Goodbye Bindweed

Say Goodbye to Bindweed

I had the blessing of gardening without this noxious weed for about two decades, now it seems to be everywhere.  Sometimes this weed is referred to as morning glory.  It is in that family of plants, but there is nothing good about this invasion and take over.  

This has been the first year that I have been diligent in dealing with it.  So first, I wait for the bindweed to get about 12 inches long.  

Then I place a wide mouth drink bottle over it, that the bottom has been cut off of.  

I wad the plant up into the bottle from the cut end.  

Then I wedge the cut end into the garden soil.  I then remove the cap, spray in a bunch of Roundup coating the leaves liberally, and I replace the cap. The wide mouth bottle is preferred because it's easier to coat the plant from a large opening, rather than a smaller opening of a soda bottle.  

The bottle serves a couple of important purposes.  One is to contain the Roundup so it isn't splashing on the surrounding plants that I want to live.  The bindweed often grows very close to everything else.  I am able to coat the weed good and proper this way.  When I screw the cap back on, the bottle will also provide a very hot greenhouse effect for the plant......killing it.  

The bindweed is sharing the same cage as my pepper plant, but my pepper plant is completely safe from the Roundup.

Now this weed will grow back somewhere close by.  But if you are diligent in tackling that one, and the next, and the next, it will become exhausted and vanish (or so the theory goes.)

There have been a few times where I've been unable to get a tight fit for the bottle over the bindweed.  When this happens, I just get a sealable plastic bag and wad the plant into it, spray in the Roundup, and seal it the best I can. With either method, I leave the bag or the bottle on for a few days to let the Roundup and the heat work its magic. 

These efforts have really made a difference.  I hope to tackle the bindweed in my raspberry bushes next year.  This year, my pumpkins have taken over the raspberries and I can't even get to them.