Characteristics
- Scientific name: Calystegia
- Family: Convolvulaceae
- Growth type: herbaceous, deciduous creeper
- Growth characteristic: left twisting
- Status: wild plant, weed
- Occurrence: roadsides, natural gardens
- Leaf: arrow-shaped
- Flower: funnel
- Flowering period: May to September
- Root: rhizomes with runners
- Toxicity: slightly toxic
- Use: ornamental plant, medicinal plant
toxicity
the bindweed is permeated by various toxic glycosides. Due to these plant substances, the genus Calystegia is assigned to the slightly poisonous wild plants. As a result, flowers, leaves, roots and other plant parts are not edible. Intentional or unintentional consumption causes diarrhea, nausea, stomach problems and, in the worst case, vomiting in sensitive people.
also read
- Bindweed is one of the slightly poisonous plants
- Fighting the Bindweed: How does it work?
- Bindweed is considered slightly poisonous and is therefore not edible
blossom
With their picturesque flowers, bindweed pretends to be harmless ornamental plants. In truth, the morning glory plants transport their bright white floral decorations skyward with rapidly twining shoots. The flower of a bindweed can be recognized by the following characteristics:
- Flower shape: stalked, fivefold, funnel-shaped corolla
- Flower color: bright white to soft pink
- Size: Corolla 5 cm to 7 cm in diameter
- Flowering period: May to September
- Flower ecology: hermaphrodite
- Pollination: Convolvulus hawkmoths, hoverflies, self-pollination
- Special feature: flowers are open day and night, only close when it rains.
After the flowering period, brown capsule fruits with egg-shaped seeds appear, which happily take part in the propagation.
root
The roots are responsible for invasive spread and explosive multiplication. Bindweed forms creeping rhizomes that grow to a depth of 70 centimeters. Fatally, the epic long roots crawl underground in all directions. New offshoots grow from corms at the ends. A small piece of root is enough to create a new bindweed. As outlasting organs, the rhizomes hibernate in the ground and send young creepers on their journey through your garden in spring.
With the vital roots as backing, the creepers quickly conquer fences, posts, bushes, flowers and tree trunks. For a 360° turn counterclockwise, the tendril of a binding bindweed needs almost 2 hours.
use
The bindweed has been the gardener's faithful companion in cottage gardens, monastery gardens and ornamental gardens since the Middle Ages. In the distant past, wild herbs played a rather subordinate role in folk medicine. Today, the wild plants in the natural garden polarize as wasteful summer bloomers or annoying weeds. The following table provides an overview of known uses:
| As an ornamental plant | As a medicinal plant |
|---|---|
| Benefits: | healing effect: |
| + floriferous | + softening |
| + opaque | + diuretic |
| + easy to care for | + soothing |
| Application Options: | Areas of application: |
| + fence watcher | + constipation |
| + privacy screen balcony | + bile weakness |
| + ground cover | + Liver weakness |
| + Summer green facade greening | + fever |
Can't get used to the advantages of ornamental plants or medicinal herbs? On the contrary, are the penetrating fence bindweed a thorn in your side? Watch the video to find out why you are not alone in this. Continue reading. In the next section you will learn how to successfully combat bindweed as a weed without chemicals.
Annoying fence bindweed drives hobby gardeners crazy
Fight bindweed
Troubled hobby gardeners know the problem. Bindweed with deep-reaching roots cannot be planted like conventional ones weed weed. Pulling on the thin creepers only removes the above-ground parts of the plant. The tendrils cannot be detached from perennials or flowers without leaving fatal injuries on the host plants. However, you are not lost in the fight against annoying fence bindweed. Two methods have proven themselves in the near-natural garden:
wear down fence bindweed
- Aboveground plant parts at ground level with a hoe or scythe knock off
- Carry out the measure several times during the season
- Shoots with capsule fruits and seeds in household waste or organic waste dispose
- Simply allow creeping shoots on perennials or flowers to dry and do not pull them off
By consistently removing all shoots, including leaves and flowers, just above the ground, the rhizomes will run out of nutrients in the long run. If you keep at the weeds' heels with this attrition tactic, the wild plants will stop growing after a year or two. How to get rid of bindweed in the garden within one season, read the following section:
cut off light supply
Without sunlight there is no photosynthesis. This is the formula for success for quickly combating bindweed in the garden. Spread out a dark cardboard or cover mulch film over the weedy area. With bark mulch, pine bark or wood chip(€19.00 at Amazon*) conceal the unsightly appearance.
digression
Bindweed - invasive Bindweed twin
Plant bindweed
In the natural garden, the fence bindweed is a hit to decoratively green unsightly downpipes or facades within a short time. The lush wild plants look best as fence viewers, for example on the rustic picket fence in the cottage garden.
