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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Dealing with Bindweed

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  • From: Bill Shoemaker <wshoemak AT illinois.edu>
  • To: jaysleichter AT yahoo.com, "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Dealing with Bindweed
  • Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:10:33 -0500 (CDT)

Bindweed, like other members of the family (morning glory, sweet potato) have
root systems with storage organs for energy. This means that if you kill the
shoot system of the plant, it has potential to grow back using that stored
energy and latent buds. Roundup will only weaken it unless you spray multiple
times and hit it quickly after it begins regrowth. You can do the same by
hand, hoeing it, using a weed whip, etc. The key is being timely and
persistent. You essentially have to starve the plants of their stored energy.
It may take you a couple of seasons with an established population. But when
you have that, you almost always have lots of seeds in the ground that
germinate in flushes. These can be killed much easier but you need to get
them while they are still young. Its hard work but it can be done. I rank
bindweed as second only to canada thistle as most difficult in our area,
northern Illinois.

Bill



>
> We have always had a bindweed problem in our garden
> plots. We have been very diligent and pull it by
> hand every year, all year. It is getting much
> better. We have also put down mulch (straw), and
> black plastic. The straw helps, but the black
> plastic did nothing. It just grows over to a hole
> and pokes through. I have used chemical, but I don't
> want to spray when the garden is planted. Does
> anyone have an easier way to get rid of it?
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>
William H Shoemaker, UI-NRES
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
St Charles Horticulture Research Center
535 Randall Road St Charles, IL 60174
630-584-7254; FAX-584-4610




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