[Shazzer]

I do not know what to do about the bind weed that plagues my raspberries on my lot.  I have tried mulching early in the season and weeding but they soon spread up through. Should I just start again (I'd rather not) I still get a good harvest from them but the bind weed does annoy :evil:

[mushroom]

whilst the raspberries are still in the ground, can you seal them up with plastic? it would need to be a tight seal. Depending on the size of the bushes, with plastic bags and masking tape, then use roundup on the weeds.

[DD.]

The bl***dy stuff grows up the raspberries when they are about 6' tall. I get it also and I'd need a lot of big bags for a 32' row!

My raspberries (Autumn Bliss) badly need thinning out. I'm tempted to dig the whole row up, get all the bindweed out (yeah, right), and re-plant. Except I know it'll come back!

[muntjac]

remove the leaves etc from the base of the vines wrap in cardboard and then nuke em .take care not to spray the rasps etc .works on all vine friuts or canes

[Shazzer]

Thanks for replys, should I do it now or wait intill next spring when they come up, and if I do it now will the bind weed be gone and never come back.  And will it not kill the raspberries canes as its sure to drip down into the soil.  I don't like using chemicals but i think I will for this, you just cant weed like you would other veg and stuff.

[muntjac]

do it now .and then in spring when the new stuff comes up spray again ... it wont hurt the plants ,,, promise    

[WG.]

If you want to avoid chemicals, then I'd suggest the only way would be to lift them & replant in clean ground as bareroots (ensuring no sections of bindweed get carried over).   Then attack the bindweed with mulch / rotovator / whatever.

If you decide to use RoundUp, now is a good time since it attacks through green foliage - not roots.   Hence the instructions given above by 'shroom and munty.

[splodger]

about 3 months ago i helped a friend clear their fruit cage - bindweed and ground elder mostly.

we dug where possible - then covered the ground with newspaper - then a heavy mulch of manure, grass clippings and ash.

where we couldn't dig (close to roots & stems) we unwound the bindweed - squirted weedkiller into sandwich bags - then stuffed weeds into the bags and tied.

that way no weedkiller gets onto the host plant - weeds die very quickly.

great method of weedkilling when tangled into other plants roots - i make up a special combo for this purpose - but i guess a normal formula will work just as well.

[Aunt Sally]

The best way I know to deal with bind weed in this situation if you want to use herbicide, is to unwind it from the raspberries and train it up bamboo canes.  (Early in the season is best, it's a bit fiddly but worth it in the long run.)

Don't spray it too soon.  Wait until it has climbed about a foot up the canes and then treat with glyphosate.  If it's tricky to spray because of other plants you can paint the glyphosate on to the bindweed leaves.