horrible stuff! Ought to be illegal to grow it imo. I would put chickens or pigs on it and leave them there until they totally destroy every speck...then use them as a "moat" to prevent encroachment to the cleared areas. Am certain God created cows to save the world from grasses.

[@scwheeler24]

@@keralee back breaker never ending trying to keep it out of areas. Hate it but I guess it’s just about the only grass that can handle TX.

[@daryasevastopolska9885]

Thank you for this very necessary video! My grandmother (80 years old) is still battling, with no success, this grass in her lands in Ukraine. This nemesis hasn't given her a break, and I was almost convincing my grandma to try out this method when I saw your video. Hope to see your news on this matter soon! Cheers :)

[@tamrahawkes3170]

Have missed your videos, great to see a new one!

[@norxgirl1]

Glad to see this video. Been using RS method for 2nd year, northern middle Tennessee. My problem is Bermuda Grass, which does the rhizome thing as well. Hard pan rocky clay soil on 10% grade. Nodes would break underground if wet soil, so that method didn't work for me. I finally settled on a Meadow Creature broadfork, since the claw was taking too long. I could dig up a lot of soil to get to the roots and eradicate them......seemed to work the best, then covered back up with hay and wood chips. Will begin the process in my new garden area this spring.....

[@ingerhaugland6763]

Great video! :) Very informative, and really impressive production quality. The solution you're using now is the same I'm using in my garden. Your garden is looking great btw, and congratulations on finishing the fence! I know all too well that sometimes things take a long time. But now it's done, and how long it took doesn't matter anymore. Great job you guys :)

[@VeganPrepper]

No, you're the best!!! 🥰 Anyway, we deal with Bermuda here in Arizona. And while it is a pain, my favorite quote about gardening is, "The most important tool in gardening is your shadow." As in, let your shadow fall on your garden every day. And man, does that grass keep my shadow on my garden. I've come to appreciate the way it keeps me on my toes and makes me physically stronger as I deal with it. It's never going to be gone. I've come to accept it. But I also think after dealing with 120F+ (48C+) temperatures AND Bermuda grass and still managing to grow pretty well, I'm ready to face almost anything. Thanks again for an excellent video.

[@davewilliams6172]

Brilliant video and really informative. I love the style 👍

[@tfrantastic]

Well done. I like the information and production value!

[@realgoodbear7149]

What a great video. I wish I had found this sooner as I have been trying to find a way to battle my bermuda grass for 5 years. Last year I finally built a raised bed from concrete blocks and lined the bottom and sides with cardboard, taking care to overlap by a foot or more where there were seams. I used a very thick cardboard and when it got damp it curved away from the concrete block wall and the devil grass grew up through the tiny space between the concrete and cardboard! I am encouraged that the raised bed may help me win the battle, but I'm still worried about losing the war. I'm going to try planting comfrey as others have mentioned and I'm going to smother and trench as you have done. ONWARD!

[@MsDusty731]

It sounds like the Bermudagrass we deal with here in the southern U.S. It is also rhizomatic and will extend several feet and pop up anywhere. This spring after seeing another KZbin video about this grass, I laid down cut, thick strips of carpet with wood chips on top as a border around my vegetable garden. It laughed at the normal type of carpet with the mesh backing and grows right through, along with the Florida betony (rattlesnake weed). What it hasn't come through yet is the rubber-backed outdoor carpet that is on two sides of the garden. This is an option for the perimeter of a garden if you're having problems with rhizomatic grass. Just make sure it has a thick layer of rubber on the back - no mesh.

[@ruthsgardeningdesciple8306]

I have recently found couch grass in my patch. I only have Ruth's gardening without work book. Hence I just pull it up and remulch but with straw. I find it less weedy than hay. Our allotment is almost entirely managed by the Stout method. We also experiment with other types of mulch like cardboard etc, but as Ruth said and I paraphrase, a mulch is a mulch, if it takes longer to break down then you just have to replace it less. Thank you for the great videos. They are very educational, and I like the fact that they are not lightweight.

