Plant encyclopedia›couch grass

couch grass

Also known as: felt; lagoon grass; quack grass; quitch grass; scutch; shelly grass; skally grass; squitch grass; twitch; twitch grass; witch grass

A fast-growing perennial grass with pale, hairy sheaths on the lower leaves and flat green leaf blades to 40cm long. Produces upright flower spikes to 120cm high in late summer. Each plant forms a dense network of pale yellow or straw-coloured rhizomatous roots, that enable it to spread rapidly in lawns and borders

Scientific classification

Species: couch grass (Elymus repens)
Genus: Elymus
Family: Poaceae

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Toxicity: Grass Like
Plant type: 1-1.5 metres
Height: 0.5-1 metres
Spread: Deciduous
Foliage: Clump forming
Habit: Spring · Summer · Autumn
Season of interest: Full sun
Sunlight: Information to be completed
Ideal temperature

couch grass pictures

Distribution of couch grass

Distribution map

Temperate N. Hemisphere

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Culture

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Toxicity

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Quick identification of couch grass

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couch grass care guide

Moderate regular watering, allowing brief slight drying between soakings
Watering: Full sun
Sunlight: Information to be completed
Ideal temperature

Watering

Moderate regular watering, allowing brief slight drying between soakings

Fertilizing

Balanced perennial feed every four weeks from spring through summer

Pruning

Cutting can encourage tillering

Propagation

Propagates predominantly by spreading rhizomes (underground roots), although seed is also produced and can remain viable in the soil for some years

Growing

Growth begins early in spring, which can allow this plant to out-compete others that may need warmer temperatures; because of this and its ability to spread rapidly underground, it is often considered a weed. Roots are fairly shallow, so forking out may be possible in lighter soils, though any remaining fragments of rhizome may re-grow

More growing and care information →