Bindweed is strangling my brain

Hi everyone. I'm new to DG & I'm so glad to have found this site. 40 or so years ago a previious owner actually planted this horror & now I can't get rid of it. The tendrils come up everywhere, even in the grass. It strangles everything it touches. I continually pull it up & it gets worse every year. I have extensive flower beds & all I seem to do is run around yanking this miserable vine off everything. Someone here suggested trapping a tendril in a yogurt container that has RU in it. That's not practical for me 'cause this hidious thing is everywhere. My sanity may be at stake here. I'd be most grateful for any suggestions.

Gloria

I'm just now beginning to see Field Bindweed making an appearance only we call it Prairie Morning Glory (Convolvulus arvensis). I've been nailing it with Round Up. No sense me trying to pull it up with only a few here and there but then again I am not inundated with it as you are.

This takes years to eradicate and them only sometimes successful. RU only helpd manage this beast. The only thing that has worked for me to manage this weed is pulling and planting so many plants as to force this invader out. RU only works partially as the seeds can stay viable in the soil for 50 years. I can't use the RU in a container as I have dogs and the bindweed is everywhere. Perhaps the only weed that I seem to have a war with. The other weeds don't take over like this monster. The only time it wasn't a problem is when we were in a drought.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/2104.html

Here's some of the information about bindweed management from a UC Davis site:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7462.html

IMPACT
Field bindweed is one of the most persistent and difficult-to-control weeds in ornamentals, orchard and vine crops, and field crops. It has a vigorous root and rhizome system that makes it almost impossible to control with cultivation. Its seed has a long dormancy and may last in soil for up to 60 years. It has a climbing habit that allows the plant to grow through mulches.

Field bindweed is also very drought tolerant and once established is almost impossible to control with herbicides.

MANAGEMENT
Control of field bindweed is not easy, and it cannot be accomplished with a single treatment or in a single season. Effective control requires prevention of seed production, reduction of stored carbohydrates by deep tillage of the root system, competition for light from other plants, and constant vigilance in removing top growth.
Cultural Control
Experiments in some annual and perennial crops have demonstrated the effect of shade on bindweed growth. In these studies alfalfa, cereal grains, and corn reduced bindweed growth. Shrubs and trees should also reduce growth, especially if there is another planting under the trees and the bindweed is not allowed to climb above the foliage of these plants.
Seedlings of field bindweed are easy to control with cultivation, but only for about 3 to 4 weeks from germination. After that, perennial buds are formed, and control is much more difficult.

Cultivation or hoeing has been partially effective in reducing established stands of field bindweed. Cultivate about every 2 to 3 weeks, as soon as the bindweed reaches 6 inches in length, and repeat whenever necessary. In conjunction with cultivation, withholding water to dry the site may help to reduce the perennial population in a summer season.

Black polyethylene mulch has been effective for bindweed control if no light is allowed to reach the soil and the plant. The edges of the plastic must overlap so that the bindweed stems cannot grow between the sheets and into the light. Landscape fabrics have also been effective if all light is excluded. If holes are made in the fabric or plastic for plants, however, bindweed can also grow through these holes. A landscape fabric placed over soil, then covered with bark or other plant-derived product (organic matter) or rock, will control field bindweed. It may take more than 3 years of light exclusion before the bindweed is killed. Once the plastic is removed, new bindweed plants may germinate from seed in the soil; be sure to monitor the site and control any new seedlings.


This message was edited Jun 6, 2006 10:38 AM

Well everyone, looks like I'm just going to keep pulling this beast out. RU is not an option. I still can't believe that someone actually planted this thing. I've given it a name. It's the name of the dummy who planted it. LOL
And the thing smells bad to boot!

I just finished pulling down an Autumn Clematis that was infested with this Scourge.. The leaves are similar but The Scourge is more tender. Impossible to separate, though. I lost half the Clematis but managed to untangle it from a Hydrangea and a climbing rose. I didn't know it had invaded the Clematis until it was almost too late. I'll have to be more diligent on that side of the garden.

bensjd, that is discouraging news....but thank you anyway. I have band aids everywhere from dealing with that rose. Just short of a transfusion. I'm not giving up. WAR!