Bindweed...

[stormpsy]

... whats the best way to get rid?

i have loads of it and its getting up my apple trees.

[rustylady]

Are you sure it's bindweed, and not ivy? Pictures would be good.

[stormpsy]

its either bineweed or weedvine defo not ivy. this stuff wraps round the trees and plants like a thin rope i get pics next time im there

[rustylady]

Pull up as much of it as you can - don't compost it, but put it into black binbags - that should clear the topgrowth, then you need to deal with the roots.

[Two_Sheds]

I get a lot of it at school, up the trees, and on my lotty coming in from next door.


It's a horrible pain, don't let it get established and def. don't let it flower. Keep pulling it up as it appears and it won't be too much of a nuisance.

In this hot dry weather I leave it on the paths to go brown & crispy, then put it on the compost heap.

[roitelet]

It is one of the few things that I use weed killer on. Let it grow then unwind it and gather it together then blast it. Seems to work and kills the root too.

[Two_Sheds]

I've found that spray doesn't work. My neighbour lets his grow all year (grrrrrrrrrr!) then sprays it with R0undUp. It all comes back again, to infest my plot

[roitelet]

He is not being persistent enough. It doesnt always work the first time if it has been allowed to establish its self.

[kt6382]

I HATE bindweed!!! I spent ages really digging down into my veg patch last year when it was empty to get rid of as much of the root as I could. Then it didn't appear in spring and I thought I was safe. But NO, it waited until my veg patch was full of lovely leafy green veg and then started to appear and wind around my poor plants!! I hate it, its really hard to unwind without damaging young veg plants and its hard to pull roots out when surrounded by good stuff. Also, is it true that if you drop bits of it while you're getting rid of it it can then grow from those small bits of leaf etc?!! Annoyingly mine has wound itself between a willow / bamboo fence panel I have so it is impossible to get from behind it and for some reason it has appeared in my lawn, about 4m away from my veg patch too?!!! I can only think it must have come in when I got some raspberry canes from my dad earlier this year

[rustylady]

Bindweed spreads by underground roots kt. It won't root from dropped leaves, but it might from dropped bits of root.

As to your young veg, don't try to pull the roots out just cut the stem of the bindweed at soil level. Then the top growth will just wither and die. Same goes for the bindweed in the fence panel.

[kt6382]

Ok, if I cut it and it all witehrs and dies down can I then compost the dead bindweed or does it need to go in a black bin still? (bearing in mind my compost probably doesn;t get that hot!)

[rustylady]

If the topgrowth is well and truly dead you can add it to the compost. I wouldn't thing of composting roots though.

[CDave]

I dig but use weedkiller as a last resort - or where the bindweed is growing next to other plans where a spray or watering can would be impractical. Mix weedkiller with cheap wallpaper paste. Paste onto leaves. Bindweed leaves have a waxy surface that stops weedkiller in water sticking (it runs off). The paste ensures that the weedkiller sticks and is absorbed. Good luck.

[wadsleyparkowl]

I've had the same problem this Summer. It murdered my redcurrant bushes wrapping itself around them. I've now picked all the fruit off so I can have a good go at it. I thought I'd got it all in Spring but it's just gone mad & taken over. Will it harm my currant bushes if I have to spray it?

[rustylady]

Will it harm my currant bushes if I have to spray it?

Yes, it certainly will.