I swear bindweed can change its colour to blend in with whatever plants it's growing up and through. Sometimes I don't spot it until the growing end is waving to me from the top of its support.
I’ve been battling it for 4 years in my current veg garden, but the roots emerge from deep down in the bedrock so I am never rid of it. Up until now I have double-dug the beds at the start of each season to get as much of it out as possible, then use a narrow, long-bladed weeding tool to dig it out when it pops up during the growing season. I’m giving up on the double digging next time, too much hard work, to see if I can control it just by hoiking up as and when. It is a real pain and I sympathise, but no I don’t think it causes any damage underground. It is a learn to live with thing. I’ve learnt!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
With roots so far down, it's probably not competing with many plants that have shallower roots.. so just control it the best you can and not worry overly much. 😉
I'll freely admit I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to worrying too much
But well, so long as everything else will just happily carry on as if it wasn't there then I can hopefully just accept it as another task to do when out deadheading or otherwise there.
This is probably another case where too much information causes confusion about how bad a situation really is, with all these dozens of websites saying how horrible everything is. I'm sure the reaction to it a hundred years ago would have been less 'eek how do I stop it' and more 'oh, lets just rip it out'.
I'll freely admit I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to worrying too much
But well, so long as everything else will just happily carry on as if it wasn't there then I can hopefully just accept it as another task to do when out deadheading or otherwise there.
This is probably another case where too much information causes confusion about how bad a situation really is, with all these dozens of websites saying how horrible everything is. I'm sure the reaction to it a hundred years ago would have been less 'eek how do I stop it' and more 'oh, lets just rip it out'.
Try to relax, we all get bombarded with too much information these days. I'm sure it thrived in old cottage gardens and was left where it had its place and was judiciously ripped out where it wasn't wanted.
Like Smudgerii I mix up systemic weedkiller and add a little wallpaper paste to thicken and use a paintbrush/gloved hand on a few leaves of any weed growing in amongst wanted plants or veg. Works on bracken, docks etc.
I've given up trying to get rid of it permanently as I think it can't be done and now just rip it out when I see it. it doesn't seem to harm the plants and dies down in the winter anyway.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
But well, so long as everything else will just happily carry on as if it wasn't there then I can hopefully just accept it as another task to do when out deadheading or otherwise there.
This is probably another case where too much information causes confusion about how bad a situation really is, with all these dozens of websites saying how horrible everything is. I'm sure the reaction to it a hundred years ago would have been less 'eek how do I stop it' and more 'oh, lets just rip it out'.