Jo writes

"Jo" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I can't get rid of it...it's going crazy in my garden....the dreaded
bindweed. It's coming from next door, under the fence and is invading my
lovely tidy beds. I have to keep digging them up and disturbing all the
bark to get to the roots, but the stuff just seems to proliferate. I've
tried glyphosate which seems to be the recommended stuff for killing the
wretched weed, but it doesn't seem to work. I even snuck round when the
neighbours were out and sprayed glyphosate on the weed on their side of
the
garden. It seems to have no effect whatsoever.
If anyone has any other bright ideas I would love to hear them. This is
the
third year I've put up with this and it's driving me crazy!!
Jo

Thanks guys...I feel a lot better now. It's encouraging to know that I'm
not the only one constantly fighting the blasted weed!!

You have my sympathy! I have a huge amount of it, plus ground elder -
another thing the Romans did for us!

I have found that if the soil is dry and crumbly, if you are patient and
if there are not too many plants (yes, I know, a lot of ifs) then it is
possible to gently explore where the damn stuff comes from. But be
warned, the roots are extremely fragile and snap at the slightest
opportunity. The only saving grace is it is distinctive, waxy white and
curling, with purple tips as it breaks through the ground. If I pick any
with newly broken ends, then I keep digging until I find the other end.
In early march I followed one set down under the plum tree until I had
made a rabbit burrow an arms length deep - but I think I got it all out.
I let them dry out and then burn them.

Its hopeless doing this if the soil is wet or damp, you just don't see
the roots.

Ground elder unfortunately has tiny thin roots which go straight down
metres. I don't know how I will tackle this, except by topping and maybe
roundup.
--
David