Couch grass is a vigorous, spreading perennial grass, which becomes a serious weed problem wherever it colonises. Once it gets a hold in your garden, it can quickly spread everywhere.
It looks pretty much like any other tufted grass, producing large, coarse clumps – making it unsuitable as a lawn grass. But the main problem is underground, where its mainly white, creeping, perennial “roots” – actually underground stems or rhizomes – grow rampantly through the soil to form thick mats of roots. These produce new clumps of leaves wherever they go. As a result, couch grass colonises large areas of ground. Luckily, it rarely produces seeds!
One of the main problems arises when the extensive network of roots becomes entwined with the roots of wanted plants, as they are difficult to remove and control.
Couch grass will quickly and easily spread from lawns to adjacent borders.