According to fieldlark produced by Advancing Ag this might be something to look into.
Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) is one of the most stubborn challengers a farmer can face. Itās a perennial with a root system that can go twenty feet deep, and its seeds can stay viable in the soil for decades.
In the regenerative world, we look at weeds as "messengers." Bindweed is often a messenger telling us that the soil is physically congested (compacted), low in available calcium, and perhaps struggling with an imbalance of potassium and nitrogen.
Here is how we tackle it, looking at both the "short-term fire" and the "long-term fix."
1. The Short-Term: Stop the Bleeding
You canāt let bindweed run wild while you wait for the soil to heal.
Don't Just Chop It: Rototilling bindweed is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Every little piece of root you cut can grow into a new plant. If you must cultivate, use sweeps that undercut the plant rather than discs that chop it.
Intense Competition: Bindweed hates shade. If you have a bad patch, a dense, tall cover crop like sudangrass or cereal rye can help "choke" it out by stealing the light.
Targeted Foliar Support: While we don't recommend harsh chemicals that kill soil life, you can use high-carbon acids (like humic or fulvic acids) in combination with your fertility passes to help the crop out-compete the weed.
2. The Long-Term: Fix the Root Cause
To get rid of bindweed for good, you have to change the soil environment so it no longer feels "welcome."
Address Compaction: Bindweed thrives in tight, anaerobic (low oxygen) soils. Using a subsoiler or a Yeomans plow to get some air into the profile can make a huge difference. When you open up the soil, you allow the biology to start doing the work for you.
Balance Your Cations: Bindweed is often a sign of "tight" soil caused by high magnesium and low available calcium.
Recommendation: Focus on getting high-quality calcium into the system. Products like HoloCal⢠or CalGuard can help improve soil structure and flocculation (making the soil crumbly), which makes life much harder for bindweed.
Manage Potassium and Nitrogen: Bindweed loves "luxury consumption" of potassium and nitrate nitrogen. If your plants are taking up too much nitrate and not enough "complete" proteins, the bindweed will feast. Using Rejuvenate⢠at 2-3 gallons per acre on your crop residues can help stimulate the biology that cycles these nutrients properly.
Biological Diversity: Use a seed treatment like BioCoat Gold⢠when planting your crops or cover crops. This introduces beneficial fungi that compete with the weed's root zone and help the crop establish dominance early.
The Strategy
If I were standing on your turnrow, Iād suggest this:
Soil Test: See where your Calcium and Magnesium levels are.
Fall Treatment: After harvest, apply Rejuvenate⢠and SeaShield⢠to help break down any remaining weed pressure and kickstart the "good guys" in the soil.
Spring Competition: Plant a diverse cover crop or a strong cash crop with a solid nutritional package (like MicroPak⢠and PhotoMagā¢) to ensure the crop is the healthiest thing in the field.
Bindweed didn't show up overnight, and it won't leave overnight, but once you fix the soil's physical structure and mineral balance, it will eventually lose its "job" and fade away.
Run this by your local ag advisor to make sure it fits your specific crop rotation and soil type.
03:37 PM
FieldLark
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