All weeds have good purpose, they just dont always jibe with our intentions. One of the principles of permaculture is to go in the direction Nature is moving in. That means we ought not try to fight Nature but to work alongside. Heres how Im using this principle: We have bindweed in pockets here and there and I dont want it to spread. Bindweed is a climber. It can create a blanket, tip plants over and spread pretty fast. When I look at the bigger picture of what conditions bindweed thrives in and what is trying to do, heres what I come up with: Bindweed grows best in soil thats low in calcium and phosphorous and high in potassium and magnesium and sometimes also high in iron, sulfur and copper. It thrives when moisture is low and the soil is compacted. The soil where our bindweed is growing is exactly that. A few years ago I gave it a good headstart by mowing where it was growing in and leaving the dense cut grass all along the fence. The piles of dead grass matted together and promoted anaerobic decay which bindweed thrives in. I had no idea at the time I was building bindweed habitat! Bindweed spreads easily because the main root is often four feet or more deep. Its hard to dig up so thats not a good solution, though I try to mow it before it blooms and sets more seed. Deep rooted weeds are often searching for trace minerals, thats why they are mining away so deep from the surface. If I plant tall marigolds and dahlias, the bindweed will be hindered by the secretions their roots give off so I could do that for a short term solution. A more longterm solution would be to balance the soil in that area so the soil is getting the minerals it needs. I need to interrupt one or more of the conditions that bindweed is trying to fix. If I can do that, I remove bindweeds purpose and that stops its growth.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 22:44:13 +0000
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