Advice for getting rid of bindweed-like plant:

Congratulations on your achievements, Mike. But with all due respect, your statement is simply that there was bindweed there at some point in time, and some time later there was bindweed again. Even if you killed every last plant, if there's a "reservoir" of more plants nearby then you're going to get more growing back again from those.

My personal experience with killing bindweed was that it wasn't just a case of nuking my garden - I had to also do damage to my neighbour's garden where the stuff was getting in. (His hedge looked a bit unhealthy for a few months, but the bindweed was mostly nailed.) I'll freely admit that's only anecdotal experience and not solid evidence.Certainly there's a valid hypothesis that the weedkiller didn't completely kill the original plants. But there are clearly several equally valid alternative hypotheses.

Unless you've got research data from your day job, of course. In that case we don't have to agree to disagree - you present us with evidence and that's it. With respect though, the state of the fence at your local park is not evidence, and nor is "I've got a doctorate".

I'd love to know the limits of different kinds of weedkiller, so I can use them more effectively. Like most of us here, I've always believed that systemic weedkillers, applied at decent strength, do what they advertise (allowing for waxy leaves and things like that which stop it getting into the plant in the first place). If that's not the case, I'd be interested to know more.

 

I think it’s important to understand how glyphosate works. It does not simply travel to the roots.


Monsanto | Roundup

Then you have when is the right time to use it thrown in, conditions and the product it’s self which contains other chemicals to aid it ie. different brands. Then you have delivery system and how it’s applied, droplets vs run off and do you cover the leaf top and bottom, mixture rates, water hardness of mixture.
The rhs will tell you when it’s flowering is the best time but how do you treat it when it’s mixed with other plant life.
Throw all these factors in and it’s a case of repeat treatments required at times for some plants and with some products.
However bindweed is a plant that can be eradicated by glyphosate with great success.

 

I had a massive problem with bindweed coming from my neighbours side ,but with two years of constant spraying with glypsophate it has all disappeared also from their side.
It was a constant weed watch over the two years but it is now given up.
So yes ,it does work.it may need several sprays .
The problem is when it appears between large perennials,but there again it’s constant watch and just rip up at sight.............It will never beat me....

 

Thanks for all the replies.

Having discussed it, we appear to be going to route of at least giving weedkiller a go so hopefully it will work out.

Once we've done that, and it comes back next year should we just start pulling/cutting it off as soon as we see it or do we just let it grow again and dose it again? (Since the consensus seems to be whatever you do it will take several goes at getting rid of it).

 

Caelius, spray it during a dry spell ...it needs 5 hours of dry weather to work.....and be prepared to spray again in a few weeks if you see further growth. Ideally you could get a third spray in by September if you see other shoots.

“Several goes” only because further new shoots may develop and you need to hit those too. Those shoots hit with the glyphosate will be killed. The reason for further treatment is for spraying those shoots still underground that were not sprayed.