Oh no! Is this bindweed?!

Its a good and effective trick. I did that in my last bindweed war.

 

I find Roundup more effective than "generics" too, I suspect that the surfactants used are more effective (and perhaps, therefore, more expensive). It might also be the case that the dilution / application rate is different, so worth cheeking the bottle in case Roundup will treat a larger area than the generics. But Roundup is THE brand name for Glyphosate, so price may be higher just because of that.

I don't think that spraying twice a week is necessary, just costs more!, but if you only have a small patch to do that won't be a consideration. It takes 2 weeks for the chemical to be absorbed and taken down to the roots, so you are unlikely to see indications that the plant is dying for a couple of weeks.

My variation on growing it up a cane, so you can lay it out (away from precious plants) to spray it, is to stuff the end of the extended plant into a jam-jar and pour in a little Roundup mix. The plant will then absorb it over time, and that should then be taken down and distributed along the whole root system :thumb:

 

Thanks again everyone, some great tips here.

I bought some Roundup "XL" today and went out spraying. Turns out there are about 9 of these plants around the garden, mostly coming in under/through the fence from the neighbours.

Love the tip around the bamboo pole, think I'll definitely give this a go, especially as the bindweed seems to be attacking my plants already!

Will post back with an update. I suspect it'll be an ongoing battle- especially if it's coming in from the neighbours.

Every time I close my eyes now I see bindweed :( I even dreamt about the stuff last night!

 

How much did you foolishly pay for your Roundup?

 

Ha well, yes, I'll admit I paid around £6.50 for a big ready to use spray pack of Roundup XL... I did see some no-brand stuff on special offer for £2.99, but I was drawn in by the exciting packaging and promises of two super nozzle settings and suchlike. And there seem to be some Roundup fans on the thread, so I'm paying a little extra for the hope that it'll be super stuff And as I only have a small garden, I think it'll see me on for a while!

I did end up paying around 7 quid for some slug pellets when I didn't check the price until I saw it on the receipt... and all that just because it said 'eco' or something on the packet. THAT was pretty foolish...

 

If you're neighbours are nice, approachable people, I'd have a word with them. See if you can attack the bindweed on their side too. Otherwise it will just keep coming back.