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Questions & Answers - Bindweed

Bindweed	From: Byron, UK
	I have a really bad problem with bindweed in my privet hedge at the front of my house. Can you recommend a weed killer that will get rid of the bindweed and not harm the hedge?
	From Michael Barratt, the Gardeners Club resident gardener Bindweed and ground elder are the source of many complaints amongst gardeners and both are equally difficult to get rid of. The only product that will remove bindweed from the garden is Glyphosphate or `Round-up`. It is sold in many formulations. Ready-mixed spray, concentrate to make up in solution and gels to paint on leaves whilst in amongst plants. One thing to remember about glyphosphate is that it is non-selective in its ability to kill plants. Any young green foliage that it touches will in some way be affected. For areas that have only weeds in including bindweed, then an application of spray solution set at 6 week intervals will do the trick. Where the bindweed is amongst other plants then either the gel or a solution put into a hand spray will be necessary. It is expensive, but there is no other effective way of removing it from your garden. The speed at which it works is proportionate to the growth rate. Although it can be put down now, expect it to take several weeks before you see any visible action on the weed. It will not affect the soil, as it is totally biodegradable once it touches the soil, so planting can be undertaken almost immediately after spraying (allow at least 4 hours for it to dry). From Nicola, UK The easisest way to get rid of bindweed is; after having dug up all visible white roots, take a leader of the plant and put it into a neat solution of Roundup. Use a clean jar/margerine tub, cut an X in the top and feed the leader through the X into the solution. Leave until you see the plant has died. The leader will feed on the weedkiller and take it straight into the system of the plant, therefore, hopefully killing all other leaders-to-be! I have used this method for years and it works. Can any Gardeners Club members help Byron out? Click here if you can help

Bind Weed	From: Sue S, UK
	Can anyone help me, my garden is over run with bind weed - how do I get rid of permanently - thanks in anticipation.
	From Michael Barratt, the Gardeners Club resident gardener Bindweed and ground elder are the source of many complaints amongst gardeners and both are equally difficult to get rid of. The only product that will remove bindweed from the garden is Glyphosphate or `Round-up`. It is sold in many formulations. Ready-mixed spray, concentrate to make up in solution and gels to paint on leaves whilst in amongst plants. One thing to remember about glyphosphate is that it is non-selective in its ability to kill plants. Any young green foliage that it touches will in some way be affected. For areas that have only weeds in including bindweed, then an application of spray solution set at 6 week intervals will do the trick. Where the bindweed is amongst other plants then either the gel or a solution put into a hand spray will be necessary. It is expensive, but there is no other effective way of removing it from your garden. The speed at which it works is proportionate to the growth rate. Although it can be put down now, expect it to take several weeks before you see any visible action on the weed. It will not affect the soil, as it is totally biodegradable once it touches the soil, so planting can be undertaken almost immediately after spraying (allow at least 4 hours for it to dry). From Nicola, UK The easiest way to get rid of bindweed is; after having dug up all visible white roots, take a leader of the plant and put it into a neat solution of Roundup. Use a clean jar/margerine tub, cut an X in the top and feed the leader through the X into the solution. Leave until you see the plant has died. The leader will feed on the weedkiller and take it straight into the system of the plant, therefore, hopefully killing all other leaders-to-be! I have used this method for years and it works. Can any other Gardeners Club members help Sue out? Click here if you can help

