Quackgrass (Elymus repens) Weed Management
Quackgrass has a botanical name of (Elymus repens). Quackgrass is a very common perennial weed that is native to Europe. Also known as couch grass and is known as a creeping rhizomes and has the ability to grow across grasslands at a very fast rate. Quackgrass is an invasive weed that will move through any soil type quickly, it moves even faster through loamy loose dirt or sandy soil. Always inspect your flower beds and gardens for any signs of this weed.
The leaves are hairy with a burr like feel to them and have a bright flower spikes. The leaves themselves are wider than the lawn type grasses. By inspecting it further and pulling out the grass at the root you will find they have a thick and white appearance. You will notice the roots are easily broken and pieces of the root will usually stay with in the ground even if you try to pull them out carefully.
The Rhizomes have nodes or the joints of the root system that have sharp pointed tips. Some of the root branches may turn upward and become visible as leafy stems well other parts of the root system will continue growing and will branch out horizontally allowing the patch expand.
Elymus repens has the ability to grow up to 40-150 centimeters tall. The leaves themselves can be anywhere from 3-10mm in width. This perennial weed prefers the cool season and the stems can be green to whitish.
It thrives in pastures, roadsides and gardens and will typically grow in any undisturbed open areas. Quackgrass in United States is more commonly found in the central and northern Illinois area. This plant is also been planted in past years and on slopes to help with controlling erosion. 
Control or managing Quackgrass
- Quackgrass is a very evasive weed and best way to control is not to have it in your landscape in the first place. Always check for any signs of Quackgrass growth.
- Any plants that have been purchased from stores should be checked for quackgrass and should be removed if you find in the pot.
- Remove it quickly from your garden as quackgrass will move through any soil rapidly especially through any Sandy soil.
- Quackgrass does not respond easily to selected weed killers best way for eliminating quackgrass to use a nonselective weed killer. Be careful as this type of chemical weed killer will also kill any plants that are growing near the quackgrass.
- Removing existing quackgrass to remove the plant itself and dig and remove any roots and do not leave any in the ground or it will grow new plants.
- Keep a good eye on the soil and check daily for any new growth that you may see and you want to remove any new quackgrass that is found immediately.
- Overrun flowerbeds that have quackgrass best solution is for pulling the plants out manually and digging roots.
- Spraying a selective herbicide weed killer is not always an option and typically does not eliminate quackgrass. If you use a specific weed killer for the quackgrass it will typically kill any plants that the weed is growing by.
- If quackgrass completely overruns flower bed, garden you must remove all plants and completely dig soil up and get rid of any traces of quackgrass roots and replant flower bed.
Treating a heavily infested Quackgrass (Elymus repens) flower bed
- Remove all plants that you want to save.
- Place them in pots or safe place for re-transplanting back into soil.
- Pull Quackgrass out and clean flower bed as best as possible and check carefully for any traces of the quackgrass root. Remove any signs of this invasive weed.
- Kill the quackgrass in the bed. Started treatment of nonselective weed killer such as Roundup or use nonchemical approach by using boiling water.
- You will need to keep this treatment up for one week and repeat. If quackgrass begins to start sprouting and grow again repeat treatment again.
- Once the stubborn weed quackgrass has been eliminated you can reintroduce the plants that you had moved out back into the soil.
