Summer is the perfect time to spend the days chilling outside with your friends and family. And if you’re lucky enough to live in a home with a garden, it’s likely you’ll want it to look as good as possible for your guests.
But no matter how good a gardener you are, there are certain nuisances that can creep in as if from nowhere and potentially ruin your outdoor space. One weed which you might end up spotting this month is bindweed, which can be a ‘nightmare’ for your garden. That’s according to Michael the Mediterranean Gardener on TikTok, who has urged all gardeners to be on the lookout for this damaging weed.
What is bindweed?
There are two main types of bindweed – hedge bindweed and field bindweed, according to the gardening experts at the Royal Horticultural Society.
Technically, they’re wildflowers native to the UK. While they can be beneficial for animals and insects, most gardeners hate them because their roots can spread pretty far underground.
They can fight other plants for vital resources like moisture, nutrients, space and light, and their twining stems can attack other plants. They’re also not easy to get rid of, thanks to their deep and extensive root systems. The month of July is when you’re most likely to spot them in your garden.
How to get rid of bindweed
Taking to TikTok, Michael shared an easy step-by-step tutorial on how to banish bindweed from your garden borders for good this summer.
Locating the pesky weed in his garden, he said: “Untangle it, pull it out slowly, and get as much of the root as possible. Stay on top of it, and it’ll weaken so it’s not as much of a problem. Just remember not to dispose of it in your compost bin.”
Even if you can’t remove the roots, this method is effective because regular removal of new stems will suppress the plant and eventually cause it to die off.
If you locate bindweed growing on your lawn, then the removal process is slightly different. According to the RHS, cutting the grass frequently will weaken and eventually eliminate bindweed.
And like most other weeds, one great natural deterrent is to pour boiling water over the plant. This is enough to ‘extensively damage’ it, so it’s not at risk of smothering other plants in the garden.
Prevention is the best method for a bindweed-free garden, so as soon as you spot any growing, it’s recommended that you deal with it right away to stop the spread.