Bindweed - Another Eradication Method

I have read a myriad of articles about the evils of using Herbicides and in general I am in complete agreement that the less we can use these products the better.  In my garden I am 100% organic and will continue to be as long as I have anything to say about it.

That being said, I told you I would give you several options to get rid of bindweed.  One of those options is Herbicides.  Specifically products like Roundup - which will kill pretty much any plant that it gets on; and 2,4-D (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) which is a systemic herbicide that kills broadleaf plants.  I have used both of these products in the past and had varying results on bindweed.  The Roundup killed the bindweed after several treatments, but it sprang back up in the same location the next spring.  The 2,4-D killed the bindweed in my lawn, but once again it reappeared the following spring.

So, in the spirit of the Organic Gardener my recommendation is that if you can try to use organic methods instead of resorting to herbicides you will be doing a great service to the earth, your yard and your pocket book (pulling weeds by hand is free).  And, if you compost your grass you won't want that stuff in your compost heap either.

Keep digging!

Organic Control of Bindweed

Get ready to work!  Be vigilant!  Watch for any signs of this rotten little weed and as soon as you see it pull it up or cut it off at soil level.   Don't worry about getting all of the root - you never will.  But, if you can keep up with it and pull it out every time you see any sign of it the bindweed won't be able to feed it's roots and eventually it will die.  You have to stay ahead of it - don't let it get any leaves.  Easy to say - Hard to do.  Be patient, you will be doing this several times.  Good Luck!!

More methods of dealing with bindweed coming soon!

Help! I'm being choked by Bindweed!

Are your plants pleading for help?  So am I!

Bindweed (AKA Morning Glory, Convolvulus arvensis) is an evil little blighter that grows along the ground until it reaches a fence, pole or your favorite plant and then jumps and climbs like wild fire smothering everything in it's path.  It can reproduce from a piece of it's root, from rhizomes, stem fragments and seeds which can lie dormant in the soil for 20 or more years.  To put it bluntly, once it is established it is nearly impossible to eradicate.

So, what can we do to get rid of it?

Well, Let's open it up to you...   Let me know what you have done and how it worked and I will follow up with some of the tactics that have worked for me and hopefully some new ideas from you.