How do I stop this from taking over my garden?

[John2016]

This plant (weed) has taken over my garden. Its completely dried out my plants from bottom to top and and started to spread toward our lawn.

I have thought about using weed killer, however, its wrapped itself from our good plants, its therefore very difficult to remove.

Does anybody have any advise how our to remove, kill and what plant it is?

Thanks,
J.

 

[RayCaister]

Bindweed ... https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=241

 

[John2016]

So it seems that it is very difficult to control.

Is it just a matter of following the plant to understand where its coming from and then apply weed killer?

 

[London Mike 49]

Bind weed has rhizome type roots that store energy when the weed dies back in winter then uses that stored energy to push new shoots through the soil where it will use the sun and rain to constantly replenish it's energy to survive.
You have to apply a systemic weed killer that will take it down to the roots and kill it, something like this https://www.google.co.uk/aclk?sa=l&...ahUKEwjRp8ezsa7VAhXJB8AKHUw5DOAQwg8ILQ&adurl= will do but don't spray it on anything that you don't want to kill. Just spray the main bulk of the leaves and most of it will die back within a week or so. Because the plant looks quite well established you will have to treat any regrowth again so that the plant uses all its stored energy and the roots die off completely.

Mike

 

[lostinthelight]

When Monty Don says it will regrow from a tiny piece of root he's not kidding .
I dug this bindweed plant out from between the parsnips a month or so ago, pencil along side for scale.
litl

 

[John2016]

WOW, that is small.

We have a small garden which has flower beds on the left and top side of the garden. It is just a matter of pulling all the bindweed out and then to monitor to understand where the bindweed is coming from, for example neighbour garden and then to treat and pull out?

Or because the bindweed has spread, it would have grown new roots along its path which I need to find and remove.

This is going to be a nightmare.

 

[London Mike 49]

You will not be able to remove all the roots, they are quite brittle and tiny pieces snap off and form new plants. Your only solution I'm afraid is to treat the top growth with a weed killer that will kill the roots at the same time.
It may take a couple of seasons to get rid of all of it as you can only treat it when the plant has leaves but it is doable .

Mike

 

[bernardgreen]

An aunt of mine used to paint glyphosphate (?) onto the leaves of the plants to be destroyed rather than spraying them and risking harm to the plants she wanted to keep,

 

[Nozzle]

It does respond to glyphosate so that's handy. You can make up a mixture with fairy liquid which will help the weed killer to stay clumped to the leaves where you paint in on, but you could expect surrouding plants to suffer. It comes in my property from the neighbours but is gnerally easy to keep away as there's nothing else growing along the same edge.

Nozzle

 

[John2016]

Many thanks for all the comments...

I have had a look round the garden and found the below, its even taken over my tree.

I believe is coming from the alleyway... If I cut of this supply would it kill of the rest?

 

[London Mike 49]

An aunt of mine used to paint glyphosphate (?) onto the leaves of the plants to be destroyed rather than spraying them and risking harm to the plants she wanted to keep,

I know exactly what you mean, I used a stick like thingy that I used to dab on plants in the lawn or a dandelion in the border without affecting other plants.
But nowadays if I'm spraying near plants I want to keep I use a bit of cardboard or scrap of wood to protect the plant while I'm treating the weeds. And to be honest it only takes a few minutes to treat them, job done.

Mike

 

[Nozzle]

Spray the whole lot, pronto. Digging it up will just spread it, as the roots just spring up new plants and propagate the problem.

Nozzle

 

[lostinthelight]

Bindweeds natural habit is to climb so give any regrowth something to go up making it easier to treat although it may be a little late for that this year...unless it stays mild well into Autumn.
litl

 

[StephenStephen]

I've found I can keep it under control just by snapping the stems near the base and leaving it to dry out - it grows back weaker - smaller leaves, slower growth, though I'll never get rid of it completely like that, but it does stop it taking over the garden, and is something I just do when passing. I haven't (yet) used glyphosate, as the bindweed is in areas of food plants and lots of other healthy plants I don't want to kill, and it's a pretty hardcore chemical to be using.

 

[lostinthelight]

I haven't (yet) used glyphosate, as the bindweed is in areas of food plants and lots of other healthy plants I don't want to kill, and it's a pretty hardcore chemical to be using.

Its widely used on food crops.
litl
https://www.ecowatch.com/why-is-glyphosate-sprayed-on-crops-right-before-harvest-1882187755.html