If you’ve ever found an unidentified weed in your yard, you may be wondering what it was and how it got there. Homeowners and amateur gardeners are always on the lookout for new techniques to keep their gardens and lawns looking beautiful, so it’s important to watch all weeds as they emerge so that you can remove them before they do any long-lasting harm.
This article will take a closer look at Bindweed, going through what it looks like, where it grows, how to get rid of Bindweed, and a lot more. We’ll provide you with everything you need to know about this invasive weed so that you can learn how to best eliminate it from your yard!
So, what does Bindweed look like? Let’s find out!
What is Bindweed?
Bindweed, often known as Convolvulus arvensis, Perennial Morning Glory, European Bindweed, or Wither Wood, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to Europe. It’s an invasive species in the morning glory family, meaning it grows pretty flowers, but also that spreads rapidly and aggressively overpowers desirable plants for room in your garden.
While Bindweed is native to Europe and Asia, it has been naturalized and introduced in various other regions and countries, and it is commonly classified as an invasive weed species.
Where Does Bindweed Grow?
Bindweed can thrive in a wide range of soil conditions, although it prefers slightly alkaline soils with adequate nutrients for optimum development. It thrives best in locations that receive lots of sunshine and where the ground is wet but not soaking.
It may be found on farms and pastures, waste sites, beside roads and streams, grassy slopes, and even in lawns and gardens. It can also grow on hot asphalt by crawling onto it from a grassy location on the side of the road.
Bindweed is difficult to remove because it has deep roots that extend up to several meters underground, making it hard to control or eliminate without the use of pesticides or other techniques such as digging up the entire root system with a shovel.
How to Identify Bindweed
If you want to get rid of Bindweed from your lawn or garden, you must first know what it looks like. Here are the components of Bindweed that you should be looking for when trying to identify it at home or around your neighborhood.
Visual Characteristics
Bindweed is a perennial vine that creeps and can grow close to the ground or climb up a tree or other structure. It may reach up to 2 meters in length and climb as high as 1 meter.
The leaves of this plant are long, thin, and resemble an oval or an arrowhead. They have smooth edges and are generally smooth overall, and grow in a spiral pattern.
However, its flowers are the best method to identify the Bindweed plant. The flowers are trumpet-shaped and approximately one inch in width, and they’re either white or a pale pink with five radiating stripes that are somewhat darker pink. They resemble the flowers you would find on a morning glory.
Growth Stages
Bindweed usually starts out as a tiny plant that, when left unchecked, can grow into huge clumps over time since it produces subterranean roots that spread farther as the more mature plants die off during the winter. It is rhizomatous, which means it spreads via root shoots and runners.
Flowering occurs during the summer months, typically between July and September.
Other Unique Traits
The usual first indications that you have bindweed will be thin thread-like vines that coil themselves around plants or other tall objects.
Also, when the plant is still a juvenile, the stems will exude a milky sap when they are broken.
Plants That Look Like Bindweed
Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) might be confused with a number of similar weeds. Morning Glory, for instance, are closely related, although their flowers are bright purple.
In another example, Hedge Bindweed (or Rutland Beauty) looks similar, but its white flowers are larger and its leaves are more squarish at their base. Another similar-looking weed is Low False Bindweed, which again has larger flowers than normal Bindweed, as well as a rounded leaf apex.
Tartary Buckwheat is similar but has no milky sap in its stems, and Wild Buckwheat has small and green flowers rather than white ones.
How to Get Rid of Bindweed
Bindweed is one of the most difficult weeds to get out of a garden since it has such a large root network and is tenacious. However, there are some methods you can use to kill any Bindweed that you have in your backyard or garden.
There are numerous herbicides available at your local garden center, but we suggest utilizing a glyphosate-based weed killer to destroy your bindweed. You can also use a weedkiller with 2,4-D as the active substance.
It’s critical to spray the leaves and stems of all known bindweed plants in your yard or garden, even if you can’t see them, with which glyphosate or 2,4-D weed killer you purchase. You should also treat any sites where they may have grown previously and left a runner behind, whether or not there are currently live bindweed there.
If you want to get rid of Bindweed organically, spread cardboard over the plants and cover them with a thick layer of mulch. The cardboard will prevent any additional light from reaching above ground, while the mulch will limit soil humidity levels, ensuring that the plants dry out completely.
In Summary
As with every weed, knowing its appearance is the best way to keep Bindweed out of your home and garden. If you can identify this annoying weed early on in its growth cycle and get rid of it before it becomes a problem, you’ll be able to avoid many problems later.
We hope that by reading this post and taking all that we’ve said about Bindweed into account, you’ll be better informed about this pesky weed. If you think you might have Bindweed in your lawn or garden, look for the specific visual characteristics that are the most helpful in identifying it.
If you’re not entirely sure if an unknown weed in your garden is Bindweed, get in touch with us. We want to make sure that it does not spread throughout your local area, and also that it does not damage your grass or property. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and happy gardening!