Bindweed - Beauty or Pest?

(Convolvulus arvensis, origins from Eurasia)

Field Bindweed likes nooks and crannies and wraps around plants as it reaches upward on taller plants.  A perennial broadleaf with creeping and twining stems, it is considered a noxious weed and one of the hardest to control.

Often mistakenly called Creeping Jenny or wild morning glory, it reproduces from seed and creeping underground rhizomes (underground stems) that can reach deeper than 20 feet but 70% of its root mass is in the top 2 feet of soil. Flowers are a pretty pink to white with arrowhead shaped leaves. Unfortunately any time a root is cut, it creates more roots and then leaves and blooms. Field bindweed likes disturbed soils. If a field bindweed plant should appear: 1. Remove seedlings as soon as they emerge. 2. Remove plants before they flower. 3. Remove flowering plants before they set seed...and keep cultivating as new plants emerge!

Control methods:

Cultural- Growing bunch grass or legumes to help choke it out or other tall shade producing plants assists control.  Mechanical control is cultivation every three weeks for 2 years during the growing season. Clear plastic is recommended, known as soil sterilization or fabric weed barrier can help by keeping from sunlight.

Biological- The bindweed mite, Aceria malherbae, is a microscopic mite that feeds on field bindweed. This process is being tried but takes years to see results. 

Chemical- Fall is the best time of year to control it as it moves the herbicides into the roots. Some are: 2,4-D for lawns but for long term, systemic herbicides can be used such as dicamba and picloram, glyphosates are a couple that work better in fields and pastures. It is important to read and follow all precautions before applying any of these herbicides. But if you wait until fall, it has already gone to seed and spread all over. Treat it as soon as you see it.

Idaho Weed Awareness has an excellent list of all noxious weeds for Idaho - check it out along with Field Bindweed.

Why Gardening with Native Plants matter.

 Native plants provide many benefits to people and wildlife, while significantly adding to healthier soil and water.  Of the many benefits, my top six motivations for landscaping with native plants include: fewer fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and water. Plus, indigenous plants promote cleaner air, food, and shelter for wildlife, and they have proven to save money in many ways.

Excess phosphorus and nitrogen, main components of fertilizers added to our soil become toxic, and the runoff leaches into our waterways, causing excess algae growth. This surplus fertilizer depletes oxygen from our waters, harms aquatic life, and interferes with recreational uses.  Pesticide and herbicide runoff from lawns can contaminate our rivers and lakes with poisonous substances. Native plants have deeper roots and require less water.

As to cleaner air, our native landscapes do not require mowing, and they do not need nearly as much maintenance.  Lawns must be regularly mowed, weed-whacked, and often blown with leaf blowers.  These tools cause harmful emissions and air pollutants like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and air toxins like benzene and particulates created from power tools. 

Our native plants attract a variety of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife by providing diverse habitats, food, and pollinator sources. In contrast, non-native plants offer little or no food or shelter to most native wildlife.

Essential to many home gardeners is the need to save time and money.  When compared to the high-maintenance of lawns and the added care necessary for exotic plants, it is easy to measure the economic benefits of landscaping with native plants.  Planting with selective native plants can create a beautiful and scenic landscape.

References that were used in creating this article.

It is easier to list them here for your use than to insert them into the text, this way you can choose which one you want to follow.

University of Idaho Extension | Short-Season, High-Altitude Gardening

http://www.extension.uidaho.edu/publishing/pdf/BUL/BUL0862.pdf 

Idaho Native Plant Society | Boise Area Native Plants Local Chapter: Pahove.  http://www.idahonativeplants.org

 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Native Garden Guide for Southwestern Idaho.

http://www.fws.gov/pacific/pdf/BLM_USFWS_Native%20Garden%20Guide_SW%20Idaho_2019_web.pdf

U.S. Forest Service | Basic Instructions for Native Plant Landscaping Projects.

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/Native_Plant_Materials/Native_Gardening/instructions.shtml

East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (EMSWCD) Portland, OR.

emswcd.org select ‘Native Plants’

Pictures from the Idaho Native Plant Society and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences – University of Idaho