invasive vine - Ask Extension
I have a vine that has taken over my yard. I wondered if you could tell me what it is and how I can get rid of it, preferably using organic herbici...
Knowledgebase
invasive vine #880445
Asked August 06, 2024, 5:11 PM EDT
I have a vine that has taken over my yard. I wondered if you could tell me what it is and how I can get rid of it, preferably using organic herbicides or agents. Please see photos below.
Thank you for your help
Denver County Colorado
Expert Response
This looks like bindweed. Unfortunately, this is a very difficult weed to remove once it gets established.
It has a very deep tap root, so even when you pull it, it can spread and regrow from the root. To manage bindweed in your yard will require a consistent, long-term, multi-step approach.
Remove flowerheads before they go to seed. Seeds can live for decades in the soil before sprouting into new plants.
You can hand pull which will not kill the plant, but by consistently removing the green growth above ground you reduce the plant's ability to photosynthesize and send energy into the root system. Over time this can weaken the plant and limit its spread.
If you are not trying to grow other plants around the bindweed, you can smother it with cardboard, newspaper, black plastic, etc.
It is sun loving so shading it with other vigorously growing, taller plants can limit it's growth.
Even if you decide to use herbicides to control it, multiple applications are needed.
In short, managing bindweed is a multi-year, multi-step endeavor, but worthwhile. If you do not manage bindweed it can take over a yard.
See this Plant Talk publication from our CSU Extension Agency for more details about controlling bindweed:
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/weeds-cultural-problems/2104-controlling-bindweed/
It has a very deep tap root, so even when you pull it, it can spread and regrow from the root. To manage bindweed in your yard will require a consistent, long-term, multi-step approach.
Remove flowerheads before they go to seed. Seeds can live for decades in the soil before sprouting into new plants.
You can hand pull which will not kill the plant, but by consistently removing the green growth above ground you reduce the plant's ability to photosynthesize and send energy into the root system. Over time this can weaken the plant and limit its spread.
If you are not trying to grow other plants around the bindweed, you can smother it with cardboard, newspaper, black plastic, etc.
It is sun loving so shading it with other vigorously growing, taller plants can limit it's growth.
Even if you decide to use herbicides to control it, multiple applications are needed.
In short, managing bindweed is a multi-year, multi-step endeavor, but worthwhile. If you do not manage bindweed it can take over a yard.
See this Plant Talk publication from our CSU Extension Agency for more details about controlling bindweed:
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/weeds-cultural-problems/2104-controlling-bindweed/
Thank you. Are there any xeric ground covers that will outcompete bindweed?
Diane
On Aug 8, 2024, at 10:29 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Diane,
Unfortunately, there are not any ground covers that have proven to outcompete the pesky bindweed. I did find one reference that said:
Planting shade-producing perennial plants, long term sod-forming grasses, or dense bunch
grasses and legumes can outcompete and smother Field Bindweed.
https://www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/13971/Field-Bindweed?bidId=
I could not find any xeric groundcovers that would help.
Unfortunately, there are not any ground covers that have proven to outcompete the pesky bindweed. I did find one reference that said:
Planting shade-producing perennial plants, long term sod-forming grasses, or dense bunch
grasses and legumes can outcompete and smother Field Bindweed.
https://www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/13971/Field-Bindweed?bidId=
I could not find any xeric groundcovers that would help.
