Bindweed flowers are white or white only slightly tinged by light lavender streaks. Hedge bindweed flowers are 1.5 to 2 inches across the trumpet. Field bindweed is only about 0.75 inches across the trumpet. Bindweed stems are smooth, twining, and may reach ten feet in length. Non-Chemical Control Methods Perennial weeds, including bindweed, can be controlled without herbicides but success requires diligence and an understanding of the reproductive cycle of the weed.
Most perennial weeds reproduce vegetatively as well as by seed.
Bindweed spreads with extensive horizontal roots. Tillage equipment breaks and drags the pieces of these roots. Weeds with extensive spreading root sys-tems can be starved to death. Emerging shoots use food stored in the roots to grow leaves. The shoot uses food from the root for the first 7 to 10 days after emergence and begins to send food back to the root after 10 to 14 days.