# Couch grass and pruning



## VinhoVerde (May 2, 2014)

I thought I saw a thread about this somewhere... but my searches turned up nothing. If someone could please point me in the right direction....thanks!

The question is how to control couch grass without using pesticides or weed eaters or mowing. I have 1 ha to keep under control. A heavy roller? A heavy chain harrow? Sheep/goats? Black plastic covers? Cover crop or ground cover like thyme or lavender (I like that option, but it would take time to implement, thus leaving me with the original problem for some period of time...) What time of the year to intervene?

Can anyone advise me of quick and easy instructions on how to:
1. prune vines;
2. prune olives; and 
3. prune fruit trees?

Thanks!
VV


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

I've got or had similar problems. 

I considered buying a mini tractor to maintain the land but it's a lot of money for something you won't use often and you have to store and maintain the darn thing all year. - You can also find a neighbour with a tractor but that's fairly expensive as well...... a friend of mine recently had to pay almost €100 to plough a piece of land that was only about 100m x 50m.

with the grass you can either strim it yourself or you can use the Floresta people who are the guys that drive around in the bright yellow 4x4 pick up trucks with a load bed full of strimmers. 

I think they're part of each individual camara and €30 buys you 5 guys with strimmers for 1 hour which is incredibly cheap. - I think that charge is pretty much standard throughout the country. 

The guys in my area go at it like bulls in a china shop so I'd recommend you strim around new trees etc before they come otherwise you might lose a few. 

Regarding sheep and goats, they work well but are a tie and both but especially goats, require a bit of looking after as in given shelter in wet or cold weather. - Goats will eat anything and everything they can get to so you need to protect anything you don't want them to eat.

Another option is chickens or ducks and of the two, ducks are (IMO) more entertaining and easier to live with but both do also require shelter at night and in inclement weather and funnily enough, I'm going to start my duck experiment this week. 

Pruning: All I've done is look at what my neighbours have done and copied that but the main principle for fruit trees seems to be to cut out the centre, and prune back hard. 

With olives, they seem to more or less cut out last year's growth and with vines, cut from just above the first bud of new growth and tie everything back. 

I guess my pruning descriptions probably aren't very accurate but you an always consult that nice Mr Google for more accurate advice. 

FWIW, I did a deal with my neighbour when I first came here for her to prune and maintain all my grapes every year and she can then take all the grapes in exchange and that works very well for us both....... she also gives me an occasional bottle of wine as do several other neighbours. - One of the reasons I'm getting the ducks is so I can give them something in return.

Just a quick note on strimmers: If you do have to buy one, buy a good quality known make such as Kawasaki or Stihl because you'll be able to buy spares for them. - The cheap Chinese ones are a complete waste of money and with blades, the 3 bladed ones are useless because you lose too much of your cutting edge and that makes it helluva hard and slow work. 

The flat two bladed ones are best for grass and the ones with the down turned ends are the dog's doo dah's for heavy stuff such as brambles etc.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Couch grass is the very devil.

DO NOT, repeat NOT, use any method that is likely to leave the slightest trace of root in or on the ground because it will regenerate. The only really successful way to get rid of it, is chemical.


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## BodgieMcBodge (Mar 8, 2013)

All depends on the reason for pruning and the present condition

1. prune vines; Are these decorative as in old gnarled trunk with foliage draped overhead as a dappled sunshade? 
2. prune olives; Are these presently used for olive production or ornamental, how big are they and when were they last picked/pruned ?
3. prune fruit trees? Are these for fruit production as in an orchard or ornamental, what type of fruit, apples? mangos? loquats ?


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## Tellus (Nov 24, 2013)

Best way I think is mustard - Sinapis arvensis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
because it 's fast growing, leaves "spend" shadow, couch grass leaves will dry up. 
Don't work with any tools to the soil, you will increase rhizomes.


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## VinhoVerde (May 2, 2014)

Wow, I feel just such a Complete Novice! I really appreciate the replies, thanks all! The trees and vines are not ornamental, but I do not contemplate serious production of anything other than for my own consumption. Basically, I'd like to engage in a holding pattern for now, maintaining the trees and vines in modest condition while learning the ropes and cleaning out the wells and putting in swales and dealing with grass fire risk and wondering whether I should get a dog or a cat or both or ducks (always liked them!) or geese, etc. Though there might yet be more questions, these are some very useful options to consider!


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Geese will eat a lot of grass but I'm told they only give eggs for something like 2 or 3 months a year whereas most ducks will average almost an egg a day. 

I'd say the most cost effective way to get a lot of grass cut is the Floresta guys.- There' no overheads such as fencing or food and for €30 for 5 guys with strimmers for 1 hour, it's fantastic value for money........ not as much fun as ducks though. LOL!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Grape-vines should be pruned on 25th January in honour of some Saint (can't remember which one).


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

If you get to know your neighbours you may well find someone willing to look after the grapes and olives in exchange for keeping some or all of the crop.


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## Centralbound (Aug 16, 2013)

Couch grass, nightmare. I agree with the chemical solution and it might take a couple of years. You or someone else *will* be strimming for general upkeep, it's a way of life. As said, don't buy a cheap strimmer.

It's too late to prune stone fruit unless your neighbours are doing it. Good time for the olives though. Dense olives are pest havens and burn the cuttings now while you can. Hard prune one year, better crop the next. Prune again after harvest. Vines marginal now but if there is a week or so of coldish weather before the buds break you can go for it - hard to kill a vine. Burn these cutting too.

Lots of good stuff on youtube about pruning.

A Ha is an immense amount of work btw. It's going to keep you busy.


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## Centralbound (Aug 16, 2013)

If you get ducks or chooks you'll need a dog to keep the predators off, and a cat for the vermin. This ties you to your land of course.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Centralbound said:


> If you get ducks or chooks you'll need a dog to keep the predators off, and a cat for the vermin. This ties you to your land of course.


Not at all sure I'd agree about the need for dogs to keep the predators away...... fence them in right and it's unlikely anything will get in and/or have a goose or two and they'll be a better alarm signal than a dog. 

Obviously not a good idea to leave birds out all night but have a good fenced area for the daytime and a secure bird house for the night and they should be OK.


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## longbow (Feb 8, 2015)

Twitch or couch grass is no good to man nor beast, there is only two ways to kill it, both hard work. Chemical or mechanical.
Spray with approved chemical, sorry can't spell it, gardeners version in UK roundup kills all green matter but does when touch's brown (soil)
Mechanical ideally plough then disc two weeks later disc again at 90 degrees and carry on like this until you have killed the expletive stuff.
It spreads by seed and rhizome and every cell has the ability to reproduce


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## longbow (Feb 8, 2015)

Sorry late at night and lambing
When I said does when touch's brown should have read dies.
When discing should be done 2 weekly about, usually when you see new shoots coming through soil.
Sorry these are the only ways that work its a b........... I hate it.


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## VinhoVerde (May 2, 2014)

Looks like I have my work cut out for me then! Thanks all, for your input.
VV


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