Bindweed,charcoal & things.
- To: <i*@rt66.com> 2rt66.coom
- Subject: Bindweed,charcoal & things.
- From: B* R* <b*@networx.on.ca>
- Date: Sun, 22 Sep 1996 11:12:56 -0400
Carolyn
I was very pleasedd to meet you at the CIC meetng yesterday and hope you
enjoyed it all and I was not a disapointment to you. You have the energy I
had 40 years ago and seens to be disappearing fast now.
I didn't rread your last few days messages on the Net until I got back
here and I saw I gould help you with Bindweed. I've fought it for 50 years
and nothing worked until Roundcup came along. Even covering the ground with
metal sheeting for two years didn't completely kill it. I was awhile getting
the answer with Roundcup too as I soon found one spraying did not eradicate
it. The right time to start spraying is when you spot the first flowers as
they are then growing rapidly. Keep an eye out for more growth (only the top
and some of the roots will be killed with the first spraying and spray
again, getting as many of the leaves as you can. You might not see any more
growth that year but in the spring some will likely come back again and need
one or even two more sprayings. The roots run far from the plants and could
come up again two feet or more from the original site and the chemical does
not always reach them to their tips. If it is growing in a tight spot too
near something you want to save then I drag the foliage out to a clear area
and use a sponge or paint brush to touch as many of the leaves as possible
with a 10% mixture. This works fast and the leaves dry brown in a few days
and it usually gets the roots too but is only practical for small area. Not
too last this fall to start the process and finish it next summer.
Activated charcoal is quite different from the burning kind made from
wood. I think the best grade is made from bones. Its highly absorbent of
many nasty things and is not cheap either. I used it in the lab when at
college to finish clearing dark honey of it dark colour and strong taste of
fall flowers like aster and buckwheat. It came out almost water white from
what had looked like black ink. It was my thesis in chemistry in 1933.
Bruce Richardson (near Hamilton, Ontario , Canada)
Bruce Richardson (near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.