Any idea what this is?
Leoni
Posts: 4
I have recently acquired an allotment. Whilst digging up the soil I have found this root. Any ideas what it is?
It is a thick white root that seems to grow near the surface. It breaks very easily. There seems to be so much of it and it doesn't seem as though it is coming from a specific point.
This pile is from one small area!
0
Posts
oh dear, but it looks like bindweed.
Nooooooo
Thank you for your reply
OK I guess I have a lot of digging to do! Once I have dug it out, can anyone recommend how to stop it coming onto my plot again? Would it work if I dug garden sheeting around the edges of my plot?
that's bindweed, a bit of nightmare, but once you can get it all out (and stop it creeping back in from neighbouring plots) its easy to keep on top of. I see lots of digging and sieving in your future.
at least it wasn't horsetail or couch grass, that stuffs a true nightmare!
Thanks for your reply treehugger80! Thanks for the positivity
It doesn't seem to be further than 1 foot down and the soil is very easy to dig so I think that gives me a better chance.
I just need to work out how to contain it. We have grass in between our plots, would it be growing under that?
Yes once you get on top of it in your plot there will be a reservoir in the paths bordering your plot. Fortunately Bindweed (& couch for that matter) cannot survive constant mowing. So if you keep your paths well cut the bindweed & couch will die off and the meadow grass will take over. If there are areas you do not need for a time keep covered with a thick heavy cover. The bindweed roots will come to the surface where they are more easily dealt with.
Thanks for the reply and advice Iain!