Bindweed	From: Deborah & Sean S, UK
	Hi there, I am writing to you because my fiance and I are at our wits end! When we moved into our house, the back garden was completely overrun with all manner of weeds. We covered the majority of the area with black plastic for a couple of years to stop the situation getting any worse, and have had some degree of success. In May we laid a seed lawn, which has brought us immense satifaction as we have watched it grow. However, it is now being systematically destroyed by two ardent weeds and we need to know how to destroy them successfully. The first is Bind Weed, which threads its way through the grass and strangles it. Obviously, because it is a new lawn, we cannot even contemplate using a weed killer yet, and I am dubious of putting any chemical on our lawn that supposedly kills weeds but not the grass! What do we do? Secondly, and this is the complete knightmare, is a monster that we have not even managed to identify as yet. It begins its life as a small red tipped finger pointing out of the soil, very tightly compacted and looking like an asparagus tip. It grows incredibly fast, over a foot in less than a fourtnight and reaches a height of around 8 or 9 feet. It is very similar to bamboo in that the stem is sectioned into pieces, and the leaves are huge, probably a foot long at the base. The base of the stem is usually around 3 inches at full grown. It grows from what I assume are large corms which can be a foot in length and width, and are very difficult to pull up. We have had to dig most of them out, but the stuff STILL keeps coming back! The weird thing is that this stuff only grows for about four weeks, reaching its maximum height and then dying off. When this occurs, it dries out after about a fournight and goes very brittle like dead wood. When you try to pull it out, its just snaps off at the stem leaving the corm in the ground. The stems grow in clumps on the larger corms, but grow also in singles from the corm offshoots. This stuff is very ardent, and is driving me insane. What the hell is this stuff (it covered the entirety of the garden when we first moved in), and how do we destroy it once and for all? Thanks for your assistance, hope you can help. Regards, Debbie and Sean
	From Terry McA Hi, I am not sure whether I can help you but when I moved into my bungalow the garden was a mess. I have noticed were I burnt some rubbish that only the toughest plants survive. Cheers, Terry From Les, UK Dear Friends, I would have thought that a systemic weed killer would have been suitable to deal with your bindweed but it may mean spraying or painting every leaf. As to your other weed,I very sincerely hope that this is not what it could be and that is Japanese Knotweed.Perhaps you could check on this.If this is the culprit, the roots go down very, very, deep. I remember a T.V. program some years ago showing a Vicar in his garden in a huge hole up to his waist trying to get rid of this stuff. Having said all that I really and sincerely hope that I am wrong!!! Kindest regards From Angela H, UK Sounds like Japanese knotweed to me - also, sadly that you need to dig out the lawn and begin again. All the roots of both bindweed and j.knotweed must be removed (even small pieces) or they just grow again. Black plastic won't do it. As an organic gardener I don't recommend weedkiller, and doubt there is anything you can use strong enough anyway! From Alex M, UK Hi Deborah, Firstly:- Bind Weed, I understand your predicament but I think 'weedkiller' is your only answer if applied correctly. You do not want a type that requires spraying or spreading on, but one that can be painted on to the specific weed. Trace the bind weed back to where it emerges from the soil and paint it with a 'glyphosate' based weedkiller. In hind site had you spread a weedkiller prior to laying the plastic sheeting the chances are you would have alleviated most if not all of the problem. Treat your unknown weed in a similar manner.......in both cases treatment is best in the Spring when the new growth has just emerged and is at its most vulnerable, i.e.when it is most active. I think when your lawn is at a stage when it can be regularly mown you will find the problem will reduce due to the constant cutting back of the leaf system that is essential to the survival of the plant. Hope this helps..........A Can any other Gardeners Club members help Debbie & Sean out? Click here if you can help

Bindweed	From: Eric D, UK
	I have a small front lawn which is covered in bindweed which is now spreading to my borders and wrapping itself around my roses and border plants. Can you suggest a good way to get rid of it without killing every thing else.
	From Darkcrystal, UK Dear Eric, I know how you feel about bindweed, I too have had the very same problem. If you would like organic advice, it would seem that you have to dig it out, but try to get every piece of root (if you leave one tiny piece of root, you will have more bindweed growing) I know it seems like a long process, but it does pay dividends. if you dont mind losing the lawn you could try sodium chlorate, or try glyphosate weedkiller. Hope this helps, Darkcrystal. From Alex M, UK I see your problem as similar to Pam & Trevors (04/07), the only difference is yours is a different plant,so my advice would be the same............: The best way I can think of is to use a 'glyphosate' based weedkiller, e.g. 'Roundup' used to the manufacturers specification. To prevent over spray on to adjacent plants you could use newspaper to surround the plants in question or a bottomless bucket and spray into the 'funnel' you have created. It would also be advantageous to do this job on a day when there is no wind, again to reduce the risk of overspray.At least with this method, the weedkiller will kill all of the plant i.e. roots and all and not contaminate the ground. Best of luck......A Can any other Gardeners Club members help Eric out? Click here if you can help

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