Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi Lizzie,
I suspect the best treatment of Bindweed is allow it to grow and not take the tops off and not overdo the strength of the spray. If you overdo the strength of the spray you are likely to kill off the top foliage before the spray has a chance to get to work on the roots which is self defeating.
If you get bindweed into a shrub or fruit plant the way to deal with this is to uncoil some of it and allow it to grow along strategically placed bamboo canes away from the plant then mix up some Roundup and placing some polythene under the projecting bindweed, using rubber gloves, just place the palms and fingers downwards on the top of the roundup then rub your hands up and down the bindweed thoroughly saturating it. I used this when bindweed got into my Gooseberries and I cleared that up in one hit and have since used it on other things very successfully.
JB.

Thanks JB.....wise words from you again. I'll try this method.

Bindweed gets my knickers in such a twist that I declare open war on the bugger......

Hi LPP,
I know how to deal with twisted bindweed but twisted knickers are sadly out of my league now!
JB.

Well, I spent another two hours and took another wheelbarrowload of roots out today.
I'm happy that, even if I know I will have missed some, I have extracted vast ammounts and knocked the stuff for six (or possibly seven or evn eight). If only 5% of what there was grows this year I shall be ecstatically happy.

Evening Stephen, congratulations on your perseverance.

I
Johnboy, I was interested to read that too much glyphosate is self defeating. I used it on a patch of VERY well established nettles last year. The leaves died off but a couple of weeks later they all cheered up and shook themselves a bit and carried on as normal. I've tried to avoid a sprayer as I didn't want it to drift onto other areas. If I cover nearby veg with fleece will the glyphosate go through?
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Granny

Hi Granny,
I feel that you would be better off with very light weight polythene to cover crops rather than fleece and then carefully remove and destroy. As removing you fold it inwards and that means no possible contact with your crop.
Nettles want to be very well sprayed to give sufficient cover and generally speaking they do not appear to be sprayed for several days.
If you over-do the strength it is self defeating as the top will die of and not get a chance to get to the roots. Generally when I spray either Couch Grass or Nettles I recon that after 6 weeks the roots will be dead. With Docks they invariable need a second application.
JB.

Thanks, JB. I'll get spraying.
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Granny

The good news is that all the work was worthwhile.
OK: So I didn't get rid of it entirely, but it's wonderful how little is left. Obviously the potatoes helped early in the season as they shade the plot so well. Once the tops (of the earlies) fell then a moderate amount of bindweed has popped up but after lifting most of the spuds I have dug over the area to about a spit and a half and pulled out more roots. Compared to what I pulled out before it's 10:1 so that pleased me. Yards more to do however . It builds up my strength I suppose!

Hi Stephen,
Just think how much of your time is being spent grubbing about for Bindweed roots. You think that because you have reduced it all but just wait until next year and the year after that ad infinitum.
If a patch of land is infested with Bindweed you will never ever be finished digging it out because it is possible that ever time you dig it you will leave more 'cuttings' in the soil.
Just think what you could have done in the time that you have wasted!
JB.

Johnboy
There is a lot in that but I have to dig the ground anyway. Secondly, the ground is in use, so it is very difficult to spray the glyphosate (which I have used elsewhere and on other occasions)
I will try the rubbergloves and fondling the weeds in the future.
I do get some satisfaction from really through digging ( )

Stick with it Stephen. Johnboy has a point, though he is a little ermmm, blunt! Just make sure you keep digging it out, cos if you let it get begin to get away it will be everywhere again.
Bloody stuff. And it has such beautiful flowers.

Yes, I certainly do miss a little but I think most of the regrowth is from deeper down rather than stuff that has been missed. Regretably you hit lumps of raw chalk at that depth.