Stop persistent weeds from growing back with expert's simple weekly task
An RHS expert shared how to effectively control bindweed and significantly reduce regrowth with a simple weekly technique - here's what gardeners need to know,
Weeds can render a garden thoroughly unsightly, and some can even prove harmful to the health and longevity of surrounding plants. A Royal Horticultural Society expert has recently highlighted one particularly troublesome weed — bindweed — that persistently makes an unwelcome appearance, and revealed how to eliminate it without causing damage to the rest of your garden's plants.
Bindweed is notoriously stubborn to eradicate, and if not tackled correctly, it will continue to return time and again. It can be identified by its long, twisting stems and distinctive large white trumpet-shaped flowers. It can spread to form a vast tangle of foliage, ultimately strangling garden plants, stunting their growth, or completely killing off smaller varieties.
Nick Turrell, an RHS adviser, said in a recent TikTok video: "Bindweed has been growing in the UK since the last Ice Age, and no matter how us humans have tried to kill it, it's still here."
He recently outlined five straightforward tips for eliminating bindweed and preventing it from returning to wreak havoc in your garden. One of the primary reasons bindweed is so prevalent is that it competes aggressively with other plants for moisture, nutrients, space, and light.
The plant's stems can smother neighbouring plants, aided by their deep and extensive root systems, making them particularly challenging to remove entirely. Bindweed can also spread rapidly when new plants or soil containing root fragments are introduced to the garden.
Once bindweed fragments find their way into soil, the roots can spread rapidly. They can also be dispersed through composting the roots or accidentally severing them while digging the plants up, reports The Mirror.
@the_rhsHaving trouble managing bibdweed? Here are 5 ways to prevent it from taking over your garden! If you have a wildlife garden, consider letting bindweed grow as it supports a range of insects and pollinators ??????
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To effectively eliminate bindweed, gardeners must be consistent and every bit as tenacious as the weed itself. Nick stressed that cutting back the weed is absolutely essential.
He urged gardeners to "keep cutting it back". He said: "Be persistent and be patient and eventually it might give up."
Simply take a pair of secateurs and snip away at the leaves and stems. When tackling the roots, fork out as many as possible, taking care not to break them.
Where feasible, remove the entire root system, leaving nothing behind. Nick said: "Fork out as many roots as possible, but try not to break them, because even a tiny little piece can regrow."
The RHS additionally recommended deadheading the plants before they have the opportunity to produce seeds; forking out any seeds, which most commonly appear during spring and autumn; or lifting the border plants, clearing the ground and replanting.
Nevertheless, Nick pointed out that there is one circumstance where bindweed can be left well alone. If you have a wildlife garden or a mature hedge, the bindweed can actually be left in place.
The expert noted that bindweed is beneficial to a wide variety of insects.
