What do I do about invading bindweed?

Skiddaw1

Actually, you can dig it up if you have the time and patience. We had a bindweed issue in our previous garden and (being as I hate using weedkiller) I just kept at it. Took me a few years but I got there in the end.

ButterCheese

Thanks for advice. Digging it up is not an option as it's coming from neighbors garden. She has neither the mental or physical capacity to do anything about it

Yorkie1

Noted that weedkiller is off the plan for this specific issue, but for others reading more generally in the future, one approach with weedkiller and bindweed near other plants is to insert canes into the soil slightly away from the protected plants, and get the bindweed to grow up the cane. It is then easier to apply weedkiller, either with a targeted spray or the gel / gloves previously mentioned.

FlorayG

There's not much you can do about bindweed except keep pulling it and if possible put in a below ground barrier; however, this isn't your responsibility as it isn't an 'injurious weed' so the tenant will have to cope.
I have exactly the same problem with one of my rentals - one side is abandoned and derelict and the other the occupant doesn't care and both are full of brambles. My tenant has a running battle with the stuff coming in from both sides. She cuts it and chucks it back over

WIAWSNB

ButterCheese said:

Hi all,

I rent out my house.  My tenants have complained that next door (actually over the back fence) has got bindweed growing in through the fence and it's strangling their plants.  The offending neighbour's garden is a complete mess, completely overgrown, I think the neighbour is physically and mentally incapable of maintaining the property from what I can see (i.e. garden is full of weeds, broken decking, old sofas etc).

My tenant doesn't want to spray what's coming through the fence as it might get on his plants and kill them.

What can I do?  Firstly I have suggested pulling it all through and chucking it back over, just trying to keep on top of it.  I also suggested he go and talk to the neighbour and ask if he can pull up or spray all of the weeds that are coming through.

What else should I do as a landlord, or what further advice should I give the tenant?

As a LLord, well done for trying to help out. But, the garden is your tenant's responsibility, and an anti-social (as an example) neighbour is ditto, and not for you to sort out.

But, kudos for wishing to help.

If there is any genuine concern that the neighbour is struggling to manage on their own, then perhaps a call to SS is in order? But, obviously not as a 'solution' to this bindweed.

How much does your tenant know about their neighbour? Do they have family who visit? Would your tenant be ameanable to, say, offering to the neighbour to have a gardener control the bindweed on their side at your T's expense? Or, would your tenant even do this themselves if allowed access?! 

Of course, no need for this, but I'm putting it there as a potential solution.

Failing that, the only solutions are to control it from your tenant's side. That will require, I guess, either a systemic weedkiller, or a blowtorch. Your tenant has precluded the former, so making life more difficult for themselves.

It really should/would be as simple as making up a trigger-spray bottle of, say, Glyphosate, holding their own plants aside, and gently sparying on to the bindweed leaves at close quarters. That will do it - I know, 'cos I've done it.

Or, hold their plants aside and blowtorch away. But expect prompt return. 

I would not advise the tenant throws any of the weed back over the fence - that is simply snti-social. If understandable in this case - ie, it would get lost in the existing mess  But, you don't want to do anything that a disturbed neighbour could construe as aggressive or threatening or intended to annoy. Just no need.

I repeat, tho' - this is the tenant's problem to solve.

ButterCheese

WIAWSNB said:

ButterCheese said:

Hi all,

I rent out my house.  My tenants have complained that next door (actually over the back fence) has got bindweed growing in through the fence and it's strangling their plants.  The offending neighbour's garden is a complete mess, completely overgrown, I think the neighbour is physically and mentally incapable of maintaining the property from what I can see (i.e. garden is full of weeds, broken decking, old sofas etc).

My tenant doesn't want to spray what's coming through the fence as it might get on his plants and kill them.

What can I do?  Firstly I have suggested pulling it all through and chucking it back over, just trying to keep on top of it.  I also suggested he go and talk to the neighbour and ask if he can pull up or spray all of the weeds that are coming through.

What else should I do as a landlord, or what further advice should I give the tenant?

As a LLord, well done for trying to help out. But, the garden is your tenant's responsibility, and an anti-social (as an example) neighbour is ditto, and not for you to sort out.

But, kudos for wishing to help.

If there is any genuine concern that the neighbour is struggling to manage on their own, then perhaps a call to SS is in order? But, obviously not as a 'solution' to this bindweed.

How much does your tenant know about their neighbour? Do they have family who visit? Would your tenant be ameanable to, say, offering to the neighbour to have a gardener control the bindweed on their side at your T's expense? Or, would your tenant even do this themselves if allowed access?! 

Of course, no need for this, but I'm putting it there as a potential solution.

Failing that, the only solutions are to control it from your tenant's side. That will require, I guess, either a systemic weedkiller, or a blowtorch. Your tenant has precluded the former, so making life more difficult for themselves.

