Italian parsley has repelled our bindweed in the past. It grows madly elsewhere and weeks of black plastic sheeting just gave it an excuse to roam. Going to try the dedicated and organic approach Larry spells out AND grow more parsley! Thanks for all the posts, esp yours Larry. kate

Many thanks, Kate. I'll for sure try Italian parsley next year!
Larry

Thank you Larry and Kate. I have been fighting bindweeds for a long long time. After hiring different persons for weeding, I hired called a landscaper and garden center and they covered my whole yard with a very strong weed barrier , except where I had roses and irises, then put 2 inches of mulch. It does not work. When I wanted to plant more roses, I discovered that yards long bindweed roots are growing happily underneath the weed barrier. I am in the process of taking off the weed barrier while also digging and getting all the roots of the bindweeds. Was very proud when I managed to get an about 2-yards plus long bindweed root out. Took a picture on my iPhone----will post if I can.
Apparently irises do not like to be planted above the weed barriers, although the soil above it is about 6-8 inches deep. They all died, not one single one survived. I managed to clean 1/2 of my left half front yard. I am curious whether all the Bermuda grass and bindweeds really are gone there. I have to remember to keep a hawk eye to that part and immediately get them when they reappear! Wish me luck to get the other 3/4 of the front yard clean too! I am an old woman, but used a two-prong rose aerator to dig deep to get to the roots and then use other hand tools, like a cobrahead trowel or something like that.

We covered much of our yard with gravel .. and then red fine dust/gravel. No bindweed coming up through that one year later. Three beds around the edge we saved.

started serious weeding with a hoe in spring. then in the three areas:

1) tomatoes volunteered, which blocked the minor bindweed that was in that area
2) tomatoes and parsley planted, and continued weeding, and then lack of sun also blocked bindweed
3) planted watermelon and weeded until the watermelon blocked sun to all the soil.

so far the bindweed is not bad. The main thing was reducing the battlefield size by "paving" inexpensively with the red fine dust/gravel.

but any extended neglect of yard could reverse things!!! I know those 20 or 50 year old roots are down there...

on guard!