[bigben]

I have just taken over an allotment that others on the site tell me has not been worked for at least 3 years. It is covered in brambles which look bad but I have managed to clear about a third of the plot down to ground level. Today I stuck a fork in the ground and turned up a mat of fragile whiteish roots, after doing the same in lots of other places the roots are everywhere! After showing them to the guy two along from me he tells me it is bindweed and showed me a bucket of the same roots he had recently dug out of his hedge.
   Other than double digging and painstakingly picking out all roots are there any other tips on

A getting rid of it and
B getting crops of my site in the meantime?
I have already scaled back how much of my site I can realistically get ready after it took me an hour to clear about a meter squared on Saturday. I have heard glyphosphate is no use until much later when the stuff is actually growing. 

[noshed]

Glyphosate does work but you do need to put it on growing leaves. Some people recommend putting canes in so that the weed grows up and then glyphosate them.
If you keep at it, you will beat it back but probably never eliminate it completely.
When you dig up the roots, put them in a bucket of water to drown for a while before composting.

[8doubles]

I did see one idea of putting the top/vine part in a plastic bag and glyphosate it and leave it attached to the roots till it dies.
Sounds like a good idea if it starts growing close to your veg.

[mumofstig]

I just keep hoeing or pulling it and it does gradually weaken.
What is it Aunt Sally says?............ 'never let it see a Sunday' I think 

[superluke2]

My Dad had bindweed and he used to mix glyphosate with wall paper paste to make it more controlable. Took him a couple of years to get rid of all of it!

[Rangerkris]

I just keep hoeing or pulling it and it does gradually weaken.
What is it Aunt Sally says?............ 'never let it see a Sunday' I think 

This is the way to go.

[bigben]

Thanks for the ideas - Has anybody any experience of what covering with weed control fabric does? Would it just grow up the sides or will covering half of my new allotment with heavy duty fabric help clear that section for next year. If the answer is no then it helps me in deciding whether to nuke the top half with Glyphospate or not. I will have to sort out some of the beds by simply digging out the roots otherwise I wll have nowere to plant in the spring. However If I can kill it off by covering I will, but if not then I will nuke the top half of my allotment.

[Trillium]

I've put down some black weed fabric under my paving stones going through one part of the garden and the blinking bindweed roots simply kept going to the other side. When I took up the pavers and weed fabric, the roots were close to the surface so I pulled all out. For the remaining bindweed, I wait until it starts to leaf out and immediately zap the head cluster with glyphosphate and wait a few weeks, then hit it again. this seems to really set it back for a long time. Nothing ever gets rid of it totally. This is the only part of the gardening process I'm not organic with, but bindweed calls for desperate measures.

[savbo]

to echo Trillium - we took on a plot covered in old carpet - which was horrible but had the advantage that most of the bindweed roots were in the top inch or so, sometimes a solid mat under the carpet... still took three diggings but we've got almost all of it out and are well on tp of it after the first season...

the fact the roots are thick and white makes it easier - not the case for horsetail though... still got lots



M

[aelf]

my bindweed is kept in check by the masses of ground elder and nettles on my plot    I'm gradually winning by constantly digging it all up but I've only been on this plot six years so still a ways to go 

[lovemyveg]

Thanks for the ideas - Has anybody any experience of what covering with weed control fabric does? Would it just grow up the sides or will covering half of my new allotment with heavy duty fabric help clear that section for next year. If the answer is no then it helps me in deciding whether to nuke the top half with Glyphospate or not. I will have to sort out some of the beds by simply digging out the roots otherwise I wll have nowere to plant in the spring. However If I can kill it off by covering I will, but if not then I will nuke the top half of my allotment.

I would not advise trying the weed control fabric.  I did this a couple of years ago and the bindweed (and couch grass) kept coming up the sides and through any gaps in the fabric.  I removed the fabric  last year add the roots of the bindweed were much fatter, longer and healthier under the fabric.  It certainly like the heat and protection that the fabric kept in.  We now keep gently teasing out the bindweed and following the root system along the ground and hope that this does not break off leaving horrid bits to re-root.  An endless job, but we are getting there.  I do not compost this for fear of it's eventual return - bin it.

[Carol]

My plot was smothered in bindweed as well, when I took it on.

I have done the training up canes method, then dip gloves in weedkiller, rub all over leaves and let it die.  But as I'm trying to be organic I only did that in the established fruit bed where I couldn't dig it out or smother it.

Elsewhere I painstakingly double dug and picked out every bit of root, let the roots dry then burned them.

One patch which I didn't use in the first year was covered with layers of thick cardboard and then landscape fabric.  That got rid of most of the bindweed after 1 year.

I'd have to say that the digging has been the most successful method of control.  Still get the odd bit popping up, but I try and remove it with as much root as possible as soon as I spot it.

I don't think you can ever entirely remove it, but it is certainly possible to control it.