Bindweed won't re-grow if gardeners use 1 item that doesn't harm other plants — no vinegar
Bindweed can cause frustration for many gardeners, but one expert has revealed a simple method to rid your garden of the unwanted plant.
With the weather getting warmer and summer fast approaching, many of us will be spending more time outside in our gardens. While planting and harvesting may be therapeutic, there is one element of gardening that can serve as a constant frustration — bindweed. A gardening expert, Ish, explained: “Bindweed is a persistent one, it will keep coming back year after year, and no matter how much you pull it away, you seem to find more of it.” He shared his tips for ridding your garden of the unwanted plants.
He said that while he doesn’t encourage using chemicals, he would show people how to use a control spray safely in their gardens. The gardener, known to his almost 50,000 TikTok followers as @gardening.with.ish, said if you simply spray the control substance directly onto the bindweed “chances are you’ll get some on your plants, and you don’t want that at all”.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Instead, you should use the bag method — and all you need is a ziplock sandwich bag. Start by stuffing a load of bindweed into the bag and then spray the chemicals directly inside the bag before sealing it up.
“By doing that, you’re trapping all of the chemicals in the bag, and it’ll feed down the stem towards the root, and cause no damage to your plants,” Ish said.
Another good method involves digging the bindweed’s roots up. “All you want to do is push down, trying as best as you can not to break the roots, and dig it up nice and carefully,” he explained.
Read more: Insects will be 'repelled' from gardens if you plant these flowers
Read more: Robins will keep returning to your garden if you own one specific item
Read more: Anyone feeding birds in garden this summer told one thing 'should be avoided'
“Even if you leave a tiny bit of root in there, you’re going to get more bindweed, and it can bury deeper. So keep on it persistently, especially while it’s young. Over time, it should finish it off, but it’s not a quick game.”
Surprisingly, bindweed isn’t actually a weed, and is in fact a UK native wildflower. Its leaves serve as a food source for beetles and caterpillars, and its flowers attract pollinators.
However, it is often unwanted in gardens as it competes with other plants for moisture, nutrients, space, and light, the Royal Horticultural Society explained. Bindweed’s stems can smother other plants, and they can be difficult to eradicate.
Ish added: “No matter how hard you try, chances are the stuff is going to keep coming back. But with a few of these extra tips, you should be able to get it relatively under control.”
Bindweed can regenerate from small root sections, and new plants or soil containing fragments of roots could unintentionally introduce it into your garden. As soon as it is introduced to soil, its roots spread quickly, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
You don’t have to remove bindweed from your garden. If it is left to grow in a wildlife corner or through a mature hedge, it can actually boost your garden’s biodiversity.
