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market-farming - Re: Field bindweed

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  • From: HMSTDFRMS AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Field bindweed
  • Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 20:33:21 EDT

Guess I'll throw my two cents into the bindweed discussion since it's our #1 weed problem.  We've tried the cover crop/fallow "Nordell method" during a particularly hot summer a few years ago. During the fallow period we turned over the ground every couple of weeks to bring the rhizomes to the surface and let them dry off. Our last step was a very thick cover of sudex. We couldn't have asked for better conditions for the experiment, and did see "some" improvement, but not enough.  Don't bother with the black plastic. We've had the bindweed trail under the plastic for over 30' toward a miniscule light source! 
Now for the mildly helpful news....for the past two years we have been experimenting with using our pastured pigs to intensively cultivate our worst bindweed area. On the area that had the most intense activity, we have seen an absolutely wonderful improvement.  It's far from gone, but we were actually able to plant that field to cut flower production and keep the bindweed under control.  The pigs root out the rhizomes and either eat or leave them on the surface to dry out.  To make a significant improvement, you need a fairly high concentration of pigs.  This year we are pasturing our pigs on a larger bindweed area that we cover cropped in oats and field peas. Hopefully our results will be as positive as they were in our initial trial. I'll keep you all posted if we come to any conclusive results.
Linda
Homestead Farms



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