Still the Biggest Challenge We've Had on the Homestead - Trees /Bushes vs. Quack (Witch) Grass

More on our continued battle with quack grass to try to save our trees and bushes from being killed by this terrible grass. Finally we are having some success! The ag plastic we are using - farmplasticsup...
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Join Fy Nyth on social media - mewe.com/i/fynyth ! If you are new to my channel and Fy Nyth (Welsh for "My Nest") in general, welcome! I'm Ariel. Along with my husband Clay, our dogs, cats, bees, and some poultry, we live in a tiny house on wheels in the mountains of western Wyoming and are working on setting into our own new little homestead. I've been living this lifestyle since 2014 and my wonderful partner has joined me more recently. What will you find if you follow the channel and watch the videos?
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[@chrismoore9686]

Ariel you are the best dressed gardener in North America!!!

[@sgrvtl7183]

love her blue dress!

[@sallylawson6742]

That man knows how to work!!!! God bless you both.

[@rimonagale1625]

What an insane amount of work! Glad you came up with a solution that works after all the trials.

[@littlehomeinthevalley]

So sorry you've had to deal with this for so long, but I'm continuously learning so much from you. Thank you for always showing the realities of homesteading. ❤

[@EnglishCoach3Ts]

Wow! Tons of work! You are both inspiring! I love the last show of Clay working with the sunset behind him 😍

[@suepeterson5675]

Love all your videos. Thank you for sharing.

[@sharvo6]

I hope the fruit from your orchard is extra sweet considering all the trouble you've had to go through!

[@joannewolfe5688]

We have quack grass here in Appalachia, too. I call it witch grass. Nasty, nasty stuff.

[@FyNyth]

Indeed! I'm sorry you have it too.

[@magamutts5726]

Just wow, Clay is right, that grass is positively evil. Worse than Bamboo. What an incredible amount of work you’ve done, I’m in awe over your tenacious efforts. Thanks so much for sharing, I think you’re going to help a lot of people.

[@marianfrances4959]

Wow....sure hope those trees and bushes win! 😳👍😎🇨🇦🌱

[@FyNyth]

Me too!

[@tolowreading6807]

Since you showed us the potato with the root going through it, The thought of these malevolent plants being baked into something potentially useful is very satisfying.

[@lizspencer605]

If you put large chunk wood chips on top of the the plastic it looks prettier and protects the plastic from the UV rays which destroy it. It also keeps it held down so wind doesn't blow it away.

[@robingoldman5944]

We have quack grass here in Southern Indiana! It is truly a nightmare!😢 It will even go thru concrete!!!

[@FyNyth]

It's pretty incredible the power it has!

[@reannejarvis9464]

I have heard that French marigolds help control the cooch grass. Haven’t tried them myself but have pulled, dug, and poisoned and mulched them in the past. Along with many swear words. Good luck 🇦🇺🎸⚡️🤘🏾🤘🏼💋💜

[@maryhart637]

Will you have to put the plastic over the entire property? Would you start from the perimeter to keep the quack grass intruding from adjacent land and work your way across your land? What a nightmare!!!

[@FyNyth]

It's gradually getting more and more covered and one day we might get the whole thing.

[@dfhepner]

Put the plastic at odd angles to mess with the OCD of Google satellite views. Growing up we would put clear plastic down over the grass in California to burn the grass with the hot sun.

[@zzydny]

Such a heartbreaking problem and worse that it calls for backbreaking work to deal with!

[@FyNyth]

It's certainly complicated almost everything we've tried to do here!

[@cricketmcclure3458]

OMGoodness! Happy to see - that such a vilified material (plastic) has found a 'positive' use . . . thanx for sharing your great efforts/results!

[@poodledaddles1091]

Wow the wind really blew that plastic up pretty quick just like you said!

[@vikkirobinson4131]

Finally bothered to google "quack grass" and found out it is what I know as couch grass (Locally at least, in my area of the UK, pronounced cooch grass). Very familiar with it, annoying if it gets in a flower bed.

