From the Forum... Does weedkiller really kill twitch?

The Kitchen Garden Forum is a fun, thriving community of people like you. Each week we highlight a thread for further discussion.

Forum member Barry asks:

I am very interested in your experiences regarding weedkiller.
As part of the instructions for Roundup, it states that some stubborn weeds may require more than one application of weedkiller. Now, what does that exactly mean?
A systemic weedkiller, such as Roundup, is supposed to be sucked into the deepest depths of a weed, which is then completely erradicated. But, if several applications are required, what is happening?
For example, I followed the instructions for spraying out twitch (couch), but still haven’t been able to kill the stuff.
In fact, I experimented with several different dilutions and applications and the d*mn stuff still survived the winter, even though the tops of the grass all died.
With twitch, weedkiller seems to BURN the tops, leaving the dreaded root systems untouched. By “several applications” does Monsanto mean that I now have to wait for the plant to regrow and then respray. Because there is a problem with doing that: by allowing the tops to regrow, the roots will keep being boosted, too. It is a vicious circle.
Has anybody out there in truth managed to spray out twich using Roundup? I’m beginning to have my doubts.
Almost all my 250 square metre plot has twitch embedded in it. Although I am partially resigned to handweeding it, the time required – one hour per square metre – is insane.
My fellow plot holders keep turning it in during digging, much to my horror and contrary to the advice I give them.
Also, has anybody succeeded in killer patches of twitch by using black sheeting? I suspect this might prove as difficult, since roots often spread beyond the actually head of the plant – to infinity AND BEYOND.
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Steve Ott

Steve Ott is editor of Kitchen Garden magazine and started his career as a professional grower, producing everything from cut flowers to vegetables. He has been growing fruit and veg all his life and spends most of his spare time in his garden in the East Midlands. He loves to experiment with crops and varieties he has never grown before and when he isn’t gardening is to be found out in the countryside bird watching and walking his dog Ted.