The Joy of Bindweed

Hello everyone! I have a large plot i'm preparing at the bottom of my garden. The bindweed is the stuff of nightmares. I've read a lot elsewhere about it's troublesome nature. Because it's so pervasive I've dug most out (yes, that's a casual use of language - I know it's going to come back, but Ii guessed getting it under control would be a wise first move). The top end of the garden I'm padding out with new plants and shrubs. Been very lucky with growth - even have a young apple and pear tree that are only about 6' high and bore fruit last summer only 1 season after planting - great! I'm a complete novice, and must admit, I have the bug and it's growing! Hoping to learn and share!

 

I have tried to rid my garden of bindweed for years,It comes under fences long roots, so the best way for me is to just keep it under control by guiding it into plastic sandwich bags and spraying weedkiller in.That saves other nearby plants.

 

I thank my stars everyday that I don't have so much as a whiff of bindweed, I have nettles, feverfew and dandelions coming out of my ears practically but not bindweed-or marestail.



Anyway, welcome Stig, enjoy the forum.

 

Welcome to the forum

I am very thankful too that I dont have the dreaded bindweed! Although I do have weed control fabric down on all the borders covered in 3-4 inches of bark so only the things I plant actually survive. A few things do creep under the fence from next door (who dont do anything with their garden at all but store junk in it!) but I just pull it through the bottom of the fence to try and remove of much of it from their garden as my own

 

Welcome Stig.

Yes, bindweed is very difficult and near impossible to dig out. Any little bit will grow. You may not like using weedkiller but in the case of bindweed a glyphosphate weedkiller is the most effective treatment.

 

I heard on the radio the other day that to stop bindweed choking your plants, put in some stakes for it to grow up and it will keep it isolated so you can then eliminate it easier. Does that make any sense?
Shame bindweed is such a pain, the flowers are so beautiful!!

 

It's a never ending battle with bindweed......dig it out religiously, pull it off the shrubs every time it rains and it'll still come back! I've tried everything over the years, nothing really works.:(

 

Yes, I'm resolved to it never going. Now I know what it is, I see it everywhere when I'm walking my dog through the lanes and commons. I agree, the flower is a pretty thing. For a femme fatale! I'm fortunate in one way though: dig about 3-4 foot down and you hit hard clay. Thankfully even those hardy roots can't butt their way through and so take a right angle. My plan is containment. I'm trenching off all around the plot with a 2 foot trench down to the clay, so the roots can't break through from surrounding gardens. Then, to make it more manageable, I'm doing two runs through the plot soil, corner to corner. Sifting through the soil as I throw it back from one corner to the other, then back again. Finally I'll trench off the enclosed plot most likely into 3 equal plots. Luckily I enjoy digging! One article I read suggested the best way to tackle bindweed was to move house! Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. Much appreciated.

 

Good luck with that plan Stig. Do let us know how you get on.