Weed Killer

I’m experimenting with boiling water at the moment.

Probably not good enough for bindweed but when I had some on a patch of garden I dug over this patch. It did chop up the roots that then made new bindweed plants so when they came up I went out and dug them up everyday before they were able to take a firm hold.

Thanks Beechnut, the Bindweed are under a new Laurel Hedge I had planted 2 years ago. They came through from next door and I used to drag them through if they were climbing up my plants but it looks like some were chopped up when the hedge was being planted and now they are on my side. I pulled up about a dozen small ones last night but probably didn't get the roots on most of them.
I wondered if there was anything like Roundup, not poisonous to dogs.

Buffybee … You may find this method helpful for bindweed or bramble.
Grow weeds until a useful length to handle.
Cut open a large opaque (not black bin liner) or clear plastic bag (to allow sun through)
Lay bindweed or bramble on plastic.
Spray and then wrap up using tape to hold.
Leave until it's job is done.

Puppy can't get to it and the weed killer is kept on the offending plants to do it's job.

I'd welcome bindweed to my garden as I'd love columbine flowers to add their pretty white blooms to a laurel hedge

For the last few years I have used white vinegar directly on to the weeds (Dandelions etc)

Not sure if it would work bindweed or bramble.

Bindweed is The Pits ! You have to keep on keeping on at it, until you win. Every time you see a shoot, pull it up. Every time you find a small piece on or in the ground, destroy it or it will quickly form more plants. Try not to snap it off, try to slowly pull from the base to take out as much of the plant as possible.

I would never use any proprietary weedkillers - especially the carcinogenic Roundup which has been going to be totally banned in France for a number of years - still not quite there yet! Anything on the ground that might be picked up and chewed by an animal - especially a pup - would give me the chills.

There are some new weed killing tools on the market which
deliver a terrific blast of heat to individual weeds and which frazzles them instantly. We have always used a mix of white vinegar, salt and washing up liquid sprayed directly onto what we want to kill, e.g. on paving, drive edges etc. In the sunshine the weed or grass gets burnt by that mixture which is non-toxic, of course. You have to redo it from time to time but it's safe......and it's cheap and kind to the environment.

Thanks! I'll try the plastic bag trick Namsnanny, might be a bit hard to do on the Bindweed quite far under the hedge but the crop of brambles is in the open, so that should work.
I've read about the vinegar method Cherrytree but I'm worried it might affect the roots of the Laurel.
I've read about a mixture of white vinegar, salt and washing up liquid but would this kill my hedge as well?
I wonder how long the Roundup would be poisonous for, after being sprayed on a weed?

X post GrandmaFrench, I agree, Bindweed is the pits. I have been fighting it for nearly 20 years coming through the fence from next door and now found about 12 small ones on my side. I did get a couple of roots by pulling close to the root but mostly just snapped. They give me "The Rage" they really do!?
I'll give the Vinegar mixture a go, I think and hope it doesn't kill the hedge roots as well.

I think it's dangerous to use any weedkiller with a puppy about. They will dig and chew almost anything.

I'd be inclined to dig out what I can, then cover the rest with something (paving stones, mulch etc.) to block the light from it.

Seeing Hetty's post, maybe a bolt and braces job might be achieved if you spray the vinegar mixture - accurately and close to the plant, not in any wind etc.,- and then covered where you sprayed on the ground with some black plastic held down with stones. Not for any fear for the puppy, but to try to combat your Rage and the Bindweed's sheer determination!!!!

Until we moved South, every single day was a garden day and the hours I wasted on Bindweed, I shall never get back!!!! Good luck.

I meant Belt and braces ! I'm sure this keyboard gets to the G&T before me !

Please don't use salt in the garden. It's bad for your soil and plants, and eventually leeches into the water systems and is bad for marine life.

Vinegar breaks down quite quickly and does no harm to the environment - I use it for moss on my patio and some weeds, cleaning, clothes washing, hair rinsing, you name it

You may need to spray weeds a few times to kill them, depending on the strength of the vinegar.

Ok! Thanks Gransnetters!
I'm going to do "The Rage Belts &Braces".
Vinegar on weed, then cover with black plastic held down with stones.
Enjoy your G & T's GrandmaFrench, I will be joining you after battling these devils ?

Would that also work for Ground elder, Buffybee?

It has “crept” into our garden from next door and all under the buddleia....how can I get rid of it...Any suggestions....please?

If you use vinegar does it have to be white?

I'm just using my trowel to dig the roots out. Let's face it, lockdown makes some tasks so enjoyable.

When bindweed grows amongst other plants, let it grow until you can easily reach the leaves. Squirt weed killer into a container and paint it on as many leaves as you can. Don’t paint the lower leaves where the puppy goes. Revisit the plant every week and repeat. You should eradicate the bindweed within a month or two but, at worst, in one season.

Ground elder responds to regular painting too. The worst thing to do is try pulling it up. It will always come back.