[maglet]

My garden is being overtaken by Convolvulus/Bindweed, please help . Any suggestions on how to get rid of this would be great. While I think the flower is nice, i would prefer it not to be climbing around my roses & other plants.
Thanks!

[Red]

Hello maglet. What kind of flower does Convolvulus/Bindweed have. If its nice, it may be a weed worth keeping in my garden. Do you have any pics of it on your plants.

[maglet]

Hi Red, no, don't have any pics of it yet unfortunately, but you've probably seen it around taking over wasteland. it's flower is white in a kind of trumpet shape. i don't think you can have just a little bit of convolvulus though.

[Bugs]

here are some photos I took today .


You do not want this plant in your garden .. It is probably one of the worst to have in your garden .
It may be possible to get rid of it with a uranium enriched missile , but I doubt it . In cases where it is in open ground try roundup , repeated sprayings . Around plants break it off to about six inches and let it regrow , carefully unwind the new growth along the ground and paste roundup gel on the leaves and stems again repeatedly
Bugs

[maglet]

that's the one! gggrrrr!
don't suppose there are any alternatives to the chemcial weed killers? We're growing alot of food in the garden too and want to keep the as soil chemical free as possible.

[James Kilkelly]

Good pics Bugs


Try this trick, maglet.
cut down all the bindweed to about 3 inches above ground level.
Push short lengths of bamboo into the soil next to the regrowing bindweed shoots and wrap the stems around the canes.
This will stops the bindweed from entwining itself around other plants.
Then cut off the bottom of 2 ltr plastic bottles and remove the cap.
Place the bottle over the cane and bindweed and spray into the neck of the bottle with a concentrated salt mixture.
Then replace the cap.
The heat in the bottle ensures the salt burns your Convolvulus / Bindweed.
Use luke warm water to dissolve the salt.

This will not kill the bindweed outright, but it will severly weaken it if done regularly.

I'm sure I speak for the rest of the Irish gardeners when I say we would love to see pics of your shrubs,roses and veg.
Have you a large garden?

[maglet]

thanks for that tip - i'll try it and let you know how it goes!

my garden is a bit unusual in that it's more of a wrap-around garden! it's on average about 3m all around the house. we inherited some great plants from the previous house owners including a plum tree & other flowers that i'm begining to recognise & alot of nastertiums (almost as much as the bindweed!). this is our first summer in the house & so far have a load of lettuce type plants, some courgettes, sunflowers, aubergines and lots of tomatoes. I do have some photos, will try and get them up soon.

[Red]

The bind weed flower is really pretty. Bit too many leaves though. I think I'll pass on asking for a cutting from ye. What a monster of a weed.

[BrendanRoche]

Try the bamboo method and when it grows up above the ornamentals get a pair of rubber gloves on and then wipe some neat Roundup on the leaves and then watch it die right back down to the roots

[Desmo]

[verge]

Yes Desmo, there is definatly a case to be made for a controlled use of roundup. I like to keep things as organic as possible but sometimes I call upon the helping hand of chemicals.
You say you have ground elder, I have never had to deal with it, but heard its a curse.

[Desmo]

[Joaney]

I also have a lot of bindweed and boy it can bind its way around anything. Have tried yanking it out but it keeps coming back.

[mor_rigan]

I spent two hours this morning weeding. I hate bindweed with the fiery passion of 1000 suns. I'll take nettles, briars or those weeds with the yellow flowers that smell like brassicas over bindweed.

I'd like to try the bottle and salt solution but I'm afraid of letting the bindweed grow that high. I'm going to have to re-rotivate a quarter of an acre because the bindweed has conquered half my garden. I'm leery of roundup though.

[Liparis]