The other way to treat it is put the weedkiller in a wide neck bottle, stuff the end of the bindweed in and leave for a few days. It will track down and kill the roots. Lawn weed killer works as well as glyphosate. Just make sure you don't spill any, or let children & pets get near. Tedious but it works.
We had it coming over from a piece of waste ground at the back of our last garden. Someone gave me the same tip as Allotment Boy, but it was a poly bag they recommended, tied at the top. Another suggestion was wear an old pair of gloves soaked in glyphosate and rub your hands along a stem, soaking the leaves. We kept at it and by the time we moved, we had it under control.
You might want to bear in mind that if you want to cut a leylandi hedge back hard, it won't regenerate and will stay brown forever. Also, don't go looking for problems in the garden before they happen - you're supposed to be enjoying your new house!
I find bindweed quite easy to control, I don't use chemicals, I just snap the stems as close to the ground as I can easily get, about once a week. The bindweed comes back weaker each time, and less each year, no problem...
Having experienced a similar situation where there was a risk of bindweed growing under a neighbour fence here is what I did and an option you may want to think about.
My neighbour had both Leylandii and bindweed in their garden. Not wanting their bindweed creeping through the soil into our garden, I chose the above solution. A lot of work I know but I can sleep at night knowing there’s no chance of it appearing on our side of the fence.
I did, however, note that the bindweed in my neighbour’s garden was not too bad as it was being kept in check by the inhospitable growing conditions created by the Leylandii i.e. the dry soil, shade and low nutrients. However, if my neighbour had the Leylandii trees removed, the bindweed would have spread rapidly.Consider removing the Leylandii as you will find they need trimming every year without fail, otherwise they will rapidly increase in both height and width. Trimming once a year and possibly twice to keep their vigorous growth under control, can be time consuming and expensive if hired help is needed.
In addition the Leylandii will change the soil conditions, over time, as they will remove moisture and nutrients making it difficult to grow plants in their vicinity. You will also need to take into consideration the dead foliage they shed. If you decide to remove the Leylandii you will need to have the stumps ground out.
Purchase rolls of an HSK Bamboo Control System, dig a trench up to 70cm deep and sink the control system vertically into the trench and back fill it. Once in the ground you will find that the weight of soil behind the bamboo control system will make it act like a sheet of steel thus preventing spread of bindweed through the soil.
Depending on which book or website you refer to, the depth you need to dig a trench to prevent bindweed encroaching, will vary between 30-45cm. However, the depth of the topsoil will influence the depth the bindweed will grow to. From personal experience I have found bindweed at a depth of around 50cm.
If you want to ensure that you keep the pernicious bindweed out, I would dig a trench of between 50-70cm, the deeper the better.
If you plan to dig a trench do it in the spring, autumn or winter, as the soil will be soft and easy to dig. It is also worth pacing the job over a number of months, as this is a fair depth to dig to and will lessen the risk of back injury. It is also worth digging a trench to around one and a half times the width of your spade, so you can actually get into the trench. Being able to get into the trench, makes it much easer to dig to this depth and again lessen the risk of back injury.
One other consideration to bear in mind is if you dig a trench in spring, autumn or winter and, depending on your soil, there is a risk of it collapsing so dig it in stages. Place the barrier in the first section and unroll it to the length you have dug. Then fill in the trench including the unrolled end. Dig the next section and unroll more of the barrier as you go and then fill in that section.
If this seems a lot of work, it would be worth hiring in someone with a mini digger to dig your trench for you.
While this appears to be a lot of work, you will never win the battle against bindweed, even with a systemic weed killer, particularly if the problem is rife in your neighbour’s garden, as the saying goes no pain no gain.
As this is the boundary with your neighbour, make sure that the location where you site the bamboo control system does not encroach into their garden. Neighbour disputes have to be declared at the time of a house sale and they can wipe thousands off the value of your house.
You could hope that in your situation, the Leylandii with its ability to change the soil conditions will keep it at bay. However, on your side you will struggle to grow plants at the base, particularly as the Leylandii get older. If the bindweed does get a hold among the roots of your Leylandii and into your garden, you are unlikely to win.
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Just had a long think about it all. Might trim the hedge back to our boundary and get a six foot fence put along that stretch of the garden.
I'd rather tackle the bindweed through a fence than a six foot by five foot hedge
Also, don't go looking for problems in the garden before they happen - you're supposed to be enjoying your new house!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you
Hello James,
Having experienced a similar situation where there was a risk of bindweed growing under a neighbour fence here is what I did and an option you may want to think about.
My neighbour had both Leylandii and bindweed in their garden. Not wanting their bindweed creeping through the soil into our garden, I chose the above solution. A lot of work I know but I can sleep at night knowing there’s no chance of it appearing on our side of the fence.
I did, however, note that the bindweed in my neighbour’s garden was not too bad as it was being kept in check by the inhospitable growing conditions created by the Leylandii i.e. the dry soil, shade and low nutrients. However, if my neighbour had the Leylandii trees removed, the bindweed would have spread rapidly.Consider removing the Leylandii as you will find they need trimming every year without fail, otherwise they will rapidly increase in both height and width. Trimming once a year and possibly twice to keep their vigorous growth under control, can be time consuming and expensive if hired help is needed.
In addition the Leylandii will change the soil conditions, over time, as they will remove moisture and nutrients making it difficult to grow plants in their vicinity. You will also need to take into consideration the dead foliage they shed. If you decide to remove the Leylandii you will need to have the stumps ground out.
Purchase rolls of an HSK Bamboo Control System, dig a trench up to 70cm deep and sink the control system vertically into the trench and back fill it. Once in the ground you will find that the weight of soil behind the bamboo control system will make it act like a sheet of steel thus preventing spread of bindweed through the soil.
Depending on which book or website you refer to, the depth you need to dig a trench to prevent bindweed encroaching, will vary between 30-45cm. However, the depth of the topsoil will influence the depth the bindweed will grow to. From personal experience I have found bindweed at a depth of around 50cm.
If you want to ensure that you keep the pernicious bindweed out, I would dig a trench of between 50-70cm, the deeper the better.
If you plan to dig a trench do it in the spring, autumn or winter, as the soil will be soft and easy to dig. It is also worth pacing the job over a number of months, as this is a fair depth to dig to and will lessen the risk of back injury. It is also worth digging a trench to around one and a half times the width of your spade, so you can actually get into the trench. Being able to get into the trench, makes it much easer to dig to this depth and again lessen the risk of back injury.
One other consideration to bear in mind is if you dig a trench in spring, autumn or winter and, depending on your soil, there is a risk of it collapsing so dig it in stages. Place the barrier in the first section and unroll it to the length you have dug. Then fill in the trench including the unrolled end. Dig the next section and unroll more of the barrier as you go and then fill in that section.
If this seems a lot of work, it would be worth hiring in someone with a mini digger to dig your trench for you.
While this appears to be a lot of work, you will never win the battle against bindweed, even with a systemic weed killer, particularly if the problem is rife in your neighbour’s garden, as the saying goes no pain no gain.
As this is the boundary with your neighbour, make sure that the location where you site the bamboo control system does not encroach into their garden. Neighbour disputes have to be declared at the time of a house sale and they can wipe thousands off the value of your house.
You could hope that in your situation, the Leylandii with its ability to change the soil conditions will keep it at bay. However, on your side you will struggle to grow plants at the base, particularly as the Leylandii get older. If the bindweed does get a hold among the roots of your Leylandii and into your garden, you are unlikely to win.
Regards
The Sustainable Gardener