Bindweed Control – How To Kill Bindweed In The Garden And Lawn

What is Bindweed?

Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) is a perennial weed that belongs to the Convolvulaceae family. It is best identified by its arrow-shaped leaves and white or pink flowers. At first sight, it can sometimes look attractive, but it is a nightmare for gardeners and something you want to try and eradicate as soon as possible. Bindweed spreads both through underground rhizomes and seeds, making it extremely difficult to eradicate once it makes its way into your garden or living wall installation. This invasive plant thrives in a wide range of soil types and can grow just about anywhere. Its tendrils wind tightly around anything in its way, leaving plants feeling suffocated and blocking access to the light and nutrients they need to thrive.

How to Control Bindweed

Dealing with bindweed is a tough challenge for even the most experienced gardeners at times. You need to have persistence and use multiple approaches to have the best chances of eradicating bindweed altogether. Keep in mind that the roots can spread deeply, reaching up to five metres underground in some cases. Simply pulling up the visible parts of the plant is rarely enough when it comes to the question of how to get rid of bindweed. These are a few of the best options when learning how to deal with bindweed.

Manual Removal

If you’re wondering how to get rid of bindweed manually, you’ll need to regularly dig up young shoots before they mature. Use a fork instead of a spade to avoid slicing up the roots. When they aren’t properly attacked, they can regenerate and continue to create ongoing problems for your living walls. You’ll need to revisit the area weekly to remove any new growth, so persistence and patience are key for manual removal. Although this is one of the most labour-intensive ways to tackle bindweed, hand removal is a good choice for garden beds with delicate plants, as chemical treatments may cause damage to your vertical living walls.

Smothering Bindweed

Smothering is another effective technique for larger infestations of bindweed. By covering the affected area of your garden or lawn with black plastic, cardboard, or weed control fabric, you deprive bindweed of the sunlight that it needs to grow. This can take several months to see a full recovery in your garden, so patience is required once again.

Chemical Options

When asking yourself how to deal with bindweed quickly, you may be tempted to reach for a weedkiller. While systemic herbicides can be effective in killing off bindweed, they must be used with care. Apply directly to the leaves using a brush or sponge, avoiding contact with nearby plants so that you don’t kill them off as well. As living walls often host a mix of species, herbicides should be a last resort in those areas if you want to preserve the rest of the plants and support their health and growth. Multiple applications may be needed depending on the severity of your bindweed issues. For best results, treat your garden in late summer or early autumn.

Organic Alternatives

For homeowners or commercial property owners maintaining an organic garden or creating vertical living walls for environmental reasons, non-chemical solutions are another option. Boiling water, vinegar sprays, and salt mixtures have all been used, but keep in mind they have varying results and can also harm nearby vegetation and soil health.

Special Considerations for Living Walls

Bindweed can be especially problematic for living wall installations. This is due to the fact that the vertical garden’s roots may hide behind panels or within planter systems. Early prevention is key, and you need to inspect the base soil and wall structures thoroughly before installation. If bindweed appears within an existing vertical living wall, manual removal is usually the best option to avoid damaging your plants or wall structures.

Dealing with bindweed is a challenge almost every gardener faces at some point. While there’s no instant solution, combining the techniques we shared above can help to eradicate bindweed and avoid long-term damage to your garden or living wall. Contact us today for more information about how we can support you with living walls or to discuss any questions you have about plant care for vertical gardens.