[@dreamingcolour]

Thanks for another great video. I've done the Ruth Stout for all of 2020. Enjoying my results. Pennsylvania, USA

[@marypaino1327]

Dug out as much as possible year one. Year 2 again in spring covered with to kill seeds for 1 month, uncovered then let what was left to grow freely, and dug remaining roots. Also always weedwack before it seeds. Year 3 very few shoots came up and am getting ready to do a quick maintenance this season's end. Next challenge is the creeping trumpet vine rhiozomes. Oh what joys..

[@jameskniskern2261]

Trumpet vines roots go DEEP! I've found some at least 2 feet down. And they still broke off. But they can be defeated the same way, keep cutting them off, and forcing them to regrow. Eventually they run out of energy in the root.

[@marypaino1327]

@@jameskniskern2261 Thanks, had a feeling they were pretty deep as I been cutting down all summer. Now that veggies are almost done....

[@davidconnell4826]

There are two solutions which have worked extremely well for me. We don't have quack grass in Australia, but we have something equally if not more invasive: kikuyu (pennisetum clandensium). It behaves exactly the same. This summer, we will have cleared approx 700 sq. m of it. In a new area, we put pigs. The pigs will effectively kill it, because they act like the till option: they will root it up, again and again, completely removing its power and at this point, well over 90 percent of it is dead. Then we move the pigs, put down straw, and on top of the straw, put 30 cm of compost. Elsewhere in the garden, we have used cardboard with 30 cm of compost on top with great effect. The time to do this is in early autumn, when the grass begins to store its energy to come back after winter. Since it can't, the emergence in spring is virtually non existent.

[@adamonicusattempts7119]

Excellent, and insightful! Thanks for sharing! With regard to the wood sorrel, I would highly recommend eating them. Take one leaf (should look like a 3 leaf clover in shape, but usually a brighter yellow-green) and taste it. If it tastes like a lemon without the sourness, you have a real treat for salads and other things where it’s delicate flavor can be appreciated. The pods are especially flavorful!

[@dustinlight4716]

Thank you! This was very informative. In the Southwestern U.S. we have a similar grass called Bermuda Grass. Unfortunately, it's the preferred grass for lawns and it is everywhere. Trying to get a back yard garden going is difficult when this stuff will grow up through 8 inches of fresh dirt and mulch. Now that I know about Charles Dowding's method, I'll be doing a bit of a reset on my beds over the winter.

[@Cullen35]

We had the same issue around our garden and tried many methods including the sheet mulch perimeter. It did work but pulling the plants or constantly getting a wheel barrow of material was a lot of work. The method we have used for 3 years now with huge success was a version of the trench method. We hoe around the garden a dead zone about 12-18 inches wide every 2-3 weeks takes about 15 minutes and have zero grass get through in 3 years. We use a very sharp scuffle hoe to make the job very fast and easy and only do it when the soil is dry to make it easy. Thanks for sharing your experience and great story telling.

[@EatAtJoes]

It was so good that I didn't even realize 20 minutes had passed!

[@paulsmart5199]

Great to see an upload. Miss the regular vids

[@BackToReality]

This one took a lot longer than usual, unfortunately... But I'm trying really hard to make them more frequent.

[@nagasvoice8895]

We have struggled for years with Bermuda grass and Dallis grass. I completely understand the struggle to smother rhizomatous pests. I've adopted the cardboard smothering method, but it does require a lot of layers and a lot of vigilant re-applications.

[@danruinsfood4002]

Thanks for telling of the benefits of quackgrass. I'm learning about foraging for aomething new almost everyday, because in June everything is blooming, and so many wild edibles are easy to find!

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

You are very good at presentation . My hat is off to you . Good work , thank you.

[@mitchellcm87]

I love your videos! (Even 20 minutes about grass) I always learn so much and appreciate them! I'm in Eastern Ontario and I'm going on the hunt for this stuff in my ruth stout bed that you guys inspired 😄

[@RedHotFiat]

I have never had a garden that didn't have some quack grass. We tried the Ruth Stout method back in the 70's and again in the 90's but the slugs in Western Washington were overwhelming. I lay down boards on either side of my rows of plants and pull up the grass in the slot in between keeping the grass away from the plants as much as possible. Not a perfect system but good enough for me. Great video by the way. Thanks.

