Bind weed blues

I have lots of problems with bindweed coming throu my mulch any suggestions on how to reduce this problem . I cam pull it up easy but the bugggers always seem to return

David

I have same issue, hope someone has a good idea. I put down 6-10" of straw and it's coming right through.

I saw a video of someone's 'natural garden'. One of his plants he showed was what you call 'bindweed'. He said "this is Morning Glory" and it was a 'favourite plant', because of the beautiful white flowers.
Conclusion: a different 'point of view' can change a 'weed' into something wonderful!

I had a lot of it for a short time.  It was even strangling my young white pines and would wrap tight enough to kill branches.  I cut it off them regularly enough to keep it from killing the trees, but in my case, as the soil improved, the bindweed just disappeared on it's own.  I stopped fighting it and it just went away after a couple years.

I just pull it up.. but it is neverending.. in 4 years I've made a good dent in it and there's a lot less, maybe in another decade or so I'll have removed it all!

My chooks eat or scratch every annual out of existance.
Only the bindweed which hides in the protected growing cages or right next to perennials survive.
I don't think they like to eat them, as they ignore available bindweed and peck at the raspberryleaves right next to them.
If bind weed is wrapped around other plants, I just cut them down low rather than trying to pull them off.
There seems to be less damage that way.

Bindweed likes acidic soil. Lime might be the answer to your problems. Of course pine trees and other perennial acid lovers, might not like this.

In 2013 I took over a plot with bindweed of both types, the tall hedge bindweed with lovely white flowers, and the low field bindweed with small pink flowers.
Both were prolific in some areas, and are now almost gone.

In year one, the crucial first year, I mulched heavily to exclude new growth of light, with (in different places, to see) any of cardboard, compost and polythene.
Also I pulled any new growth before it reached even medium size.
This eventually starved the parent roots below: they have limited resources to survive, if new leaves cannot photosynthesise.

But you have to keep on it in the first year or two, to gain free time after that! I know it's worth it as I see only a few shoots now, and they are quick to remove.

I second the sheet mulching with cardboard and/or polyethylene! Deep mulching with organic materials seems to do little for field bindweed. I had a thick patch of the stuff on 3000 square feet of garden and the deeper I laid the straw the faster it seemed to grow. Before I took the plot over several people had even tried using repeated applications of glyphosate without any luck. Adding a layer that will block new stems from reaching light seems to me to be the best option.

Whatever you do... don't let it grow further or you'll be hurting next season. I know that some problems with "weeds" simply require a paradigm shift but I would never want bindweed in my garden. I would tolerate it in sparing quantities in a pasture, perhaps. The shade of the competing grasses and forbs would probably keep the stuff in check.

And do not (!) till the soil. I have seen this mistake. The stems seem to root quite readily and tilling just causes multiplication. If you can't manage to mulch with cardboard this season then just keep on top of pulling the stems. It'll take some time but you can definitely reclaim your garden space!!! Good luck!

Looks like no alternative but to keep at it
for me
David

I empathize! I have found bindweed control to be more mentally than physically exhausting. I always felt like Sisyphus when pulling that weed.

Woven polyethylene landscape fabric is an idea too. You could remove mulch from your garden, install fabric and cut holes for your existing plants, and replace the mulch over top. It would be an expensive option but might provide a faster solution.

Jonathan D Davis wrote:I empathize! I have found bindweed control to be more mentally than physically exhausting. I always felt like Sisyphus when pulling that weed.

Woven polyethylene landscape fabric is an idea too. You could remove mulch from your garden, install fabric and cut holes for your existing plants, and replace the mulch over top. It would be an expensive option but might provide a faster solution.

If there is ANY space to get through it finds a way. I have two acres worth to prove it. What they call spun-bond (non woven sheet/mat poly) landscaping fabric it won't get through, except where you tried to nail the landscape fabric down or make a hole for the plant you want.

I clip it to the ground whenever I see it. I don't pull it--breaking the roots causes new growth----this way I starve out the carbs in the roots and eventually it dies. Works well and playing garden assassin is FUN!

Thank you so much! I will try that with a test corner of otherwise bare turf other than bindweed and see if it works.

Some of my gardening clients have bindweed and they also have pet rabbits. I offered the rabbits some of the bindweed (to avoid getting the roots it in the compost bin) and they really love it. So with the help of a small flexible fence I am now considering getting a small rabbit army to help with the weeding. Seems like a better option than goats in a small garden!

They also keen on ground elder too but this was less suprising as I knew it was edible (like a lot of the common weeds are).

I have alkaline soil and the bindweed grows like mad. I tried using cardboard, and it found ways around; it just made it harder to pull. So I'm just chopping it off at ground level every week. Squash and sunflowers are supposed to suppress it, as do buckwheat or rye cover crops. But from what I've seen they don't actually get rid of it. As well as deep and extensive root systems, bindweed has seeds which can lie dormant for thirty years, and can rapidly spread in from the edge of a cleared area. So I guess there is no way to permanently remove it. I've never seen it in heavy shade under evergreens, so I suppose planting an evergreen plantation would work.