Bindweed stress:

Elothir

Hello,

Possibly a silly post but anyway.

We've had Field Bindweed in our garden for a long time, we've tried digging it, pulling it, last year we even sprayed it relentlessly with weedkiller all summer/autumn (not that I was especially happy about that idea).

Needless to say, it's still here, still popping up wherever it wants, amongst perennials, under lavender shrubs, next to Fuchsias, in the grass.

This year I've been pulling it up using a fork to get as much of the root/rhizomes as possible each time whenever I spot it, and due to current circumstances have been checking 2-3 times a week.

Again needless to say I still don't feel like I'm making a dent in it, even as it pops up in more and more places.

Anyway, the point of this thread isn't so much how to deal with Bindweed, since I've read all the options over and over again.

The point is, this is actually really starting to make me rather stressed (not helped by the fact that I, like many people, have a lot to stress about at the moment).

So, rather than continue to worry and stress, especially considering the bindweed is next door as well and our neighbours do not garden, I thought I'd ask some advice from anyone who has had to deal with this before:

So long as I keep pulling it whenever I see it, whether that's every 2 days or once a week, does it really matter if the Bindweed is lurking under ground in terms of the health of plants we actually want? Am I stressing about nothing?

Dovefromabove

If you’re content to just keep pulling it as you see it that’s fine. 😊 many of the best gardens have lurking bindweed 😉

 Don’t let it clamber up your plants as its weight will pull them down, but other than being a nuisance by growing, its roots are not doing any real damage under ground. 

The_herpetologist

Monty Don made a good suggestion on GW. He advised putting a bamboo cane into the ground wherever you see bindweed and letting it climb up the cane. It prevents it wrapping itself around your other plants and can actually look quite pretty.

debs64

I have bindweed in large chunks of my small garden and I find it quite satisfying pulling it up by the roots. I have tried all ways to dispose of it and now I just live with it, in some parts of the garden I just snip it off at ground level, others I dig it out and it’s possible to have healthy happy plants even where it is present. As others have said I don’t think it ones any real damage. 

Hostafan1

Put canes in and "train" it up them then spray with roundup

KeenOnGreen

I would love to use Roundup (even though we don't use any chemicals), however we only have bindweed at the allotment (which is almost all edibles), so sadly not an option.

It has become our most hated weed.  We are on top of it daily, and yet it still manages to put on inches of growth in a day.  Utterly depressing, but on a positive note, it has almost made me love Brambles, Couch grass and every other weed, which are unassuming in comparison.

Obelixx

Our entire plot is riddled with the stuff, even the grass and bits that have been weed matted and gravelled by previous owners.   It's not quite the same form here - smaller leaves and pink flower buds that open to white flowers and long brown roots that go down as far as China with short but many branched white roots nearer the surface.

No point getting stressed.   When we see it above ground in a bed in passing we pull it up and leave it to dry completely on the paths.  When we're actively making a new bed we remove as much root as possible and check thoroughly when digging bigger planting holes.   When we're hoeing the veggie beds we use a hand fork or trowel to get more root out and pull up as much as possible.   It all gets dried out and then dumped rather than going on the compost heap.

If it's in amongst treasures you can wind it up a cane and then, when there's enough, push it into a bin bag and use a systemic spray in there to protect the other plants and then lay it out on top of the bag in the sunshine while it gets absorbed and does its work on the roots. 

Fire

KeenOnGreen said:

I would love to use Roundup (even though we don't use any chemicals), however we only have bindweed at the allotment (which is almost all edibles), so sadly not an option.

I use the gel on around ten individual leaves. It wouldn't affect surrounding edibles. I don't have much of the stuff but a little does come back each year. I put the gel copiously on the back of the leaves (whilst I'm wearing gloves). It takes a few months to die right back, but it does work for me. The garden next door is riddled and if I don't keep on top of it, I fear it would take over the whole plot. I don't put it out by the roots as a little bit can make new plants and I fear I would just be making the problem worse.

Never let it flower.

KeenOnGreen

Does anyone use Roundup on bindweed (or similar) near to edibles?  Is there a safe technique for doing so?  We only have Bindweed at the allotment, so it's not an issue in our garden.

We already pull it up, or dig it out where possible, but half of our allotment has it everywhere.  Much of it is in the middle of crops, so not practical to dig it out.

Smudgerii

Mix Ammonium sulphamate with wallpaper paste, apply with a gloved hand and cover with a clear plastic bag.

Hostafan1

So long as you don't spray what you're going to eat, i can't see any harm. I let mine grow up canes then mix some into a hand sprayer, wear marigolds, cup my hand behind it and spray gently and rub it over. Not drenching it so none drips. 
Trust me, I don't want it on my Hostas any more than I'd want it on my food.