[@revelationsgoyl6939]

This is the most well done gardening video I've ever seen. By a large margin, actually.

[@personstuff3049]

Love your videos and continue to take inspiration from them. Great stuff

[@Zepman84]

This is a very informative and well-made video. Subscribed!

[@CarlosJimenez_93]

Your followers enjoy your videos and definitely wish there were more. Keep up the good work! God Bless!

[@dragonrider1467]

Loved the longer content, thanks so much!

[@SWGreenDesert]

I love your Présentation style and the way you deliver the information

[@HippieHillHomestead]

Very educational video. I plant clover,vetch and over 20 other green manures in my garden. They are very beneficial for an organic no till garden.

[@gloryrow100]

Great explanatory graphics...Thanks!

[@frithar]

Love you guys! And I love following your journey!

[@eMavern_Emporium]

This was really informative. I've been battling some really annoying grass with rhizomes in the backyard of our new little place and now I have a very good understanding of how it works and why I can't get rid of it. My neighbours have left their blocks vacant and it seems that's where it's coming from

[@eburro96]

Great graphics.......excellent presentation

[@lindseyhall7906]

This was the best video about my grassss problem! Thankkkk youuuu

[@laurajones3619]

Thank you for this video! I’m in Northwestern Ontario and have been fighting this grass for years. Three years ago I found our about no-till gardening. So at that time I put away my tiller and hand-dug and weeded a large section of garden that remained relatively free of quack grass until this year. Two years years ago I hand dug quack grass out of my most of my beds - but alas did not have the energy to hand dig my aisles. My garden was full of quackgrass. Last fall gave up and I tilled and tilled again - then put down several inches of composted manure and hand dug some areas. This fall my garden looks like a lawn. So... I starting hand-digging an area, built a raised permanent bed with a three foot border that I hand weeded and then on the border I placed two layers of cardboard covered with wood chips. I am going to try to enlarge that area and have one more bed with another 3 food border of cardboard and wood chips and then keep expanding using that technique. Your video has shown me that when I have quackgrass in that section I will weed and place more mulch there. Good know about using a tarp and letting the garden sit for a year. We just replaced the tarp on a big shelter and I will use the old tarp to cover one area of the garden. Onwards ... Love the quality of your videos and your research!

[@balanced4harvest552]

I'm in NWO, also, and use a Broadfork when developing my Garden Plots, setting aside the shaken out sod, and carefully looking for every tentacle of quack grass there is. I often think of people, chopping up the twitch, with a Rodeo Tiller, and magnifying they're problem. As many people have mentioned, it tends to grow in from the side's or pathways, so will have to use cardboard and use my stockpile of wood chips. Happy gardening.

[@Charito29NP]

Love this video! Thanks for all the work you do

[@Blackhuf]

Awesome Video! I as well covered my paths with hay to prevent grass from creeping into my beds :) I have to pull from time to time the grass poking through the paths mulch. But it's way easier, than having to weed between my plants in the beds ;) Keep up the good work, and I am really looking forward to the next video! Hopefully it won't take 2 months again :D

[@georgekahn3313]

Just one more excellent presentation Thankyou, great info.

[@Leeofthestorm]

excellent video, folks. I have to say that I have one more weed very similar in characteristics to quack grass that I would add to future 'I don't ever want this in my garden--Like ZERO TOLERANCE- and that is Canada Thistle. I have two other rhizome spreading grasses as well that can be troublesome. I have zero tolerance on all meadow grass species in my garden. I have actually been able to deal with all of them with repeated cardboard applications and weeding out when they show up. But you can not let up, and go on vacation. You have to be as relentless as they are. That is the way to beat them.

[@drawingmomentum]

I laid old carpeting on top and deprived them (and other invasive rhizome weeds) of all water and sun for about 4 months, starting late winter. They're as dead as dust and compost now. 😉 Love that u added that extra bit at the end! ❤

[@antoinebellande6273]

Hi and thanks for this great video! We have loads of those in my area in France. My approach as a small scale veggie farmer is to rotate between mulched crop (like onions), tarped crops (squash) and roots (potato). With mulch, I just pull it up a bit when I see quack grass so that the leaf sinks underneath and it seems to slow down eventually. Tarp seems to kill quack grass more efficiently than hay, even though it has other drawbacks. We I harvest roots, I also dig out rhizomes. I'm only a beginner (my 3rd year) but I thought I'd share this. Cheers!

