RE: [CH] Companion planting to fight aphids
Chad A Gard (gard@indy.net)
Fri, 8 Dec 2000 11:06:43 -0500
>You are obviously talking about the American equivalent of our bindweed -
>Calystegia sepium (an introduced perennial) which smothers everything with
>which it comes into contact.
It may be. I think they're the same plant. I honestly don't know anything
about where it comes from, but if it is native to north america I'm quite
surprised that we have any trees here.
>Being an organic grower it pains me to say that there is only one cure and
>that is chemical..... a glyphosate-based systemic weedkiller. Don't spray
>but spot target the vine. Mix the weedkiller to the consitency proscribed
>by the makers and put it into a long, narrow, preserve/jam jar (clearly
>labelled!). Put as much of the growing tip of the vine into the jar of mix
>as you can without breaking the main stem; leave overnight to saturate.
>The plant will then start to die back. Repeat the process on as many
>tendrils as you can and you can greatly weaken the vines.
I'll try that. I have used roundup, which kills essentially everything it
touches, at concentrated levels spraying/pouring it on as much of the vine
as I could, but it didn't work. Finding the growing tip is often
difficult, as it tends to be somewhere arround 120' in the air in some tree
or 1/2 way down the block on a power line, but soaking the ones I can find
may be just the ticket. Come spring I'll have to try that.
>Don't, whatever you do, try to dig it up; it has an inbuilt survival
>programme which causes it to shatter when under stress and produce many
>more small viable pieces of vine.
So I've noticed...
Chad Gard, CTS KB9WXQ
INCHASE: http://www.inchase.org Co-founder
SCOA: http://www.stormchasersofamerica.org Member #3
INSWA: http://www.insw.org Unit #21