Bindweed V chickens?

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mandaloon
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Bindweed V chickens?

Post by mandaloon »

I guess this is pos' one of those " cross over" postsBut I'll start here.
I have finally, after two and half years, got my long awaited Allotment / Jungle >dowhat<
On the upside it has a shed( nearly caused alloment wars but that's a different matter) and the water pipe is on the corner of my plot, bonus!. It's only 7 rods but the soil seems good and there is NO marestail at all )c(

On the Downside it is 7 rods of waist high weeds which we are currently wading through slowly. It is as they say a " blank canvas" there is not one plant of any use. What is very apparant as soon as you put your fork in, is a total infestation of bindweed which as I know can be an absolute pain.
PLAN 1.
What I HAD planned to do was dig a patch, clear what I can and then cover with plastic. Move to the next patch and so on. I know that the bind weed will persist under the plastic and much as I want to avoid using chemicals will Tumbleweed et al have much impact? since there are no other plants to affect if I'm going to use it, it should be before I do anything else and does that mean waiting until it all starts growing in the spring?
PLAN 2.
Dont use any weed killer and get my chickens down to the allotment in the spring and hope that they are able to significantly impact on the situation. I have never known anything green to survive in a chicken run and digginging over may help to bring weeds etc to the surface for the hens to get at it, will they eat the roots or weaken the roots by continually nipping off any shoots? I had hoped to move the run around the plot so that the chickens occupied the " fallow " patch BUT initally I think I would need 100 chickens to get a head start!!
Has anyone used chickens to succesfully clear land of bindweed, or am I just being way too optermistic >shrug<
I want to get it right NOW before I plant anything... I would sooner spend the whole year weeding and feeding and not planting anything rather than spend the next ten years fighting a loosing battle.
Mrs B

Re: Bindweed V chickens?

Post by Mrs B »

No advice to give but Beerless has now given up going eco and nuked bindweed to death.
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Homemade
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Re: Bindweed V chickens?

Post by Homemade »

If it's bindweed and you want to grow stuff next season you need to dig over and remove as much of the root as possible. Don't kill yourself trying to go down after it though it can be all of 15 foot under!!!
This will weaken it.
Cover for a year with black plastic and repeat in areas you are not going to use.
On areas you need to use, use a glyphosate weedkiller in the spring as it emerges - will take several applications to kill it. Keep hoeing around crops or use a spot weedkiller.

I'm sorry it is a monster of a weed.
Quand je serai vieille je vais vivre en France
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mandaloon
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Re: Bindweed V chickens?

Post by mandaloon »

Well, having taken note of the comments here and having further explored the net. It would seem that bindweed is an international pain in the butt and will indeed take over ther world.
It will be eaten by cows, horses, sheep and goats. Pigs will and chickens MAY eat the roots. Further reading highlights the fickle tastes of chickens and as my ladies currently turn their beaks up in disgust at the mear suggestion of corn for supper unless it has been soaked and boiled first. I stand NO chance of them eating bitter tasting roots!!
HOWEVER, I will not be defeated at the first hurdle and have worked out a battle plan involving a lot of plastic, a lot of sifting of soil ( if it dries out enough) a sharp hoe and well timed glyphosate bombardment, we'll see where we are in a years time,,, if I havent been engulfed by it )gr:
Mrs B

Re: Bindweed V chickens?

Post by Mrs B »

The method Beerless used = cut the top and bottom off a load of pop bottles. Place pop bottle over evil weed then spray a few leaves of weed with nuke juice. Takes a while but the nuke gets to the roots and kills kills kills.

He takes it personally if we get any weed in the garden
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mandaloon
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Re: Bindweed V chickens?

Post by mandaloon »

Ha! bit like my OH who has a personal vendetta against ivy and goes into a frienzed attack the second a single leaf attempt to breech the neighbours fence.

I think the new enemy will be bindweed. I have bought him a new long handled fork and a right angled fork . Armed with new weapons of mass distruction I am sure he will return to the battlefield with renewed vigor, well just as soon as the rain stops and there's no football on the telly !!!!!
sandi
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Re: Bindweed V chickens?

Post by sandi »

have had this in a garden i tried to get every single thread of root out by hand over 3 years then moved house to bindweed free zone in fact one house we looked at when moving also had it and it def was a factor in not buying it
my advice would be nuk it
i would choose that route if ever get it again mind i am a bit older now :?
jcblue
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Re: Bindweed V chickens?

Post by jcblue »

hiya I'm really sorry to say nuking is the only option if you try to dig it out then each piece of root you break will then form into a beautiful new plant >dowhat< and as others have said it can go down to 15ft!! as much as I hate using chemicals as soon as bindweed is around the chemicals are out straight away! another good way I treat bindweed so not to affect other plants is to get a paint brush & brush it on that way you don't have to worry about wind or it affecting other plants )t'
Good luck with it & at least you are not alone that's why it's called bindweed!!
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HappyBob
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Re: Bindweed V chickens?

Post by HappyBob »

While it may be admiral to try and get rid of bindweed organically ie hard graft,I think you have to be realistic and the only way to give yourself a fighting chance is with glysophate. A few doses should see it off. )t' good luck.
Dont ever grow up, its a trap
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