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fernisland

Quackgrass problem!

fernisland
16 years ago

I have a large (50' x 60') vegie & flower garden. It is fenced against deer & rabbits w. wire fencing & surrounded by grass (lawn on 2 sides, field on 2 sides). My worst problem is tall grasses growing under & through the fence. The rhizomes of Quackgrass grow under the fence & invade; that & the other grasses grow tall & weave through the fencing & drop seeds into the garden. Bad, bad, bad.

I do NOT want to use herbicides, as I have a chemically-sensitive neighbor who has major problems with even traces of this stuff (I used to use Round-Up & it worked great, but now I am more aware...). I do mow on all sides, but because of the fence-posts I can't get the mower right up to the wire. I also weed-whack when I can get to it, but I would like to be able to eliminate the weed-whacking because the string has cut the fence wire (!).

I have tried a 6" deep vertical barrier to stop the rhizomes. They go under it; I need something wider. 10" aluminum flashing is way too pricey. "Carpet runner" has been suggested in this forum -- does anybody know what they mean by "carpet runner?"

I have also dug out, with great labor, a clear trench around the perimeter of part of the garden. That works for a while, until stuff sprouts in the trench. I think a cardboard & sawdust or wood-chip mulch in the trench might at least make the grasses easier to pull (one wheel of the mower could ride on the chips), but I have been told that the lawn-mower will blow away the chips. Anybody have experience with this solution?

Any ideas? Thanks!

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