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permaculture - Re: Bind weed on allotment....

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  • From: Scott Pittman <pci@permaculture-inst.org>
  • To: "permaculture" <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Bind weed on allotment....
  • Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 10:13:34 -0600

At 06:45 PM 10/19/00 +0100, you wrote:
I'm emailing for advice/opinions/thoughts....

This year for reasons I won't go into here my allotment became very neglected to the point where i
hadn't visited it for months. today i went down there after work and saw that it has become totally
overun with bindweed. i normally have a bit of a bindweed problem but am able to keep it contained
to 'acceptable' levels- however this year it is totally covering all fruit bushes and the soil as
well- a bit of exploratory digging reveals that it has also rooted all over the place (my real
worry as the top growth is easy enough to remove, and dies back in winter anyway)-

Bindweed is NOT  Bermuda grass, and as my friend says, it at least has flowers... obnoxious as it is.

According to "Weeds and Why They Grow" by Jay L. McCaman:

Bindweed means: possible excess of heavy metals present, compaction is present. Roots go too deep for herbicides to work on it. Seed remains viable in the soil for about 50 years. Humus may be present, but not decaying properly, as an antagonistic decay system is present, and fermentation is needed.
Root secretions from tall marigolds and dahlias may kill it.

Also he states that bindweed proliferates in soils with following mineral contents (H - high, L - low, VL - very low)
Calcium : L, VL
P2O5:      L, VL
K20:         H, VH
Mg:           H
Fe:            H
Bacteria : anaerobic, meaning lack of oxygen in the soil
Drainage: poor

You should look at your soil test carefully, as in my case for example soil has very high Calcium, but is quite alkaline, so calcium is chemically not available to plants, and thus is very low.

I heard biodynamic people suggesting 3 consecutive years of pumpkins of a bindweed patch. (Possible allelopathic effect?)
Black plastic does not work very well, as the root system is so prolific that plant will access water and light some place else. By any means if one is to use plastic, it will take a minimum of 3 years to remove the bindweed.

Every time you till or dig, every root sprouts and becomes a plant (old people say)

On my favorite patch of bindweed I see that strawberry clover seem to keep it away, so does high alfalfa. Useless to mention that soil disturbance will only add to a headache, so choose your groundcover carefully and live with it (and some bindweed) peacefully. I don't do any annual ag in places where bindweed is present anymore, but plant perennials and covercrops.

Good luck,

Arina



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