Remove bindweed from lawn and garden

Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) is one of the bindweed family and the most feared weed species. There are a few methods to choose from for combating it. Used correctly, this will remove the bindweed from the garden.

Why fight bindweed?

Bindweed, also known as windling, devil's gut, and field and corn bindweed, has spiral shoots. With these she clasps other plants and takes them completely, so that they die off. Because it grows quickly and is perennial, it can take over the entire garden and does not stop there race. In addition, bindweed is only slightly poisonous to humans, but can cause symptoms of poisoning in sensitive people. It is therefore advisable to combat it in any case.

Recognize bindweed

In order to know whether the following control methods are promising, the plant should first be recognized as devil's gut. This is achieved through the appearance and the place where it is weed grows.

Vegetative characteristics

• Growth height: up to 120 centimeters
• Flowering period: early summer to early autumn
• Flower color: whitish, light pink, strong pink, violet
• funnel-shaped flower shape
• heavily branched, dull hexagonal branches
• prostrate or twisting branches
• predominantly gray-green, bare leaves
• Leaf shape: oblong-egg-shaped, rounded at the tip
• Tap roots (grow "straight" up to two meters in depth)

Preferred locations

• dry, warm soils rich in bases and nutrients
• mainly on arable and fallow land, meadows and in the garden: lawns, paths, debris
• Low humus clay and loam soils
• prefers sunlight, tolerates partial shade

Remove bindweed

There are several ways to get rid of bindweed in the long term.

Dig up completely

The most effective, but possibly the most labor-intensive, method of removing bindweed is to dig. If you act quickly, you save yourself a lot of effort if the roots are not yet deep into the ground. Since they can reach a depth of up to two meters and break off when pulled out, the worst case scenario is to dig that deep with the spade. It is important that every root residue, no matter how small, is removed, because the weeds develop again from this. Digging bindweed out of a lawn is a suboptimal option because it ruins relatively large areas - possibly the entire lawn, depending on the spread of the corn winds.

When excavating, the following details apply:

• best time: on a sunny, windy day (roots die faster in air)
• Required utensils: digging fork, weed cutter, fine-mesh sieve, spade for extremely deep roots
• Use a weeding cutter to remove the plant and roots as deeply and as deeply as possible
• Dig about 40 to 50 centimeters of soil with a digging fork
• at the same time collect pieces of root
• Swivel the excavated soil through the sieve and remove the smallest bits of roots
• reaches root deeper, insert spade
• Refill the sieved soil after complete removal
• Disposal: always in household rubbish, in organic waste bin or incinerated, never dispose of plant parts on compost

Tip: If you work with a spade, you should always work with the digging fork first to make sure how wide the roots are. The spade can then be used at a “safe” distance to ensure that no roots are severed with it.

Fight in the lawn

In the lawn in particular, you should be on the lookout for the bindweed plant regularly so that it can be removed as early as possible before the roots reach depth. For this purpose, a weed picker is the ideal and only suitable instrument for removing, although it is usually impossible to prevent a root residue in the earth. You should proceed as follows:

• Shorten existing loop drives to the width of a hand and remove the rest
• Grasp weeds tightly with your hand (do not cut the lawn beforehand, otherwise the holding area is too small)
• Use the other hand to press the weed picker diagonally into the soil close to the main shoot (open side facing the plant)
• Push down the handle to lift the plant
• If necessary, repeat in several places or all around
• with holding hand pull weeds slightly upwards when lifting them

Note: Do not pull too hard when removing the bindweed or you may lose tear off the root and then have to dig it out.

Foil combat

If you want to free an unplanted area from devil's intestine, you can use the foil methods. This is especially for big ones Vegetable patches in the garden or in new buildings for the upcoming Garden design optimal in the context of soil preparation. Foil removes vital factors such as air, light and water from this and every other weed. In addition, in summer there is a lot of heat under the film, which can lead to burns and dehydration. They are dying off.

That's how it's done:

• use black, opaque film
• Alternative: weed control
• Dig up the earth and remove loosened weeds
• Place the film over the affected area
• weight down corners and sides with stones or the like
• Coverage period: one to three years
• Caution: bindweed seeds remain viable in soil for several years

Tip: If you use dense weed control instead of foil, you can at least in beds immediately with the plantingkick off. To do this, cut appropriate holes and the rest of the fleece is covered with bark mulch or gravel.

New creation

If nothing works to remove the bindweed or the methods mentioned for whatever reason are out of the question, only removing and replacing the earth with weeds that have grown in it helps. For a new planting is Topsoil to apply. Here are a few tips on how to do this:

• new topsoil at least 50 centimeters high
• Cover with foil or weed fleece for one year (fresh topsoil can also contain windlings)
• alternatively: thick layer Bark mulch apply (inhibits weed growth)

frequently asked Questions