Combat bindweed: How to deal with the weeds

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Combat bindweed: This is how you keep rampant weeds in check

Its name says it all: bindweed uses its entire environment to shimmy (“wind”) and spread out. As if that weren’t stressful enough for surrounding plants, the fast-growing weeds are stealing essential nutrients, light, and water from their neighbors. If you want to fight field bindweed, you need staying power.

The widespread field weed has its high season between June and September: During this time, the rampant weed forms long, thin shoots that wind around everything that comes their way: preferably (ornamental) plants and garden fences. If the bindweed cannot find anything to climb on, it will crawl along the ground until it finds something to hold on to. It not only spreads above ground, but also forms root systems up to two meters deep underground. This makes it all the more difficult to permanently control the proliferating weeds. Apart from that, the funnel-shaped, mostly white-pink colored flowers serve as a source of food for bees and other insects. If you still want to declare war on the field bindweed, you will find a few helpful tips and tricks below.

Combat bindweed: Tedious methods

As already mentioned, field bindweed is difficult to combat. This is mainly due to their roots, which are deep in the earth – and keep sprouting new sprouts, even if only the smallest parts (the size of one centimeter is enough) remain in the ground when they are removed. In addition, the plant continues to multiply through its seeds, which are carried by the wind. Accordingly, it is difficult to get control of the situation while the roots grow underground up to three meters long in just one year. So you only have two options if you want to get rid of bindweed: either fight them permanently (over a period of several months) or tolerate the weeds in your garden. And only remove the visible shoots from the plants that are completely consumed by them. Otherwise it can happen that entire bushes are literally suffocated under the snares of the field bindweed.

1. Tee off

Pulling out a field bindweed is absolutely pointless, since its shoots are so thin that they tear off immediately under a strong pull. It makes more sense to cover the visible shoots with a garden hoe tee off at ground level – and ideally throughout the season. As a result, the plant has to constantly fall back on its reserve substances in the rhizomes, which are eventually used up. Which in turn means that the bindweed no longer has the strength to form new shoots. It usually takes a whole season to get there.

Important to know: Do not dispose of bindweed root remains in the compost, as they would sprout again there, but better with the organic waste.

2. Covering

Another way to combat bindweed is to cover the affected area with some cardboard or weed film – then pour something bark mulch on it. However, keep in mind that all shoots of the plant must first be cut off at ground level. The lack of light should prevent the weeds from spreading further. However, this method does not smother seeds in the soil, which can remain there for several years before they sprout.

Important to know: The weed wrap should be left on the ground for at least a year before it can be removed.

Use of herbicides: Use chemical agents

Of course there is chemical control agents bindweed, but these have one major disadvantage: they have to be applied to each individual plant (or more precisely, each leaf!) in order to take effect – without affecting other plants. This is not only very time-consuming, but also not very promising. Because one treatment is usually not enough. In addition, bindweed is a real survivor and quite capable of developing a certain resistance to herbicides. Therefore, the use of chemical agents is rather questionable. Especially since weed killers containing glyphosate are only permitted on agricultural, forestry and horticultural areas according to the Plant Protection Act.

This home remedy combats bindweed

If you do not want to use any of the methods mentioned, but are not a fan of herbicides either, there is another home remedy for controlling bindweed. Proceed as follows: first remove all visible weed shoots, then pour boiling water over the roots. With young winds, these scald and die, older shoots can survive the attack, but are still weakened.

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