JoAnne Skelly
I’m baffled. For over 20 years I have pulled up Morning Glory seedlings long before they could bloom. What has me stumped is where did all the hundreds (thousands?) of seedlings come from this year?
I have had almost no seedlings for many years, but this year, oh my goodness! While the leaves are pretty and, if the plants do bloom, they have misleadingly lovely white flowers, Field Bindweed (aka Morning Glory) is not something you want in your yard.
This relative of the sweet potato and ornamental morning glories is an aggressively invasive plant, climbing all over ornamentals and other weeds alike. Its vining stems can grow to six feet in length.
Once it gets established, it is almost impossible to get rid of it. It outcompetes everything. Being highly adaptable, it can grow in sun or full shade. And of course it’s drought tolerant.
As I was pulling up any seedlings I found, I noticed they were predominantly in areas where last year’s voles had tunneled and made a mess of the flower beds. I was speculating that perhaps the vole action turned the soil over and released seeds.
Since I didn’t know how long field bindweed seeds could last, I found a good publication from Washington State online from the King County Noxious Weed Control Program, nwcb.wa.gov/pdfs/Bindweed_factsheet_King.pdf that says the seeds can lie dormant “for up to 20 or more years.”
I read another site that said 50 years. Yikes! Perhaps the voles did have something to do with these seeds being released. Unfortunately, field bindweed is a perennial, coming back year after year.
It can reproduce from roots, rhizomes, seeds or even stem pieces. Whenever I pull it, I make sure to put it in the trash rather than leave it lying around. Controlling bindweed requires persistence. Always pull the seedlings before they become perennial.
Never let it flower. Never compost the seedlings. The fact sheet states that you should avoid tilling or digging. However, the voles did the digging/tilling instead of me!
Smothering the plants with black plastic or mulch might work if the plants are kept covered for years. However, these weeds can grow in the dark by sending roots beyond the covering. Cutting or mowing just propagates more plants.
Herbicides might work if they list field bindweed on the label. As always, READ THE LABEL. Why are the hardiest plants usually weeds?
JoAnne Skelly is Associate Professor & Extension Educator Emerita University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Email skellyj@unr.edu.