Knowledgebase
SE Michigan - spiraling vine with white flower attacks everything in its path #201755
Asked July 23, 2014, 2:23 PM EDT
It seems to burrow underground and then just pop up near other plants based on what I've seen of its root system. In the past week or so we have just started to see a couple of random flowers appearing, too.
I'm getting to the point where I feel like temporarily digging up everything that we want to save and sterilizing the soil then replanting later.
How can we get rid of this thing for good?
Thanks!
Bob - Warren, MI
Macomb County Michigan
Expert Response
Bob,
It appears that you have been invaded by the Field Bindweed (convovulus arvensis) which is very difficult to control.
Flowering generally begins in June and continues until frost. A single plant may produce 25 to 550 seeds. If buried in soil, seeds can remain viable and germinate sporadically for over 20 years. Seeds develop a hard coat making them impervious to water and capable of surviving ensiling, digestion, fumigation with methyl bromide, and other deleterious conditions. As a consequence of their extensive root system, field bindweed plants are usually able to withstand long periods of stressful conditions including drought. A single plant may spread more that 9 feet in diameter in a single growing season in addition to sending out rhizomes that if separated can form independent plants.
Longevity of seeds in soil along with this system of roots and rhizomes make field bindweed a noxious weed that is difficult to control. Tillage and cultivation sever roots and rhizomes forming fragments that can produce new plants. To optimize control, a combination of management practices such as cultivation, herbicide application, and crop rotation is recommended.
The following websites have more information and a number of control methods.
www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/uploads/files/31/fieldbindweed.pdf
www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7462.html
Good luck with this invasive weed. It’s not an easy one to get rid of.
Hope this was helpful. Feel free to contact us again if you have further questions.
You are welcome, Bob. Good luck, you have a big job ahead of you.
