Baggs

Field bindweed also is called other names such as creeping jenny, possession vine or wild morning glory.

Originating from Europe, it is considered one of the 10 worst weeds in the world. Competing with crop plants for water, nutrients and sunlight, it has vines that climb on plants and shade crops, causing lodging of small grains, and makes harvesting difficult by clogging machinery. Dense field bindweed infestations may re­duce crop yields by 50 to 60 percent, and land infested with bindweed is reduced in value.

This species appeared in Kan­sas in 1877, possibly in a contaminated load of wheat seed shipped there by rail. Field bindweed reproduces sexually (seeds) and asexually (rhizomes and root buds) which enhances its ability to spread, and it has a root system that can grow 30 feet in depth, which makes it very difficult to control.

A single bindweed plant can spread 10 feet in diameter in one year. Field bindweed is a climbing plant, but if there is no object to climb it will grow along the ground, forming a dense mat. The weed can be identified by its white to pink color trumpet-shaped flowers and its arrowhead shaped leaves.

Field bindweed can be spread by both seed and root fragments. The root fragments can be carried in the soil, lodged in farm implements, and transported to another location. The seeds may be eaten by birds and remain viable, allowing the plant to be widely dispersed into new areas.

Bindweed can also be spread with animal feed, in commercial planting seed and by water. Seeds buried in the soil may remain viable for as long as 50 years.

Field bindweed can be controlled by three methods: cultural, mechanical and chemical.

Biological control methods are being tested using gall midges, mites, and bindweed moths, but have not proven to be effective as of yet. Intensive tillage can work as a control, but the infested area must be tilled every eight to 12 days, throughout the growing season. Herbicides also can be successful, but retreatment is required because of seed and regrowth from roots.

The best control of field bind­weed is obtained with a combination of cultivation, selective herbicides and competitive crops. This is a very persistent weed, and a successful control program must be even more persistent.