permaculture

[Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>]

Hi,
   
  I’m not sure if the term "crab grass" is used in the US. Anyway, it is
  the kind of grass that propagates by whitish rhizomes underground,
  by runners on the surface and by seeds. It is extremely invasive during
  the summer and goes dormant during the winter.
   
  Whenever I dig out some of this grass from my vegetable garden I’m
  astonished by the quality of the soil which seems to be far superior in
  places with crab grass than in places without. I always regret having 
  to disturb the soil and thereby destroying its structure in addition to 
  removing the organic matter of the grass itself.
   
  Hence I wonder, is there any way of controlling crab grass, for example
  by crowding out or by means of allelophatic properties? Or better still,
  are there any crops that can compete with crab grass during the
  summer, which would allow me to leave the grass in the soil?
   
  Dieter Brand
  Portugal

       
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