[@Panzerman1951]

Hi guys. Fully understand your frustration with Quack grass, also known as "Couch Grass" here in the UK. We took over a large plot of land (nowhere near the size of yours😂) and recall the problems clearing the ground of thistles, couch grass etc. We couldn't use a rotorvator since this would simply chop up the roots so it had to be dug and forked by hand. It was a long job but we cleared it. The grass is the stuff of nightmares for gardening. Really enjoy your vlogs and have been watching them for a long time. Stay safe guys. Sid and Nicola, Rugby UK.

[@allegrosotto2126]

As a retired gardener I’ve had dealings with this invading garden beds. Curious, I just checked if it is still recommended as a lawn in Australia- and yes, Santa Ana couch is still recommended for its drought tolerance, with a little warning it could be invasive! I wish you well in your persistence and yes, solarising it with plastic is a good method albeit not foolproof 👍

[@FyNyth]

Hmm... I think Santa Ana couch is a different grass but I could see that it could also be a problem in some climates. www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/quackgrass

[@carolluther1625]

Reminds you of crab grass network. Have been working in a friend's garden, and hers has lots of crab grass and briars!

[@FyNyth]

That also sounds like a pain to deal with!

[@carolluther1625]

@@FyNyth it has been.

[@PasailaSorin-p1k]

Fusilade Super or Pantera are the name of herbicide used in Europe for that weed. Will not harm any tree and most of legumes.

[@iartistdotme]

I would have enjoyed it more IF I had a piece of that cake. At least I have the directions for making it and thanks Mom.

[@mags102755]

Wow what a magilla! I'll stay hopeful that it all works for you.

[@heatherclayton-callaghan4270]

It sounds awfully like what we call nutgrass here in S.E. Queensland Australia !!! Is sooooo pervasive and time consuming to try and eradicate. I can certainly feel your pain. Do hope n pray you're successful in removing this devil grass !!!!

[@GrannyS217]

You two are amazing! I hope all this work pays off and you rid yourself of this pest! I enjoy all your videos! 💕🇺🇸💕

[@FyNyth]

Aww thanks. We hope so too!

[@futurekron]

What a beautiful location you have!

[@christineb8148]

You two are remarkable! If someone had bought infested property but had not yet inhabited or planted, could it be intentionally overgrazed to the point of eradicating it?

[@Johnsoncrna]

Do you plan to eventually cover the entire property with plastic and hopefully eradicate the quack grass once and for all?

[@FyNyth]

We might well get there eventually. There's a lot of the property covered now and I am sure that will keep expanding.

[@novampires223]

It's in Oregon Willamette valley too, I moved to Southern Oregon and to my delight it doesn't grow here. (On my property) I will make sure it doesn't come in with potted plants after hearing how evil it is.. jeez, good luck.

[@lostcreekcabin2021]

Hello Ariel. I live in Ontario Canada and wow the same problem exists here. I researched that quack grass generally dont grow deeper than 8 to 10 inches below the surface. Im experimenting with planting trees / bushes with a " collar " that reaches a foot below the surface. 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

[@prairielavender]

I live in Alberta and I will argue that it goes way deeper than 10 inches! When we excavated for a new basement we found roots more than three feet down. Miserable, cantankerous, evil stuff!! Yes, we have had it digging into potatoes, through wood and into porous concrete.

[@FyNyth]

Here it seems to mostly stay in the top 6 inches or so unless it's working to strangle a tree or something similar and then it will chase the other plants roots strait down. I hope your collar solution works, I would love to hear your results!

[@rosecarpenter5112]

Y’all work well together. Sorry about the terrible quack grass in your area!

[@PetulaGuimaraes]

Unfortunately the plastic will also hurt the tree, as they need a wide bert radius of soil so it would breathe. Hopefully it would be enough to kill the grass

[@cindycampbell807]

We have crabgrass here in Missouri don’t know if it’s the same but I’ve lived on my property 35 yrs and still fighting it very invasive but hasn’t killed my trees so Must not be the same wow that’s unreal maybe is man made lol

[@FyNyth]

Crabgrass is a big problem in warmer areas I know but is a different thing than quackgrass. I'm sorry you are dealing with that!

[@MinnTee]

I just spent 4 hours pulling out quack grass from a new garden bed I want to put in. Every single garden I have battled it in every garden I have put in. Every time I start a new bed, I wonder if it is worth it. Good luck to you. I am in southern Minnesota.

