By Dragons
Kent,
United Kingdom 
Hi GOY fans and members - Imust admit I was doubtful about this site at first, as most of these are a commercially based advert thingy.
So thanks for advice on salanum plant - I will let ypu know the outcome!
Another question if I may - I have bind weed in my garden and have tried all propriety weed killers.some with a liitle effect - I also have a dog so I have to be a little carful on what and when I put stuff down.
Any suggestions of how to ged rid of? Besides concrete!
20 May, 2012
Answers
Hello Dragons and welcome to GoY.
We had bindweed all over our garden and found the best way to get rid of it was to dig, dig and keep on digging. If there's the tiniest bit of root left in the ground, it will re-grow. It took us four months to win the battle with it. Good luck!!
20 May, 2012
I'm sorry to say that bindweed is not something you get rid of, you can only ever hope for control. I always described it as a reason not to buy a house, though now, of course, an even bigger and much more serious reason would be the presence of Japanese knotweed.
If the bindweed is growing amongst other plants, insert bamboo canes for it to climb up, preferably about 3 feet high - when it gets to the top, treat all the growth, leaves stems, everything with weedkiller. If you have light, sandy soil, its worth trying to dig out as much as possible - uncover the thick white roots and pull gently but steadily, works quite well on light ground, hopeless on heavy clay soil. Whenever you have the chance to dig, dig thoroughly and extract all and any root or root pieces you find.
I'd also add that concrete or tarmac don't work either - the damned stuff just increases its root spread beneath for as far as it needs to till it can pop up again.
20 May, 2012
If you use the cane method try laying the cane flat before you spray as it is easier to protect surrounding plants from the spray.
20 May, 2012
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Hi Dragons glad you have discovered this is not a commercial site... Bind weed is one of those almost impossible weeds to eradicate!
There are two routes, the organic one whereby you dig, dig and dig some more! Every piece of root left in the soil will grow into a new plant, and the roots can go a long way down. So you need to be really thorough as you dig it out, and remove every last bit wherever possible. Use a fork to avoid breaking up the root.
Otherwise you use a total weedkiller, such as glyphosate. This works best when the weed is flowering, although it'll still work on good leaf coverage. If the weed has already started to grow around other plants, untwine it, lay it on bare ground and then spray it. Avoid using the weedkiller on a windy day and near other plants.
20 May, 2012