Bindweed?

[Finedon.Dandy]

First question: Are there more than one variety of bindweed?

In our strawberry bed we have a problem with what I have been referring to as bindweed but it is slightly different;

1. The leaves are smaller

2. Its habbit is to branch out - makes it a little easier to dig out bits but!

3. It does a lot of its growing under the ground - doesnt pop to surface till many many shoots have formed

This would cause a problem anywhere but fruit brushes have arrived today and (story of my life) we havent got around to takling this bed where they are to go. There is also a very invasive mint growing amoungst the strawberries - smells lovely together but I need to contain it. Both these thugs were "removed" by hubby when he dug the bed over 2 years ago - but obviously not well enough! So the second question is: How should I tackle it?

a. dig whole bed over from scratch again, putting fruit bushes and strawberry plants in containers for this summer if we cannot get it done before the hot (I hope!) weather arrives.

b. as planned, extend bed, move strawberries and plant bushes, removing thugs in the process.

Hope someone can help.

[piskieinboots]

From RHS:
Calystegia sepium (bellbind) is a strong twining climber, with shallow, fleshy underground stems. Convolvulus arvensis (bindweed) is weaker in appearance than bellbind, but also spreads rapidly through the soil.

This site may prove useful to you

[Flummery]

There is the big bindweed in my garden - Convolvulus - but you get a couple of kinds of small bindweed. One, which I had on my old allotment, is pinkish in flower. Rather attractive - if you're not trying to grow summat else!

[Matt.]

Glyphosate weedkiller. Paint it on the offending leaves rather than sparying and killing your strawberries. Bindweed is very susceptible to this and it will work.

[Eco-Chic]

If you're going to paint Glyphosate onto the bindweed 'crack' the leaves first.

Alternatively, don rubber gloves, put old gloves or socks over the top and dip your hand into Glyphosate and run it up the stem of bindweed.

[srodders]

They also say to cut the tip off and leave the tip in a cointainer containing glyphosate. - Not the tip you've just cut off but the bit the end of the growing plant (not that it will be growing for much longer)