I don't know if bindweed is toxic to goats or not. I thought goats could eat most anything but I am not an expert. I did see a cute one eat Doritos in a SuperBowl commercial this year. hahaha

Ha! If bindweed were poisonous to goats, mine would have all died back in Oregon. They loved the stuff! Actually, that's how I got my very first morning glory seeds. DH was confused because everyone back in OR called bindweed "morning glory," and he wanted me to grow some for the goats. So he brought home a couple of packages of Heavenly Blue MGs.

Well, I hope he has better luck than me, I planted a whole pack of HB's, and thanks to the birds, and tree rats, I've got two. Arum

I think we must suffer from the same brown thumb when it comes to HBs! I got a few to sprout, but most of them promptly croaked! Not been a good year for me with any of my MGs.

yall might be interested in this morning glory thread at the botanical garden.
Once we allow morning glories to set seed in a southern garden, even the fancy hybrids can be real problems.
If it was just a matter of pulling a few seedlings, that would be ok... Problem is... There keeps being more, and they get all over the rest of the plants if we miss weeding for a week!

MG seeds are hard coat seeds and are viable for decades in some cases. As for bindweed, if you can find the crown, cut it back to about 2 inches above ground, spray with herbicide then put a black bucket or anything black that will cover it and leave it covered for the whole season .. don't be tempted to lift the bucket until fall. It takes about a year for this method to totally kill off the roots but it works .. also works well on Lonicera that has gotten out of hand but that can take 2 - 4 years for the roots to be killed.

When annual morning glory is grown, it is of course advisable to collect seed capsules or one will witness all the volunteers in the next season. Or, the vines can be grown in containers where any missed seeds will fall in a confined area.

I think it gets a little confusing to some when bindweed is called morning glory. Yes, it's known as morning glory, but it's not the beautiful annual that many people adore, including me. Bindweed can be impossible to get rid of, where morning glory is easy to pull when it reseeds, and doesn't have the massive root system that bindweed has. I call bindweed by the name of morning glory myself, but usually only when I'm talking to myself! I don't want others confusing my nasty weed with a much loved flower, so I usually say bindweed. Many people scratch their heads, wondering what I'm talking about. I'll say morning glory, and then we discuss how much we hate bindweed!

I have that problem with my neighbors! They just don't understand that bindweed and annual morning glories are very different plants! Yes, the volunteer seedlings can be annoying (I. purpureas WILL do that!), but they're no worse than the other annual weeds in my area. And a whole lot less annoying than the volunteer alfalfa that shows up in my flower beds from my neighbor's fields! Ever seen the roots on those things?!! Yikes!

woofie, I can't say that I've seen the roots of alfalfa, but you've got me scared now! There is a huge alfalfa field across the street, and one to the west of us. I'll be on the lookout for it! Down the road about a couple of miles are two huge beautiful fields of wheat. I just love wheat fields! I hope those roots aren't bad too, since the wind is always blowing here, and I can see it popping up all over the place!

So far, I'm not having too much of a problem with the bindweed. I was horrified when I saw it growing in the grass when we moved in, but it hasn't gotten out of control at all like it did in Utah. I've sprayed it with weed be gone, and that is keeping it under control, at least above ground. I never thought weed be gone would work, but it seems to be. I'd use roundup, but you can't use that on the lawn.

I think my problem with the neighbor's alfalfa was when he re-seeded his field. Never had a problem before that. So don't panic....at least not too soon!

Thanks! I won't panic now!

Natalie said:I think it gets a little confusing to some when bindweed is called morning glory. Yes, it's known as morning glory, but it's not the beautiful annual that many people adore, including me. Bindweed can be impossible to get rid of, where morning glory is easy to pull when it reseeds, and doesn't have the massive root system that bindweed has.

In the North... Annual morning glories are not a problem.
Down here... Those beautiful annuals become major hassles, AND are impossible to get rid of!

There are a couple of "safe" types... as mentioned in the other thread, moonflowers and heavenly blue are safe... the rest... need to be in a separate area or something.

I have the same problem with lupins here in the north. Little beggars show up everywhere and they are nasty to pull up if I let them get too big! But I grow them anyway. And, yes, I'm having to pull up volunteer MGs, too, but they're easy. LOTS of them, but still easy to yank. I'm not a fussy gardener, tho. I let some of them just have their way, like the poppies that "pop" up everywhere I don't want them and refuse to grow where I DO want them.

I wish lupines came up here...

I've always called bindweed morning glory, and I rather like it. It grows up through my shrubs and I let it put on a nice little show before I pull it out. Then it starts again. I don't mind the cycle.

In the plant database, I became confused about which morning glory / bindweed is in my area (western Washington State). My local native plant society lists Polygonum convolvulus, black bindweed, as an introduced non-native invasive. This entry exists in the ATP database but with very little factual information. The one targeted by most folks appears to be field bindweed, and I am trying to figure out if that is the same or different than what the native plant people call black bindweed. I have never seen any pink whatsoever in my bindweed, it is a pure white flower. Perhaps field bindweed is a different plant and more invasive than black bindweed? Or they may be one and the same? Just trying to clarify for my own personal database which includes all my purchased cultivated plants and I'm now branching off to the natives and invasives that grow wild for me. I don't have a photo offhand of 'my' bindweed, although give it a bit of time and soon it'll bloom again (ha ha).

I wish I could help you. Perhaps take a representative specimen cutting to the county extension service could result in an ID?

Is this what you have Deb? Big flowers 2-3 inches across? It maybe Calystegia sepium (Hedge False Bindweed, Hedgebell). I pull it since it comes from the neighbors. At one time I had it gone, sprayed it just before it goes dormant in the late summer, and it pulls the Roundup into its roots and is gone. Had about 5 yrs. free of bindweed. Now I just pull it when I see it. Seems to slow it down.

Jewell, that looks exactly like what I have, and perhaps the "false" in the name explains why I am not overly troubled by it. It grows up in my shrubs, I pull it, it comes back, but it's not a rampant problem.