Bindweed warfare!

Little Miss Half the Plot · « **on:** May 01, 2008, 11:13 »

Hi all,

I'm a new half plot owner and am loving the whole experience - being outside more, planning, learning, digging, weeding, meeting new people etc.

The only thing I'm slightly worried about is BINDWEED! Yukky stuff. The plot I have taken on hasnt been tended too for several years, and although there was initially grass everywhere and weeds too after some hard work the only real problem I am left with is Bindweed.

I am trying to work without any chemicals, so I dont want to spray etc (even if I did I understand that sprays dont kill bindweed anyway, just the top shoots), people have said to me that if I keep pulling out what I dig up, it will weaken over time and eventually move downwards or at least begin to favor areas where it is less bothered. Many of the lottie holders in my area dont have the issue (or appear to have), but they have been digging their plots for years and I know many have got fairly radical with chemical treatments too, which I want to avoid really. I'm guessing the bindweed has found somewhere it can thrive on my plot, because it hasnt been bothered there for a while

any tips? I am growing this year, so is it just a case of little and often with the weeding and over a period of years things will improve?

any thoughts/advice greatly appreciated!!

dereklane · « **Reply #1 on:** May 01, 2008, 11:48 »

I had this on my plot last year. I didn't realise 'bindweed' was morning glory, which is what I thought I had, and, apparently do. I'd never heard of bindweed until coming here - Morning Glory sounds so much nicer

Pretty flowers too...

Dig up as much of the roots as you can - they're easy to spot, but digging deep is necessary (or they break), and chopping the tops off seems to help. Without the ability to respire they'll get weaker. For me last year, the worst part was it using the beanpoles to climb - fiddly stuff sorting out the bean vines from the weed.

cheers,

Derek

purplebean · « **Reply #2 on:** May 01, 2008, 11:51 »

I'm fairly sure that bindweed and morning glory are the same family but different varieties. Morning glory beautiful, bindweed rampant and hard to get rid of.

I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along soon though.

This site

http://www.all-creatures.org/picb/wfshl-hedgebindweed.html

is calling it wild morning glory, it will cartainly make you wild if you have it!!

DD. · « **Reply #3 on:** May 01, 2008, 12:47 »

You're correct purple bean, both are of the Convolvulus family, and there the similarity ends! You can dig out Morning Glory!

drizabone · « **Reply #4 on:** May 01, 2008, 13:34 »

New lottie had not been used for years but covered in old carpet, lifted it to find another carpet underneath bindweed. dug over my spud plot 3 times the blasted weed is still popping up

Angelah · « **Reply #5 on:** May 01, 2008, 13:51 »

Bindweed used to be rampant in our garden, the only way effective way we found of controlling it - can't remember whether we got rid of it all or not - we moved!!, was the grow it up beanpoles and glyphosate it - wearing gloves dipping hands in glyphosate and running hands up and then down the leaves. My parents thought we were mad growing it, but it did work.

I've just discovered bindweed starting to poke it's nose up on my plot too, though it was couch grass I was weeding the roots of, looks like bindweed too. Am going to do the beanpole trick as soon as the weather clears up so I can make a start!

In the ideal world I wouldn't use chemicals, and haven't so far, but am now realising if I don't we're going to be forever clearing the weed and bramble infested plot we have, so will glyphosate to gain control and hopefully get planting this year.

Trillium · « **Reply #6 on:** May 01, 2008, 15:25 »

When I reworked my veg garden last year, I practically sieved all my soil and still missed some bindweed bits. I'm also mostly organic but bindweed is difficult. Soon as I spot it, I dig up what I can. When it pops up again I give it a spot spray of roundup and that sets it back for a while. Come fall, before manuring and rotovating, I'll dig up as much root as I can yet again. Its a never ending battle with seeds blowing around and birds doing their bit.

Little Miss Half the Plot · « **Reply #7 on:** May 01, 2008, 15:54 »

thanks folks.. Seems my thoughts have been confirmed.

Ive never seen bindweed take a hold of an area until seeing it on my plot - it certainly doesnt take any prisoners! Its very efficient at spreading deep and the horizontal threads I sometimes get to pull up can be metres and metres long, with vertical offshoots every inch or so. Someone told me that you can find bindweed at the bottom of dis-used Wells, so thats how deep the darn stuff can go!

Oh well, at least the gym membership wont need renewing this year - all that digging should see those arms and legs into shape for free!!

I wont get precious about trying to totally irradicate the blasted stuff (I think that could be a fast track to insanity!), I just want to beat it back and give everything I actually want to grow a good chance to thrive!!!

Happy digging all!

millie C · « **Reply #8 on:** May 03, 2008, 18:37 »

I have a terrible bindweed problem in my garden, I have tried all the methods already mentioned to no avail. As a last resort a couple of years ago, I built a raised bed over my worst patch of bindweed, and lined it with weed suppressant, filled it up and off I went - best thing I ever did, as no problem there with bindweed now and a lovely veg bed I wouldn't have got otherwise. It's still rampant in the rest of the garden, built another bed recently, maybe the whole garden could be taken over by raised beds - I would be in heaven then but the OH wouldn't approve!

Jilllrabbitslim · « **Reply #9 on:** May 03, 2008, 20:48 »

I had a severe bindweed problem in my last garden and agree with Millie. I had quite a bit of sucess by covering the area I wanted to use with heavy duty weed suppressing fabric, planting through it and covering the remaining fabric with a decorative bark mulch. Then, whenever a sneaky tendril of bindweed poked through I sprayed it with round-up. You may well achieve a similar result by snipping the tops off.

Good luck!

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Bindweed warfare!

Trillium