The cultivation through sowing is possible all year round on the bright windowsill at 20° to 25° Celsius. The perennial nursery has ready-made fence bindweed ready for you in spring and summer.
Location
Young plants spend two weeks in a semi-shady place before planting. Following this hardening, advanced fence winches are optimally prepared for a location with these general conditions:
- Sunny to semi-shady
- Nutrient-rich, deep soil
- Fresh, moist, loose and well-drained
Plant
The time window for planting is open from March to October. How to plant bindweed correctly:
- Put the root ball in the pot in water
- Rake and weed the site
- 3 to 4 liters of compost and 100 grams per square meter horn shavings(€9.00 at Amazon*) incorporate
- Dig a planting hole
- Pot the bindweed, plant and water
- Place a climbing aid next to the plant
By attaching the lower shoots to the climbing aid, you give a fence bindweed the desired direction of growth. If the wild plants are used as ground cover, please remove all potential climbing aids from the bed.
Maintain bindweed
Like all wild plants, bindweed is easy to care for. The perennials tap into the groundwater with their deep roots. An organic start fertilization in the spring covers the nutrient requirement. With a cut in late winter you clear the way for this year's budding. You can read useful tips about care in the following sections:
Pour
Young plants need regular watering for the first few weeks and months. At this time, the roots make their way towards the groundwater. Well-rooted bindweed bindweed should be watered during summer drought. Run the water directly onto the root disk. The picturesque funnel flowers close in no time when you climb the beauties with the water hose spray.
Fertilize
Ideally, you cover the high nutrient consumption with compost and horn shavings.(€9.00 at Amazon*) At the end of March and beginning of June sprinkle 3 liters compost soil and 100 grams of horn shavings per square meter of cultivation area. Rake in the organic fertilizer and water for rapid absorption of nutrients. Alternatively, shower the root disk with nettle manure every 14 to 21 days.
To cut
At the end of the flowering period or in late winter, cut off all parts of the plant above ground. Place scissors or a herb sickle just above the ground. To prevent uncontrolled propagation, do not dispose of the clippings on the compost. Root pieces and seeds sometimes survive the decomposition process in the compost heap.
Popular Varieties
The flowering genus of bindweed (Calystegia) gives the creative hobby gardener picturesque Natural hybrids and magnificent species as easy-care ornamental plants for garden design, such as the following Selection shows:
- Bindweed (Calystegia sepium): white calyxes, up to 7 cm in diameter, beautiful ornamental and medicinal plant.
- Beautiful Bindweed (Calystegia pulchra): large pink flowers with white stripes, climbs to 3 m in height.
- Beach bindweed (Calystegia soldanella): pink-cream-white funnel-shaped flowers, ideal ornamental plants for sandy-gravelly locations.
- Wild Morning Glory (Calystegia macrostegia): beautiful tendril with white flowers marked with purple.
- morning glory (Calystegia occidentalis): American bindweed with creamy white, voluminous calyx flowers.
FAQ
Are bindweed poisonous to rabbits?
Rabbits love to eat bindweed. They instinctively appreciate the healing properties of wild herbs for digestive problems. Treat your darling to this delicious, healing treat, because bindweed is not poisonous to rabbits. This also applies to field bindweed. Rabbit nutrition experts recommend that both wild plants should not be missing from the daily meadow mix.
What is the difference between bindweed and field bindweed?
From a botanical point of view, the bindweed belongs to the genus of bindweed (Calystegia) and the field bindweed to the genus of bindweed (Convolvulus). Bindweed flowers from May to September with bright white, 5 cm to 7 cm funnel-shaped flowers. Bindweed flowers are half the size, pastel pink, and appear from June to September.
Are bindweed leaves edible?
No, consumption is strongly discouraged. Bindweed contains toxic glycosides and other plant substances that are not good for the human stomach. Medieval folk medicine used leaves and other plant parts to relieve constipation or flatulence. In modern homeopathy, however, the healing effect is doubted, especially since severe diarrhea and other nasty side effects can be complained about if the wrong dosage is used.
Can you fight bindweed with herbicides?
The use of chemical sprays is frowned upon in the hobby garden and not recommended. Basically, the effort is just as time-consuming as manual control. To prevent your ornamental plants from being wetted with the toxic spray mist, the herbicide is applied to each individual leaf with a brush. Field trials have shown that even highly effective, systemic weed killers cannot control all bindweed rhizomes.
Does the bee-friendly garden benefit from binding bindweed?
In fact, bindweed flowers contain plenty of pollen and nectar for bees, bumblebees, bugs and butterflies. The rare bindweed hawkmoth (Agrius convolvuli) even makes the long journey from the Mediterranean region to us every summer to nibble on the flower nectar. After successful reproduction, the valuable caterpillars feed on the leaves.
