Thursday - July 1

Field bindweed seems to be our biggest nemesis, putting a strangle hold on almost everything we do. This is an invasive species that was introduced from Europe and Asia. The weed wraps itself around all parts of the plant and takes water from the plant it is near. It is rapidly producing perennial, which can be difficult to control without the use of herbicides. On this farm, the weeds are controlled by manually removing them from other plants. This can be a difficult and tedious effort. When removing the plant, the weed must be slowly unwound from its parent plant. It is tightly wound around it, so quick removal would cause great harm to the plant. Laura has suggested that I have my students complete experiments to better understand the weed. This would fit well into the invasive species part of my curriculum.