I don't get much chance to visit the allotment as I have 3 year old and part time job so went yesterday after about a weeks delay to find bindweed choking all my plants!!!
I have removed as much as possible but from past experience with the stuff I know that the tiniest piece left will grow again. It is impossible to get it all out as I have clay soil which is pretty solid at the moment. HELP!
I have bought some Roundup but I am really reluctant to use it around food plants - one of the reasons I want to grow my own stuff is to avoid chemicals. Is Roundup 'safe', will it work or does anyone have any better solutions?
I have a problem with bind weed and clay soil too. Much of it I've dug out. But some bits I missed. When I find it growing up a plant, I cut it back to ground level, then stick a cane in and encourage it to grow up that instead. Then when the bed's finished with or it's time to move/split the plants, you can dig out the roots.
Hi Justy,
I have the same problem here in my garden. My neighbour has bindweed growing against our back fence! I've asked her if she could remove it but - wait for it - she like the bl.dy stuff and won't kill it off. >:(
What I've done is train the bits that are growing under the fence on my side onto garden canes. I then give them the gentle 'touch of death' with a systemic, glyphosate gel. You paint it on so therefore it doesn't affect your other plants. It's now had 4 applications of the stuff at 3-4 day intervals and is beginning to look a bit sick! AAWWW what a shame (tongue in cheek emoticon needed here) I'm hoping that it kills off the mother plant too. ???
Once it dies back I'll dig in some gravel board to the depth of about 1' in the hope that this will stop it coming through again. This is the second year I've had to deal with it. Last year Ian (my husband) simply dug out every bit of the root that he could find but, of course, that didn't work.
So, fingers crossed it'll vanish this year never to be seen again. ;D
I don't know if any of this is any good to you but I just had to have a good moan as I hate the stuff choking my plants!!! :'( :'(
Cheers, Eileen.
1. It'll work. But it took us 2 years to totally eradicate an infestation that got into the herbaceous border in a load of manure. Couldn't dig it.
2. Safe? You don't drink it & you wash your hands after use! Or wear rubber gloves.
3. If near plants you want to save, as said, untwine the stem, lay it down & wipe a few leaves of each stem with R/up. Leave to dry before tucking it out of the way.
4. DON'T expect immediate results & don't keep painting. Read the instructions. It can take 2-4 weeks to show effects.
5. It is bio-degradable. = Tim
Thanks - I like the cane idea and will give it a go but may give a bit of the chemical death to them too. Can't believe anyone likes bindweed!!
It lulls people into a false sense of security because it has a pretty white flower. I've got loads of it running around the walls of the terraced houses round here. Last year I sparyed with round up. I appeared to have killed one side but this is a fresh bit. So I'm going to try something that I read on another board
Get some roundup mix it with some water - 1/3 roundup to 2/3 water. Then pour it into a freezer bag and stick the leaves in the bag. Tie the bag round the plant with sellotape, string etc. Then wait. Hopefully the dilution of the roundup carried it right down into the roots. Apparently this does work. Spraying only gets the plant above ground. Roots can got as far down as 1.5metre :-\
Aaaaaarggghhhhhhh :o
Just when you thought it was safe, couch grass free, dock free, blinking bindweed shows its ugly head.
When we took over the plot and cleared it and dug it and planted it we never once came across the stuff. In the last couple of weeks it has appearred, theres a bit in our onion area and there is some about 3 metres away from this in a piece of plot which we haven't done anything to as yet, there doesnt seem to be any on the other sides of the fences so where the hell can it come from!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At the moment it isn't causing a problem and we think we will be able to control it (translation "kill it"). Any ideas on how it got there?
Take care
Les
The evil, parachuting, Bindweed Gnomes of Olde London Town?
I think it looks pretty when it flowers, there's quite a lot in the hedge that I yank out evry now and then and mowing seems to stop it spreading through the lawn.
Jeremy.
Hi,
Something that has worked well for me when trying to see off bindweed (& I've got loads) is:
Get some of the 1 Ltr lemonade bottles
Cut the bottom off (throw away) & pop the big bit over the plant.
Spray the roundup (or whatever) down through the neck of the bottle. This means that you won't spray any adjacent plants - no matter how close they are and that rain cannot wash the spray off!
Replace the lid and leave the min-greenhouse in place.This seems to cook the plant and it tends to get limp quite quickly then the poison gets to work.
The Lottie looks a bit strange but this seems to work OK for bindweed and thistles!
Bind weed and mares tail poke thru everywhere. At the moment I just lever them out as best I can....probably not the best thing to do, but I can't always dig them out if they are smack bang in the middle of a seed bed. Not planning to use any weedkillers, will just dig away at it and hope that I win the battle before it wins the war! :-\