[@kirstinseaver574]

Couch grass in Australia… cover with tarps and solarise 6 months ahead of planting… then mineralise and condition your soil with fungi dominant compost. Dig a trench around each tree to air prune any stray grass roots. Patience is a virtue 🌱🙏

[@lynh8378]

That grass is just evil. Nice work keeping it away!

[@pennypeace-cornelius191]

This looks like it has been a tough opponent. It reminded me of the voles that was eating all you root plants. Glad you and Clay are winning the battle

[@jar407]

very pretty dress and show the 2 of you are not afraid of hard work . wonder if cattle. Or goats eat the grasses . check out goats see if there's anyone in area who have them in TN GA area a man with flock of goats made headway with kudzu weed

[@Diligent-dp7gi]

I really appreciate and LOOK Forward to seeing ALL of your Videos. : ) You TWO are Amazing & Incredible : ) : )

[@cindy2252]

What a cancer; if anyone can battle this is you two. 🙏🏻

[@annalinekennedy1027]

O my world ,what a job .good luck.❤

[@danjones3176]

We call that plastic panda film or panda plastic here in Northern California, people use it on greenhouses for light dep crops.

[@tinkerbell9396]

What a horrible nightmare 🤦 I agree with Clay 💯 % concerning the origins of the grass in question. Beautiful land, I remember your video with that horrid weed and your potatoes, stabbed the potato right through 😲 I hope you two get to put your feet up for a second before summer harvest time! 👍

[@FyNyth]

Maybe some day! Right now we seem to be always busy, but we are finally getting caught up on things that need done.

[@kendrab.1009]

And here I was thinking our Crabgrass was something nasty 😆… thanks for sharing! This was very interesting. Also, the mountains behind you are so beautiful!!

[@FyNyth]

Crabgrass I know can be quite a pain in warmer areas!

[@noramax2925]

Greetings from Wisconsin. We are familiar with the digging up procedure and have plenty of the “evil quack grass” here in this state. Your place is looking fabulous. You two are such hard workers. Thank you for sharing your lives.

[@FyNyth]

I'm sorry that you have to deal with this too!

[@dorisharrison9885]

Thank you,very informative didn't have any idea😊❣️🌷🌻🇺🇸

[@loispatrick2594]

You are both incredibly hard workers. I hope this 'hard yakka' will fade in time as you literally enjoy the fruits of your labour in the future! 💜

[@papajeff5486]

I think you have been hard on the Quack Grass. Hopefully, this helps. So sorry for the loss of top soil and the hard work you’ve had to do. SMH, this hurts my heart for you and the work you’ve done. So thankful that you and Clay are able to be such fine helpmates.

[@Flowergurl2000]

California has Bermuda grass, I feel your pain. I am on year one of 3 acres.

[@FyNyth]

Best wishes with managing that. I've heard it can be quite a pain too!

[@jennywagner2448]

so happy for you to finally be winning the war against that horrible grass!!! a lot of work but in the end so worth all your efforts! ♥

[@nancymarquino697]

Thanks for showing us this whole process and how you've been thinking through this problem. Such a great teacher!

[@franceslh9648]

How is Burley doing ?

[@FyNyth]

Really well considering. Something is still loose in the back of his jaw but so far it's not bothering him. And most of the time you can't tell at all that he's mostly blind.

[@cherylbertolini3140]

we have Johnson grass here it grows the same way:(

[@sgrvtl7183]

Thank you for all your detailed information and visual demonstration of the Quack grass. No doubt it is GMO!! Bless You for all your hard work💚

[@UpperSkyDJ]

Thanks for sharing your process, especially the corner tucking/holding technique.

[@stellaunger8568]

What an amazing amount of work. Thank you for sharing, you’ve taught us so much. ❤️😁🌹

[@3rubberboats]

Research on spraying vinegar on the grass to kill that Quack witch grass. Just a thought.

[@katherinekelly5380]

We have always lived with quackgrass but nothing like what you are experiencing- given what you know now, if someone facing a similar invasion of this grass and wanted to plant an orchard, would you recommend they cover the whole area with the agbag plastic for a year first before planting any trees? Maybe using a backhoe to take off the sod first? I was thinking year 2 would be cutting holes in the fabric to plant the tree and then putting the removed plastic back around the tree -thanks

[@misciasimmons5337]

Thank you for this video. I had never heard of it, but this explains something I had an issue with when we bought our home. The neighbour called it strangle grass, it was in one area of our yard and was horrible. We are in TN. No cue how we had some of this, but we did. I would dig it up or pull it up and it would come back. Killed several bushes and roses. It is all gone now. I am guessing the fact we are hotter did it in.

