On Tue, 29 May 2012 08:48:37 +0000, weh100 wrote:

Hi, I have just purchased a house which has been uninhabited for many
years hence the garden is a mess. the biggest issue seems to be the
bindweed which is nearly everywhere and the soil is pretty much made up
of the roots of this. I have read plenty of threads on how to take out
bindweed but much of this is related to protecting nearby plants an

Is this what you've got?
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=71
or
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=123

All of the rhizomatous perennials are difficult to kill, especially when well
established. The rhizomes are actually underground stems, and if they get
broken up, they'll start new plants.

Depending on what you want to save and how big the area is, there are
several approaches.

1) "I don't care what else is back there, I want to start from bare soil next
year and plant everything myself": Spray with a non-selective herbicide, wait
a month, cut everything back to ground level, water well, and wait for
new sprouts to show up (and they will). Spot spray everything that shows up
ASAP. Your goal is to have bare soil by early fall, when you'll plant an
annual cover crop to hold the soil over the winter. In the spring, cut the
cover crop and plant your new garden. You will need to keep a good eye out
for regrowth of bindweed over the next few years; seeds in the soil are good
for 50+ years, but once you're not digging and you don't have a lot of
bare soil, the percentage germinating will be lower.

2) as above, but prefer a mechanical approach rather than herbicides:
Cut everything back, make a daily round with a hoe and cut all new sprouts.
The idea here is that you'll need to exhaust the rhizomes in the soil --
let them sprout (using up reserves in the rhizomes) and then remove the
topgrowth before they have a chance to replace the reserves. Keep the
yard watered to encourage the rhizomes to sprout.

3) as above, but maybe a little less physical labor: depending on climate
and the amount of sun the area gets, you may be able to solarize your
garden, Cut everything to the ground, water well, cover with *clear*
plastic sheeting, and wait till the soil temperature reaches 125oF for at least
two months. Uncover, and watch for regrowth. UK gardens may not
be able to get the soil to that temperature -- we have a hard time doing
it in much of the wetter PNW US.

I have my doubts about being able to accomplish this in one growing
season with methods 2 and 3 in most of the British Isles.

4) "I'd like to keep the current plantings and get rid of the bindweed".
Pull or clip every bindweed you can find. Throw all of this in a
black bin bag, add a cup of water, tie the bag, and leave the bag
in the sun for at least a week, turning the bag over periodically.
Then dispose of the contents.
Follow with watching the garden for regrowth and treating just the
regrowth with a systemic herbicide, about once a week.

In any case, I would be vigilant about weeding for the next few years,
and if the adjacent property is infested, I'd probably put in soil barriers
like rolled metal sheeting inserted vertically in the soil.

Kay (who's been working on killing English Ivy for the last 7+ years)