"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
We bought a house that unfortunately has a field bindweed infestation
in the front lawn. I have been pulling and using round-up but it is my
understanding that it will be a lengthy and time consuming battle to
eradicate the bindweed and save the lawn. We are prepared to start
from scratch and totally remove the lawn if that will get rid of the
bindweed. My questions is, what is the process/checmicals I need to
use to eradicate the bindweed if saving the lawn is no issue?
My previous home had the same infestation in part of the yard. We called
the NY State DEC (dep't of environmental conservation), and the Cornell
Cooperative Extension, who referred us to a botanist at Cornell
University. Both basically said the same thing, and keep in mind this was
about 15 years ago:
You can use an herbicide that you're really better off not using, if you
want to be able to touch the lawn or the next 12-18 months. You need to
permit to obtain it in NY State. If you have children and sometimes let
them play outdoors, forget this idea. There may be newer chemicals which,
in theory, are safer, but of course, it's only theoretical.
or:
Cover the area with landscape fabric for 2 years. You'll want wide rolls
so there are less gaps for weeds to sneak through. Plan to remove the
fabric only at the PERFECT time for starting new grass seed in your area,
or use sod. Bindweed thrives in heat, so if you don't give the new seed
every advantage, you'll lose the battle almost immediately.
or:
Live with it. This is what we ended up doing. The chemical approach was
not an option, and covering the whole lawn seemed ridiculous. It worked
out fine in the end. During the heat of summer, when grass is suffering
(unless you water constantly), the bindweed provided a nice soft
low-growing ground cover for the dozen or so kids who always came over to
romp in the yard. During cool weather, the grass grew higher than the
bindweed, making the weed almost unnoticeable.
If you insist on a pure lawn, option 3 will not make you happy. Keep in
mind that a pure lawn is a goal that's not of your choosing.
I don't think "starting from scratch" will work because the ground is
already full of bindweed roots and seeds. You'll never get rid of it all
in order to start over. Round-up is probably not a good chemical to use
because it kills the grass too.
2,4-d is supposed to be effective against bindweed; if you spot treat with
2,4-d will it travel from one weed to another through the interconnected
root system? Frequent mowing is probably the best treatment. It will
keep the bindweed weak where the grass should be able to outcompete it.
FWIW there's an inconclusive statistical link between 2,4-d and certain
forms of cancer, such as lymphoma.
I think Crossbow™ is the herbicide of choice to control bindweed in corn,
but I wouldn't want it in my lawn.
This looks interesting:
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/index.html#http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/bindweedmite.html
Best regards,
Bob
In my yard, the bindweed hugged the ground, so the mower didn't do much to
it, especially since I always mowed high during the time of year (like now)
when the bindweed was rockin' and the grass was suffering. Probably my
biggest complaint was that it invaded nearby flower beds about twice as fast
as the grass did in other areas. Still very manageable, though.
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