[@federinik77]

You are the best! Good luck with your garden

[@normamead4511]

I am happy 😊 that I have raised beds. It's been very physical work for me but after your video it was well worth it. I am grad I found you again good 😊 luck with your garden.

[@transylvanianfarmer]

Glad you are doing the experiment! I have yet to find a way to get rid of it. It even went over (now I realize it was not through) our 6 ft mulch pile as it decomposed

[@laurieanne9712]

Always learn soooo much from your vids--thank you!

[@leynaabbey]

I use Ruth Stout's method in raised beds, but bc of my climate, killing this grass off requires several layers of cardboard; then covered with several layers of wood chips.

[@canucanoe2861]

Great presentation!

[@tomdonahue8110]

I don’t even have a garden but I just sat here mesmerized by your video. Outstanding presentation. I learned something about a topic I didn’t know anything about before watching. Thanks for posting!

[@bgram7866]

Ruth Stout fan here. Enjoyed this very much!

[@TheEydaos]

This is how I deal with bindweed. Constantly pulling the plants as they grow until they eventually give up and die off.

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

If you have the time, try to find the places where the bindweed has rooted. It makes a wiggly, thickened node where it roots, and if you don’t dig that out it’ll come back from the node.

[@rvmush3883]

Glad that has worked for you. Really I am. Unfortunately our bindweed issues have ignored all attempts

[@noracharles80]

I like to think of myself as an organic gardener. But, there are a couple of exceptions - bindweed and crabgrass/quack grass. I take extra large freezer bags and coil up the bindweed and gently stick it in. I then carefully spray the coiled bindweed with a vegetation killer (being very careful to not spray anything else) and gently zip close the bag. I leave enough room for the stem to not be pinched by the bag. I stick the plastic bag under foliage or mulch as to not be seen. This really works. It is actually the only way I have been successful with full eradication of bindweed. For crabgrass/quack grass, I paint the green leaves (on a hot sunny day) with vegetation killer using a 1 inch paint brush. I make sure I have an old towel with several layers of paper towels to catch any drips to protect other plants and not contaminate the soil. I paint the entire stock. Ask me if I feel guilty. Not one bit! But, I like to do it when the neighbors are at work. 😉 Other than this, everything I do is organic.

[@Djnarko921]

I love your videos, inspiring, I would love to see more of them.

[@alext5630]

arguably one of the best videos I watched on youtube.... (being in Canada and interested in gras (obviously since it is the worst)) Personally #1 and 2 I let them grow, unless anoying...even in pot on balcony.... usually they give more than they get :)

[@RageDeRuin]

Thank goodness for this video, i was about to cry when I realized how bad of a problem I had 😅 i have hope now!

[@MrMawnster]

I take advantage of those types of grasses in my grazing operation. Anything that has a rhizome smooth bromegrass etc are able to penetrate where I bale graze in the winter. That method leaves a mulch which is how I fertilize areas of my pastures. Quackgrass can be outcompeted by smooth bromegrass and others if I graze it right but where it dominates I try not to lose too much sleep because it's a cool season grass and although not as productive it's high in protein when it's vegetative and not stressed lol

[@keralee]

Yes!! Animals and grasses are meant for each other!

[@sikamikan]

great video and info, thanks for sharing!

[@itagbbnnews247]

Learned a lot and didn't think I'd watch 'til the end.....but I did

[@chance1986]

Very informative video. I once had a quackgrass infestation in a perennial bed. Year after year I removed as many rhizomes as I could find. But eventually, I had to dig out several perennials, remove rhizomes from their roots, and then replant them -- hopefully without any fragments. It eventually worked.

[@rachelbrodeur2600]

So, so informative. Thank you so much!

[@travelinthru9519]

Welcome back

[@BackToReality]

Thanks!! This video took.... forever. lol

[@mattschoessler9944]

Excellent video...As Always.

[@LBurnsy]

Good vibes your way! Love you guys! 👨‍🌾💕👩🏼‍🌾