It really should/would be as simple as making up a trigger-spray bottle of, say, Glyphosate, holding their own plants aside, and gently sparying on to the bindweed leaves at close quarters. That will do it - I know, 'cos I've done it.

Or, hold their plants aside and blowtorch away. But expect prompt return. 

I would not advise the tenant throws any of the weed back over the fence - that is simply snti-social. If understandable in this case - ie, it would get lost in the existing mess  But, you don't want to do anything that a disturbed neighbour could construe as aggressive or threatening or intended to annoy. Just no need.

I repeat, tho' - this is the tenant's problem to solve.

Thanks - yes I've said if he (tenant) feels happy to do so then he can go around there and offer to pull up the worst of it, or spray it from that side.  But he just wants to continue pulling it out and chucking it back.  I don't think this is anti-social; if you saw the state of next door then you wouldn't even notice a dumpy bag of weeds being thrown over, let alone a few strands at a time.  They've also had letters about rodent activity and state of the garden so council are aware but obviously powerless do do anything unless it's a safeguarding issue

WIAWSNB

ButterCheese said:
Thanks - yes I've said if he (tenant) feels happy to do so then he can go around there and offer to pull up the worst of it, or spray it from that side.  But he just wants to continue pulling it out and chucking it back.  I don't think this is anti-social; if you saw the state of next door then you wouldn't even notice a dumpy bag of weeds being thrown over, let alone a few strands at a time.  They've also had letters about rodent activity and state of the garden so council are aware but obviously powerless do do anything unless it's a safeguarding issue

It's up to your tenant how they prefer to tackle this.

Yes, I understand that the neighbouring garden is in such a mess that a few more of their weeds chucked over wouldn't make a difference, but I would just caution against this possibly being witnessed by the householder, if they are as fragile as it appears. And if they are fragile and defensive, then they may even try and use it against your tenant. 

I certainly wouldn't suggest to your tenant they do this. Is it really a hardship to pull them through, and chuck them in the refuse bag? But, your tenant's call.

And don't forget that your tenant is making the decision to forgo the obvious and simplest way to tackle this.

Rats are a different issue. If this is a genuine concern - if there is evidence of them in your garden as a result - then keep on at Environmental Health. Since your tenant is clearly keeping your garden nice and clean, then there simply shouldn't be rats in there, so you should - with some legitimacy - be able to suggest that next door's is the likely cause. For this, I probably would suggest that you - as the houseowner - do involve yourself as well. No harm.

ButterCheese

WIAWSNB said:

Rats are a different issue. If this is a genuine concern - if there is evidence of them in your garden as a result - then keep on at Environmental Health. Since your tenant is clearly keeping your garden nice and clean, then there simply shouldn't be rats in there, so you should - with some legitimacy - be able to suggest that next door's is the likely cause. For this, I probably would suggest that you - as the houseowner - do involve yourself as well. No harm.

Yes I reported the rat issue to council environmental health in February, they advised to lay steel wool in the holes which seems to have worked (amazingly - I thought they would just dig around it).  They finally got back to me today and said just leave it if it hasn't persisted.  They've also written a letter to neighbour abouts rats but we all had letters about it 5 years ago when I lived there so nothing much has chnaged.  If it gets worse I'll just pay for a company to bait and trap

RHemmings

FlorayG said:

There's not much you can do about bindweed except keep pulling it and if possible put in a below ground barrier; however, this isn't your responsibility as it isn't an 'injurious weed' so the tenant will have to cope.
I have exactly the same problem with one of my rentals - one side is abandoned and derelict and the other the occupant doesn't care and both are full of brambles. My tenant has a running battle with the stuff coming in from both sides. She cuts it and chucks it back over

If I was in the OP's situation, I would suggest a ground barrier. While it may not be the landlord's responsibility, it is possible to do more than is required. E.g. for the landlord to provide the barrier if the tenant installs it. Provided that the tenant is both willing and competent to do that. 

ButterCheese

RHemmings said:

FlorayG said:

There's not much you can do about bindweed except keep pulling it and if possible put in a below ground barrier; however, this isn't your responsibility as it isn't an 'injurious weed' so the tenant will have to cope.
I have exactly the same problem with one of my rentals - one side is abandoned and derelict and the other the occupant doesn't care and both are full of brambles. My tenant has a running battle with the stuff coming in from both sides. She cuts it and chucks it back over

If I was in the OP's situation, I would suggest a ground barrier. While it may not be the landlord's responsibility, it is possible to do more than is required. E.g. for the landlord to provide the barrier if the tenant installs it. Provided that the tenant is both willing and competent to do that. 

I've already done way more than is required when it comes to things that actually matter i.e. replacing white goods with brand new ones, installing a new garage door when I could have just fixed the old one.  If you have a garden, putting up with weeds is part and parcel of it I think.  As long as I'm not being unreasonable with regards the weeds, that's good enough for me