Bindweed in my newly laid turf

[WellTidy]

We had an area of about 6 metres x 4 metres laid with new turf about three weeks ago. The reason for it was that we needed to get rid of some perennial weed (green alkanet) and level. It was laid by a professional who dug out to about a foot, levelled, out down weed killer and a membrane.

After me not really understanding just how much watering it needed, and it being a bit hit and miss as to whether it had died, it is doing great. I’ve watered it daily with a sprinkler for about three hours at a time and it isn’t looking very lush.

Except that it now has bindweed in it, a weed that we barely had any of in our garden before. It appeared about a week ago. It is spreading, as you’d expect, but not flowering. Turf later says not to dig it up as it will ruin the turf, and just to pick it and he will put a weed killer for lawns over the areas.

I know that bindweed will not die if you just pick it and nor will it respond to a lawn weed killer (not that I use weed killer anyway). I know that it needs to be dug up.

But how do I sort his out without ruining the turf? It isn’t in just one clump, it is spreading fast and I know it will get worse.

If you're sure the bindweed arrived with the turf, you've got faulty goods there and the 'professional' should replace it with clean turves.

The rhs website says, re bindweed in lawns 'Regular mowing, and the use of lawn weedkillers, will help keep them under control and eventually eliminate the plants'

Of great if you want to compost your lawn clippings though.

Thanks for looking. I can’t say whether it arrived in the turf or not. That it took two weeks to come up suggests that maybe it didn’t. Maybe bindweed is airborne, I really don’t know. I don’t think I would be able to prove that it came in the turf and the turf company are hardly likely to volunteer that it did!

So I think I have to deal with it myself. The turf is now ready to be mowed so we can start with regular mowing. I have bought lawn weed killer today and although I don’t normally use weed killer (removed a carpet of ground elder just with regular digging and it has now gone completely) I think I may have to use it on the patches of bindweed that have come up.

I believe bindwind is airborne, reproducing via spores.

Mowing will stop it. It may make headway when you stop mowing over winter- that's the time to look out for it and pull it up.

I suppose if you've got any really large strands already you could try the train up a cane and paint on glyphosate trick.

Bindweed doesn't reproduce by airborne spores, Teaonthebedsheets, but it does produce seeds. OP, regular mowing should keep it under control, enough to stop it spreading.

Don't worry about the bindweed, in my area no amount of weedkiller will ever destroy it because it's rife.
once the grass has recovered enough to be mowed and if you mow it every week without fail the bindweed will move on.
Same for the beds, as soon as you see a bit of bindweed growing pull it up and it will eventually go. I manage mine just fine like this and hardly ever see any in the lawn now.
Also a yearly weed and feed will help initially.

Thanks for the reassurance. I suppose I am trying to formulate a plan because I didn’t expect my beautiful turf to be so riddled with any new weed, when the only reason we put it down was to get rid of a different perennial weed! I will now weekly and then reassess.

How many places is it in? Because I'd expect some compensation if it's more than one or two.

There is a large patch of it and then some smaller, younger clumps around that. I would say that it is spreading quickly though. The chap who laid it is only recommending that he comes and puts weedkiller down and that it is mowed regularly, which is the rhs advice. I am just gutted that we have it in such new turf. It hasn’t spread to our older grass.

I think I'd be asking for that large patch to be replaced. I wouldn't expect it to pop up as much as that if it wasn't there in the first place.

There's two types of bindweed - the lawn one is much less invasive and problematic www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=241

I know that bindweed will not die if you just pick it It will die eventually. It has food reserves in the root, but every time it pushes up a shoot, it depletes the reserves, which are then replenished by photosynthesis in the leaves. If you can chop the shoots off so that it's using up food quicker than it can replenish, eventually it will have none left.

I believe bindwind is airborne, reproducing via spores It's a flowering plant, producing seeds like all other flowering plants.

There's two types of bindweed There's at least 4 ;-) there's the lawn one (which has beautifully scented flowers), then two species of hedge bindweed; and then there's sea bindweed with fleshy leaves, found on sand dunes and unlikely to trouble you in the garden!