There is a lot of twisting turning flowering field bindweed Convolvulus arvensis in my garden right now. Driving past fields near my home a couple of days ago it looked like snow had fallen. Not snow, but Field Bindweed. And here I thought my garden was bad! The picture shows only a small section as the field bindweed covered well over an acre of dry not watered tilled soil.

In my garden, I remove as much as I can by hand trying to pull out young seedlings before they grow long roots. Unfortunately, some always get their way and appear climbing up into my plants in and around it goes, and where it stops I sure do not know! Sometimes I swear it laughs at me proudly showing its white flowers on the top of my plants!

Preventive and various cultural controls such as solarization, using landscape fabric, deep tillage of the root system (reduces stored carbohydrates), buying clean seeds, plants, and topsoil, and removing new top growth all can help. Herbicide application can also be part of an integrated management program.

If you want to use herbicides, make sure it is the right one to use, when to use, where it is safe to use in your garden, follow instructions for application, and follow all safety precautions on the container. UC Pest notes have extensive details on specific herbicides for field bindweed. Field Bindweed online access: “UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Pest Note #7462” or if preferred please give us a call or send an email as noted below and we will get the information to you!

photos by Sherry Richards

Here is a little interesting information from the UC Pest Note about field bindweed:

- In the first quarter of the 20th century, field bindweed was called the worst weed in California (and several other western states.) It arrived in the United States via contaminated farm or garden seeds.

- Some people thinking it was an ornamental plant used it in hanging pots and as ground cover!

- The very extensive roots, rhizomes, and seeds produce vast amounts of this perennial weed. An average plant produces over five hundred seeds. Some have been found to be viable for up to 60 years.

- Years ago, in a Master Gardener class, I learned field bindweed has very, very deep vertical roots. The UC Pest Note says down to about twenty feet. Can you imagine if you could manage to pull all that root material out how long it would take for one plant! The other 70% of the root structure is within the top two feet of soil. New plants can develop from fragments of vertical roots or rhizomes as short as two inches.

- Field bindweed reproduces by extensive roots, rhizomes, and seeds and can spread more than ten feet during growing seasons. Making new plants above with ten-foot spread and below down to twenty feet - oh my!

Field bindweed likes droughts and heavy clay soils – perfect -that explains why it loves my garden! 

We are here to help with field bindweed, any other kind of garden pest, weeds, insects, etc. if you have gardening questions please give the UCCE Master Gardeners a call at 707 784-1322 or email your question:  mgsolano@ucanr.edu     

Reference: UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) Pest Notes: Pub 7462 Field Bindweed