Couch grass in raspberry canes

[DanO'Reilly]

On my allotment I have an area of raspberry canes (all inherited) and the couch grass all but smothers them. I keep the grass down with a strimmer but would love to eradicate it. Apart from diggin the grass up and maybe damaging the raspberries' roots, any other suggestions welcome.

[Cmitchell]

I can tell you that when I did my Biology A level I learnt that couch grass is a MONOCOT, and there are some herbicides (i.e. weed killers) that just kill monocots, though whether these are safe to use near plants (and the fruits) that you will be using/eating, I do not know.

I hope this helps you

C

[WendyS]

Couch grass is the very devil but painful though it is I do think that digging it all up is really the best answer. Once you have got the area clear any further invasions will be a lot easier to get under control.
I worry about the effect of any weedkillers near fruit and vegetables I'm going to eat and think the fork and spade will probably be the most healthy way of dealing with it. Just think of the calories you will burn off in the process !