Bindweed

[doozer]

Hi All,

What's the best way of getting rid of bindweed on the plot - it's starting to take over!

I guess it's just lots of digging is it?

Many thanks, doozer.

[Snadger]

Hi All,

What's the best way of getting rid of bindweed on the plot - it's starting to take over!

I guess it's just lots of digging is it?

Many thanks, doozer.

Yep, roots like spagetti!

I think some people erect canes or something for it to climb up then paint the leaves with glphosate based weedkiller?

Whatever you do, DON'T ROTAVATE or you'll succeed in chopping it up into little pieces and have plantlets popping up all over!

[sewer rat]

As Snadger says, yep - lots of digging - but careful digging ! Try to follow the roots and ensure you get ecery last bit out - every section (no matter how small) will grow away again. I tried the cane method in my garden but there are so many plants and flowers and shrubs that the bindweed just crawled over them and not up the canes. Might be different in a veg bed or allotment situation though

[FionaH]

Another option is to paint the leaves with weedkiller such as Round up and seal em in a plastic sandwich bag. Time consuming but effective apparently.

Fi

[fwuffydragon]

Canes are good to mark the spot if you have odd bits in crucial places.

If you have large patches of the stuff, then you really have to get down in there with a hand fork and dig it out very thoroughly and carefully.

Round up does a fairly good job, but it does mean you have to watch all the little green leaves going everywhere while you wait for it to work ... I personally won't use it near my veg.

[doozer]

Thank you everyone - looks like I'll get my hand fork out!

[maytreefrannie]

I know this sounds stupid - but what does bindweed look like? Is it the wandering, grasping long-vine-and-leafy thingy that's winding itself round my few trees and seems impossible to get rid of ?

I though I'd cut it down last year by cutting through the vines, but it's back.

Would it work to cover the area with weedblock cover?

[di]

With pretty pink & white flowers & heart shaped leaves?
I'm guessing it'd find it's way around the weedblock~determined stuff!~best bet is to attempt to get all the roots~which is obviously gonna be tricky around trees!~not sure how long it would take to exhaust it by constantly cutting each new shoot as it appears?

[Two_Sheds]

I Googled a bindweed picture for ya: Google Image Result for http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos/others/hedge-bindweed-32051.jpg

[Two_Sheds]

You need to keep pulling it up, don't let it get as far as the flowering stage.
It will still try to come back for a while, but no plant can survive constant, persistent defoliation.

Glyphosate is useful if bindweed is coming up among your plants and you can't dig it out. Let it wind up a cane, and apply glypho to the leaves

[Hans Mum]

and dispose or burn the stuff, dont compost it!!!

[maytreefrannie]

Andi and Di - yes, pretty white flowers and heart shaped leaves

and

Two Sheds - yes, thanks for the image, that's the one -

looks like my Autumn work is set out for me; cutting them down, every last one - well I need to lose weight and I'm not one for the gym so maybe this will give me the exercise to get me back into last year's skirts.

Anyway, thanks, now at least I know something about what I'm dealing with.

[di]

Gardening is by far a better gym than the gym!!Good Luck!

[lynda66]

why is such a hated plant so pretty??

we have some growing in the hedge in the garden, it seems to like it there, and has never tried to spread across the garden, though it has slowny spread along the hedge

[maytreefrannie]

Gardening is by far a better gym than the gym!!Good Luck!

Andi&Di - thanks for that reminder to encourage me to get out there no matter what the weather is like - the garden can have my pound of flesh (and more) anytime.