Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Lari on December 08, 2012, 10:15

Title: Bind Weed
Post by: Lari on December 08, 2012, 10:15

Hello.

We've just taken over an allotment plot  :happy:
However, it has bind weed in one corner. We know this needs to be removed, but, how & when is the best time to do it?

Any advice is much appreciated  :blink:

Title: Re: Bind Weed
Post by: Christine on December 08, 2012, 14:56

You can dig it out whilst you are clearing then spray with glcosuphate when it reappears. I don't think it's possible to ever did out the entire root system but it's certainly a good start.

Don't compost the roots, don't put them in the garden recycling for some other poor so and so to sort out.

Title: Re: Bind Weed
Post by: Trillium on December 08, 2012, 15:42

A tip: glyphosate works only when the plant is actively growing so now may not be the best time if it's very cold in your area. Even bindweed goes dormant for winter.

But come spring, be ready to kill the nasties, and because of the root's brittle, curling, deep nature, glyphosate is about the only thing that really knocks them back. Miss even a tiny bit of root and it reappears healthier than ever.

Title: Re: Bind Weed
Post by: seedman on December 08, 2012, 17:02

I read some where that if you get a bottle fill it with weed killer,then put the tip of the bindweed in the bottle it will continually feed the weed killer to the roots.Hopefully this will kill off most of the plant, i say most as you never will kill all of it,its like mares tail very hard to get rid of .Good luck :)

Title: Re: Bind Weed
Post by: gremlin on December 08, 2012, 17:24

But if you are mean with the glysophate, like me, it is possible to beat it by digging it out over several years.   I treat it as a bit of a game.  Gremlin vs Bindweed & Horsetail.

I dig down round the root as deep as I can (18") as soon as I get a chance. Carefully separate out every scrap of wriggly root, which I put it in the council general waste black bin. The best time to remove it is when the soil is dry enough to be a bit crumbly so it falls off the roots.

If bindweed sprouts under  growing crops, I just cut off the green shoots of the bindweed whenever I see it to weaken it,  and possibly leave a plant label in the soil to remind be to come back and excavate that patch thoroughly when the crop is finished.