Grow Your Own Magazine

Today, I dug a wheel barrow load of bindweed roots from one bed 12ft by 4ft. I hate it, nearly as much as horsetail. The wally who rented our allotment plot previously had a rotovator fetish ( he never planted, just rotovated!) he chopped it all up into zillions of roots and turned the plot into weed heaven. well, I'm going to KILL it.............

Keep digging and pulling, you will eventually get on top of it. I hate rotovators for this same reason. They chop all the perennial weed roots into millions of little cuttings.

I have bindweed in my beds. Just keep hoeing off the new shoots as they appear and the plant will eventually weaken and die.Same goes for any perrenial(sp) weed. The trick is to get it as soon as it puts it's head out!

We had some in a flower bed. We emptied the bed completely and hoed every time anything green appeared, was clear by the next summer (bare for a year). Great if you don't mind bare soil (on a bank outside the lounge window - lovely!). Hardly an option though for a lottie, unless you really are very patient.

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Nell

I use a paint on systemic weedkiller in spring. After 2 years all gone. Mind you, you have to be persistent and wear gloves...

Which weedkiller madasafish?

Keep at it - this is the third year I've had the plot and the first that didn't involve pulling up buckets of roots. You'll beat it!

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You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

I had a lot of success with gyphosate based weedkiller on bindweed. Some came back after the first dose but second treatment seemed to get it. I used B&Q complete. Shame it doesn't work so well on horesetail...

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I'd rather have bindweed than the couch grass and super-nettles that I am battling with.
Wanna swap?

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Nothing wrong with rotavating as the small chopped roots are easier to kill off. As already mentioned pull up the heads as they appear and due to the soft rotavated soil they come away easily!!

Depending on size of the infestation, it may be wise to leave the plot barren whilst clearing the bindweed completely as I found out last year when they competed against my tomatoes!

I've just read in my copy of Diggers Diary that if you put bindweed in black sacks making sure no light gets in & keep for a year they will completely rot down into compost & can be used without fear of them re-growing.

I've got loads on my veg patch so I'm going to give it a go.

Does ANYONE have some tips for getting rid of horsetail? HELP

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You know you're a hard nosed gardener when you pull the weeds from others plots!

Move house

Sodium Chlorate is pretty effective, but you cant plant for a few months afterwards.

Apart from that I keep it down as best as possible by pulling it as soon as I spot it. It apparently prefers wet, clay type soil, so improving your soil should help.

Give it a bit of a trample before using weedkiller as it is waterproof.

14 years, and it is still winning

Sorry Epsom Gardener, but I don't believe it is possible to "get rid" of Mares Tails. You can keep them under control but it involves spraying with Glyphosphate.
Some people seem to manage to live with them by just pulling their heads off as they appear.
No point in trying to dig them out - the roots go all the way to Australia - and if you leave a smidgen it just regrows.
If you cover with any kind of mulch (carpet, polythene etc) it just goes sideways and comes up beyond the mulch.
Sorry again. I'm sure it's not what you wanted to hear.
I think you just have to find a way to live with it.
PS - I had it growing at the side of a driveway. Salt (of the kind used for ice and snow) was successful at getting rid/keeping under control. But no use as a method for a veg bed.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

just have to live with it , i have

couch grass
bind weed
mares tale
thistles
docs
and stingers

the whole bloody lot and im still winning lol

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rain rain go away

When I first got my plot in December there was no sign of bindweed, only nettles and dandelions and annuals, but now its everywhere. I'm just pulling it up whenever and wherever I see it - which is difficult amongst tiny seedlings. Think I might try the paint on stuff in the autumn as beds become clear of veggies.

I'm also suffering with chickweed which even though easier to pull out roots and all just will not leave me alone, even that keeps on coming back - must love the healthy well fed soil!

Good luck with yours Petal - let us know how you get on as the season goes along wont you.

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

>Allotmentlady
Tumbleweed.
150ml plastic jar with brush.
Superb if you've got 5 minutes and nothing else to do!
Weeds in flowerbeds, weeds in lawns,
dandelions... anything...

I wouldn't do that, just incase it reincarnates itself. Just burn the stuff.