weeds

[No green fingers]

Im wanting to plant potatoes next year, but the part of the garden i want to plant is over run by these weeds in the photo,
i thought i had got rid of them but as soon as we had a few days rain they came back, any idea how to get rid of them, with out harming my dogs, cheers jeff

the weeds

[fromlittleacorns]

Eek! Looks like bindweed to me.....it's a real pain to get rid of - but with persistence it can be gone:

If you're an organic gardener try (courtesy of:gardenorganic.org.uk)

Management: Avoid introducing seeds and rhizome fragments from contaminated areas into fields that are free of the weed.

The depth of the root system makes it impossible to remove by cultivation alone. Only by exhaustion and removal of the rootstock can field bindweed be eradicated. In field crops this entails short rotations with extra root crops and persistent hoeing. During tillage operations the rootstocks can be collected by harrows or by hand and these should be burnt. Turning up the rootstocks to dry in the sun during summer fallowing will reduce the weed. Sometimes only the more drastic bare fallowing with regular cultivations will reduce it appreciably. New shoots arise within 7-14 days of shoots being hoed off. Field bindweed often responds to injury by producing more shoots than were originally cut back. Repeated cultivations, up to 25 over a period of 2-3 years, may eradicate the weed. The optimum interval between cultivations is considered to be 12 days after regenerating shoots emerge, the longer the interval the more prolonged the period before control is achieved. However cultivating every 2 weeks initially and every 3 weeks later in the year is more practical. The only benefit of deeper cultivations is that shallow ones require a shorter the interval between operations.

It is important to hoe off seedlings soon after they emerge. Most 20-day old seedlings (4-leaf stage) cut off just below the soil surface are able to regenerate after decapitation but younger seedlings are less likely to regrow. Seedlings over 6 weeks old are unlikely to be killed by shallow cultivation. In arable situations a dense crop stand may out-compete bindweed seedlings. In perennial crops, the period before planting is the main opportunity to deal with the weed.

In roadside verges, cutting frequency had no effect on the occurrence of field bindweed. Field bindweed is not common in grassland and is unlikely to appear in closely grazed pasture. When it does occur, harrowing in spring may help to keep it down. Sheep and cattle eat the foliage and pigs and chickens may unearth and consume the underground stems and fleshy roots.

Field bindweed seed is moderately susceptible to soil solarization. Entire or woven black plastic or other fabric sheeting will suppress field bindweed emergence but the cost can only be justified in long-term or high value crops. The weed can survive under black plastic sheeting for at least 6 months.

Biological control with fungal pathogens of the genus Septoria and of the genus Phoma has been investigated. The species demonstrate sufficient pathogenicity and host specificity to be regarded as promising biocontrol agents. The host-specific fungus, Erysiphe convolvuli, has also been evaluated as a potential biocontrol agent of field bindweed. An inoculum of the fungus Phomopsis convolvulus has caused severe damage to field bindweed plants at all growth stages. The extent of the damage varied with plant age. Seedlings at early leaf stages were more sensitive than established plants. Timing and weather conditions are critical if biological control is to be effective.

or (courtesy of gardenplansireland):

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 lots of other bods on the forum will have other advice.

Good luck in your endeavours

[No green fingers]

Thanks for your answer, it has been a nightmare to try and get rid of, cheers jeff

[Saturna]

Your best bet is to use Roundup, it won't harm your dogs as once it dries on the plants so just keep them out of the area for 15-30 minutes after spraying it on. Bind weed roots are highly invasive so it may take a couple of doses to kill them completly, I have seen them grow through potato tubers in the past so its better to hit them hard while the plants are green this year than wait

[No green fingers]

Originally Posted by Saturna

Your best bet is to use Roundup, it won't harm your dogs as once it dries on the plants so just keep them out of the area for 15-30 minutes after spraying it on. Bind weed roots are highly invasive so it may take a couple of doses to kill them completly, I have seen them grow through potato tubers in the past so its better to hit them hard while the plants are green this year than wait

thankyou very much, i dont in tend planting till next year so i have a lot of time to get rid of it, cheers jeff

[GMB27]

Ive tried roundup in the past but it didnt have long lasting effects. Maybe i didnt follow the instructions properly or maybe the problem just needed a double treatment or something!

[bantiekeeper]

Hi Jeff, we have lots of this on the allotments. As you have plenty of time I would spend it time digging the bindweed out. It is important to remove every bit if you can. Any small pieces left will regrow.

[No green fingers]

Originally Posted by bantiekeeper

Hi Jeff, we have lots of this on the allotments. As you have plenty of time I would spend it time digging the bindweed out. It is important to remove every bit if you can. Any small pieces left will regrow.

Cheers, it 1st came through for the garden next door, i,ll buy a garden fork so it dont chop it, thanks jeff

[Tom J]

what if he dug the surface weeds out then put black plastic down for a year wouldn't that kill it off

[No green fingers]

Originally Posted by Tom J

what if he dug the surface weeds out then put black plastic down for a year wouldn't that kill it off

Great minds think alike, ive just got a old wagon sheet given to put down after ive dug it, cheers jeff