Battle With Crabgrass -- Part 2

 

Photo A

Photo above shows the Quack Grass on the base of this rose bush.

I don't mind Quack Grass in our lawn as long as it does not invade our flower garden but that is what it likes to do.  Its rhizomes hide under the plant roots and if you pull the stem and rhizomes, it breaks off easily so that it's ready to re-sprout again on the same spot.

 

Photo B

Photo above shows the roots of the rose bush after cleaning out the Quack Grass rhizomes that had web themselves under the rose bush root system and along  the Rose's root lines.  The scissors shows where I trimmed the dead extra root hair of the rose bush to prepare it to accept fresh dirt.

There is a ray of hope as shown on the photo below:

Photo C

The invasive grass rhizomes are eliminated on the  rose bush roots and surrounding area up to 12 inches or more away from the roots of the rose bush.

 Photo D

A trench is dug 12 plus inches away from the rose bush to prevent Quack Grass roots from surrounding lawn to cross over and invade the rose bush again.  This photo gives me  hope that there is an end to this battle against quack grass.  Rich dirt is placed around rose bush and then mulched over it. to keep moisture on the roots of this Rose but not on the trenched and surrounding area.  The rest of the garden bed where the lilies and other bulbous plants are removed will be left bare and the soil will be dug and turned over to expose remaining rhizomes/roots to the sun and kill them. 

Battle With Quack Grass -- Part 1

Quack grass invaded my mom-in-law's garden and I'm set out to redo the garden and eliminate the invader.  This is not easy because the Quack Grass rhizomes which  stay deep underneath the ground, under ornamental plants roots, concrete, tree roots, weed blocks etc. remain alive and find their way through cracks and gaps between the mentioned obstacles and sprout out.  I can pull the immerging sprouts showing through the ground but I know that there are more roots remaining under neath the earth.

I don't want to use herbicide so here is my plan:

1. Dig out plants that can be transferred to flower pots, (Day Lilies, Daffodils, tulips).
2. Dig the earth to expose the roots and let the heat of the sun kill them by dehydration.
3.  Make a raised narrow flower bed, ( no more that 20 inches wide) surrounding the existing flowering bush such as roses, butterfly bush etc.
4. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO USE EDGING OR WEEDBLOCK AS THIS WILL ONLY BE USED BY THE QUACK GRASS ROOTS TO HIDE UNDER, instead dig a 4 to 6 inch deep trench around the flower bed.  
5. Monitor this trench and remove any Quack grass roots that is trying to cross over the garden area.  Quack Grass rhizomes seek damp soil to keep the roots alive and it cannot cross over a dry soil, so keep the trench dry.  Water only on the middle of the flower bed or directly over the plants.
6. Inspect individual plants often and remove new sprouts/rhizomes of  Quack Grass.  
7. Mulch minimally and apply it only at the bases of ornamental plants.  Keep the open areas in the flower bed dry and without mulch.  Inspect the base of the plant for the presence of Quack Grass often and remove rhizomes as soon as detected.

Day 3 of the Battle against Quack Grass:  I have dug most of the plants that can be potted, except another clump of Day Lilies.  I'm on number 2 on my plan.  Hopefully, I can finish digging up and re-potting the remaining Day Lilies today.