[@allegrosotto2126]

I’m in Australia and even in the hottest parts it survives.

[@FyNyth]

I'm sorry for everyone else who has had to deal with this too!

[@IamDoogy]

I had no idea grass could be evil!

[@FyNyth]

Me neither!

[@loribruning6217]

In our family, we call it devil weed.

[@FyNyth]

A fitting name!

[@wildflowerwind6941]

Would it help to have a machine like a Bobcat with an attachment to scrap off the crab grass so you don't have to do so much by hand?

[@alex31p]

Horrible problem. Here in the deep south we have an equivalent demon, cogon grass. Destroys kills suffocates just like your quack grass.

[@donnalaughlinhogan3819]

Perfect idea to kill your quack grass …..lots of work ….your a great team ♥️🇨🇦

[@debyrah]

Question! If you had known before moving or planting anything on this land that there was so much quack grass, could you have done a 'controlled burn'? I know nothing about quack grass, but I know burns are used successfully by farmers and ranchers. Just curious.

[@CherylAnderson-qs4iq]

Have you considered killing the grass with a 30% acidity Horticultural vinegar? Most vinegars we use in cooking, marinades & vinaigrettes are about 5% or 6% acidity. Great caution must be used when spraying to protect skin & eyes. If it gets on clothing or shoes, they must be removed immediately to avoid severe burns. It is best to wear special gear to avoid a speedy trip to a hospital. Instead of using a shovel in that hard soil, you might have better luck with a pick ax or mattock to dig down 6" or 8 " after removing quack grass, roots & all with Horticultural vinegar, then, after waiting to see if grass has been successfully removed, loosen soil to a good depth & amend soil with abundant compost with aged manure, after watering generously to flush out vinegar, once its done its job.

[@lindaryan4148]

Really look up to u guys for ur work ethic. I’m exhausted watching the video!

[@angelat4639]

Thats really pure madness! I am so sorry for you! So do you leave that plastic now until it decays? Will you try to kill the quack grass in between the plastic squares or is that just not possible? I must say, the name quack grass sounds very nice, you know, like the noise, that ducks make. I don´t know who came up with that name, but that person is a bit of a joker!

[@lindakrieger6667]

Could you find a tree or landscaping company, or many companies to drop their chipped wood and leaves to your homestead. Then you could pile a foot of wood or leaves over the whole fruit forests. Essential cutting off all light and creating a deep wood effect that it could not live in. Many companies want to get rid of it for free. Ask you Could buy a chopper and chip a bunch of that free wood you guys get. Just an idea. Sorry you’re dealing with this nightmare.

[@joansmith3492]

Get a root slayer shovel to get though it. Hopefully you have tarps down for future gardens. I have to have a tarp or cardboard down for a year to stop Bermuda grass. It takes longer for nutsedge.

[@potpourrioflife]

Lots of work. With prayer, I hope this provides the orchard you desire.

[@craig9843]

That stuff is terrible. I remember you speaking about it sometime ago and I thought the Bermuda grass that we have here in Georgia was bad and it is bad but hope you guys can get it under control.

[@poodledaddles1091]

I killed a mature redbud tree within a year similar process using a tarp. In zone 5 b I’m pretty sure i suffocated the roots.

[@PetulaGuimaraes]

I forgot to say I also have that horrible grass here in Quebec and I've spent a season with a cover tarp then once I removed it i also removed the white roots. It's evil and difficult. Some people plant it in their yard to have easy turf. Such a waste of a plant, not native!!

[@jerrystout3032]

Outstanding job guys 👍!😇!😇!

[@Harleyanne774]

I fight crabgrass every year. It pulls up easily but it’s a constant battle. It grows in a rosette form iit will take over my yard if I do not keep up with it. So far I’ve been able to control most of it.

[@pamelahansen5928]

What a nightmare- thank you for this video as I live at forty five thousand feet in Utah and hoping I never see that grass ever 😳Did the clover you planted also get chocked out?

