How to get rid of bindweed?

bluedog

I have this problem too ......... along with ground elder, ivy, couch grass and brambles. The neighbour even had the cheek to have a go at me one time for "chopping everything down" when I was only pruning my own shrubs! The bindweed was horrendous to start with all around my garden, but over the years, it has lessened and even disappeared in some areas. :beer:

I was reluctant to use glycophosphate around my herbs so did some web searching for more friendly approaches to killing it. I found a site about companion planting and amongst the recommendations was to plant African marigolds as their roots exude a substance which is poisonous (or something like that) to bindweed. Over the last couple of years, I've followed this advice and it does seem to work. I realise this will probably not be practical in your rockery as this variety of marigold is very big, but maybe others reading this thread will find it useful.

shudd1967

Hi
I have in various parts of my garden a sort of vine type week that grows really quicky all around my shrubs and bushes almost strangling them, it looks like an ivy.

Last summer we kept weeding and weeding the borders to try and get rid of it, getting rid of the pieces of roots that seem to be around, there seems to be thousand. Although reduced it has not got rid of them.

Someone suggested to me I have two options.

1 - Dig up every plant we have in the front garden, dig as deep as possible and get rid of every piece of root we find, doing this several times over a couple of months, eventually solving the problem - now we both hate gardening, both work full time and I am doing a college course so don't have the sort of hours to devote so thats out. Also don't want to lose the plants we do have. So not so keen on this option.

2 - Have a good dig over, remove as many weeds and roots as poss then put down some gel stuff (blue?) and this will help to stop it growing back (also will stop cats using borders as toilet which the 3 cats next door do). Went to garden centre today and couldn't see any and was told its now banned. Is this correct?

Any other advice would be appreciated! Guy at garden centre suggested clearing it as much as poss, but leaving the bit where it originates out of the soil and putting heavy weedkiller on that bit only (so we can plan sone bushes etc later) but thats fine - we cannot see where the damn stuff originates!!

Thank you!

Jake'sGran

Can you post a photo of it. You'll get the best advice if you can. Fortunately, our garden is so heavily planted we don't seem to get many weeds but I don't recognise your description of this one. Just had a horrible thought - it's not Japanese Knotweed is it. This has to be eradicated professionally and councils like to know about it if anyone spots some.

http://www.japknoterad.co.uk/solutions.php

Hope this picture comes out OK.

Lotus-eater

I'm guessing it's bindweed, at least I hope it is for your sake and not JK.

It will originate everywhere, you won't find a single place for it.

Either, dig dig dig as No1

Or paint on weedkiller, Glyphosphate I would guess, but as usual I will leave it up to the weedkiller experts to tell you what to use.
It is recommended you let the bindweed grow up canes and rub weedkiller up and down it with a plastic glove on.

amcluesent

>Is this correct?<

I reckon it has been banned, just make up your own with wallpaper paste.

shudd1967

Mother in law just told me its bind weed! Very frustrating as neighbours haven't got it!

Penelope_Penguin

shudd1967 wrote: »

Mother in law just told me its bind weed!

In that case I'll add this to the existing thread on how to get rid of bindweed

Penny. x