I’m a pro gardener – a ‘smother & trowl’ tip is miraculous for getting rid of bindweed, all you need is old cardboard
PLANTS will no longer be choked and killed by unsightly bindweed if you use a simple gardening tip.
Pollyanna Wilkinson raved that the “godfather of the no dig movement,” Charles Dowding came up with the idea.
Wilkinson is a multi-award-winning garden designer and co-host of The Ins & Out podcast.
Speaking to Jojo Barr in a recent episode, she revealed a tip shared by Dowding during his talk at Alitex’s annual lecture.
She said it works miraculously for growing plants from seed such as vegetables and cut flowers.
“Rather than digging down and putting your plants in at ground level, what he’s done really successfully is layer compost on the surface of the soil,” Wilkinson said.
“And basically each year you add another layer of an inch or two.
“And then you plant into that mound which you’ve created.
“It’s quite a lot of work upfront because you have to create an initial mound sitting on the soil and sure it up with some timbres temporarily.
“But it’s meant to be incredible for soil health because you’re not disrupting what’s going on beneath the surface.
“It’s amazing for soil structure, enhances bio-diversity and it reduces weeds.
“He’s been able to get rid of bindweed in two years which is extraordinary.”
Wilkinson recommended the hack for allotments, flower patches, and starting a vegetable garden.
She gushed that Dowding grows “amazing” vegetables by using cardboard to suppress weeds.
“He covers it in cardboard for about three months and then does the no dig,” she said.
“Year one, he sort of smothers it with cardboard and then in year two he just trowls it out because it’s been so weakened by not having any light.
“Two years and it’s gone and that’s miraculous, I’ve never had such success.”
How to get rid of bindweed
ALSO known as Devil’s Guts, The Sun's Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine shares her step-by-step guide to getting rid of bindweed...
1. Unwind it
First start by unwinding it from the plants it’s attached to.
If you have lots of time on your hands, this is actually a pretty mindful task – really keeping you in the present.
2. Find the source
Once you’ve unwound it – find out where it’s growing from.
3. Start digging
And then start digging. Use a hand trowel or fork first – so you can get the hang of which way its roots are heading – probably in every direction.
4. Gently pull it free
And then gently and carefully try to trace the root through the soil, pulling it free.
This genuinely can take some time – and there’s no point in rushing it – as if you break the roots, it can regenerate.
Once you’ve got a better understanding of how it’s growing – you might be able to get the spade out – especially if the roots are going deep.
And then it’s just a case of removing every single last thread of the root and plant.
Didn’t work? Try mowing it
Another way of gradually eradicating it – is by actually running a mower over it. You don’t see it in lawns – because it’s been continually weakened by the blade – so you can try the same thing – if your space will accommodate it.
“Cardboard will rot off in a matter of weeks or months, then you start with this base layer of compost,” she added.
She acknowledged that the initial layer of compost is the most challenging part of the hack as most people don’t already have a huge mass.
However, in the long run, the method helps to prevent weeds and keeps gardens healthy.
“As the year goes on the soil depletes and sinks with the weather,” she said.
“If you’re covering your soil with compost every year it’s going to promote worms, so many worms and they will bring it down into the soil.”