[@amyfaith2350]

It looks like morning glories. They killed my garden. I had to move to raised garden beds.

[@FyNyth]

I'm sorry, that sounds like quite a pain too.

[@Beefoulkes]

Wpulsit be worth getting goats to keep it eaten down?

[@jamesandrew4859]

That was very informative. Not sure if it would be feasible, but wouldn't it be nice to get completely rid of the Quack Grass and re-establish native grasses?

[@amilawstudent]

Per the usual your hard work is awe inspiring. I'm wondering however is the plan to replace the plastic every few years? Because with this grass being this invasive wouldn't you essentially have to keep them protected forever?

[@FyNyth]

Eventually things like trees should get big enough to shade it out and out compete it. But smaller things will probably always need to be protected.

[@amilawstudent]

@@FyNyth I wish there was a way to get rid of it from your property entirely. But even if you cleared a section every year it would probably come in from the neighboring property surrounding you? And presumably you don't want to spend the vast majority of every summer of your life fighting this stuff to get rid of it entirely. You both are working so hard on this! It's looking very promising based of off all your tests. 🙏💜 🎉 🎊

[@cathymiller5540]

How do the tree roots get water? How are you protecting your raised beds in the garden? Your efforts are successful and truly amazing!

[@FyNyth]

They seem to be fine with just watering through the center holes, but we have the ability to flood irrigate the orchard so it's very easy to get moisture under there.

[@yellowboot6629]

❣️❣️

[@melaniehefner948]

Did you say that you can make that waste of crack grass will turn into top soil?This is so interesting. Wow, sunup to sundown!

[@wildflowerwind6941]

Would burning the quack grass kill it? Doubt it. Hope the tree roots get enough rain/moisture.

[@leevargo8840]

Burning doesn’t kill it. I tried!

[@davidcox3076]

Y'all have done a tremendous amount of work around your homestead. I hate to see you're still struggling with the grass.

[@carolynsilvers9999]

I wonder if there are any live stock animals that would eat it...I do remember the endless fight with goat heads in central wyoming.

[@mintysmom-nell5114]

I think she said once there isn’t. Even if there was it wouldn’t get the roots. It only takes a little bit of root to start growing again.

[@merinzz]

What a terrible plant. Let’s hope you are able to beat it.

[@user-rc4zk1zs7g]

I hope you reach a steady state with this soon so that it doesn't take up so much of your time.

[@FyNyth]

Me too!

[@cindycampbell807]

Wonder if goats would rid the land of if ?

[@FyNyth]

I love goats. But they would certainly eat all our trees and bushes down. Nothing seems to like eating quack grass and will usually refuse to do so unless starved of all other food. Cows when forced to eat it will loose weight so it doesn't seem good for much.

[@BrLambert]

I was thinking how evil the grass is until you said it. How did the hay grow (I think you mentioned it was a hayfield) I wonder.

[@FyNyth]

I suspect this place was way overgrazed and damaged in the past and that allowed the quackgrass to get started. And it then proceeded to kill almost everything else that was trying to grow. Quackgrass can destroy almost all good hay plants.

[@detour7790]

I wonder if burning the grass with a propane torch would work.

[@heatherclayton-callaghan4270]

You'd only burn the grass above ground and the problem is in the roots. Burning won't kill the roots underground.

[@FyNyth]

I did try this in our gravel lane several times and it regrew within about one day and acted as if the charing fertilized it.

[@solitarybea]

would you mind letting me know what sort of electric four wheeler you guys got? been trying to find one for our homestead. thanks upfront!

[@FyNyth]

You can see more about it starting at about 35 minutes in this videos - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKaQhHuXaNuUg7c . We got it second hand and non functioning and replaced all the batteries and wiring. Now it works great! It's an older Polaris Ranger EV. The new ones are insanely expensive!

[@solitarybea]

@@FyNyth thanks so much for taking the time to respond, somehow i havent come across these before.

[@JaffaGaffa]

Congrats

[@wilde1909]

Is there a quack killer that you can spray between your pieces of plastic?

[@FyNyth]

Some chemicals that sterilize the ground long term do seem to kill it, but we would risk killing all the trees too if we used them.

[@dennismatthews6660]

Thank you

[@lisanorris6518]

WOW!