Not sure if this is the right place for this but in my view it does have wildlife implications.
Himalayan Balsam is rapidly spreading in North West Wales. This is on the list of invasive species but not a lot seems to be being done to control it around here.
It's quite pretty
but it is a phenominal plant - reminiscent of the triffid. It can grow one meter per month reaching a final height of three meters. Each plant can bear 800 seeds which it is capable of projecting a distance of 7meters with its exploding seed pods!! It finds it easy to spread!
It shades out smaller native plants and when it grows along river banks it can cause erosion by killing off the plants with deeper roots that stabilise banks. It has a strong sweet smell and plenty of nectar so insects like it but then they don't visit and pollinate native plants. In other words it rapidly develops a monoculture.
Six years ago this field was bounded by a richly diverse hedgerow - not all native I grant you but good cover none the less.
Now there is no hunting for the likes of our Tawny and Barn Owls and many other birds..
This is a simple plant to eradicate. It is a shallow rooted annual and if all landowners were to cut it or uproot it before it flowers it would be gone in two to three years. It does NOT require chemical spraying. We have kept our three and a half acres plus the half mile of lane leading to us free from it simply by routinely uprooting every plant we spot. If two "senior citizens" can do that without any tools or sprays why is it being allowed to ruin our landscape?
I'd be interested to know if there are any other areas of the country that are being covered with this scourge without any attempt by landowners to check it?
Jenni
God gave us two ears and one mouth for a very good reason!
Hi Jenni,
Country file or Country Wise did a feature of this a couple of weeks ago. I can't remeber the details, but it certainly said there were steps being taken to remove it in the area featured. There was one guy though that was happy to keep it and he was making prize winning honey by placing his hives where it was found.
I know this is not too helpful, but you might be able to find the feature on iplayer
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bramble67/
Thanks Bramble! Will have alook!
I think we have some along our river, I was wondering what it was!
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
It has taken over the edges of a public footpath alongside our river. The council appear to have tried uprooting it, but have failed miserably and are now in the process of cutting it back. They are having to do this because it is stopping people walking along the path.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
We went to our local patch Lavell's Lake last weekend and loads of it had been puled up along the riverbank. There was as much still growing as there had been pulled out though, so it's no easy task to get rid of it.
Best wishes Chris
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Chris,my OH, goes out the the local conservation vols most weeks and they find the most effective way of getting rid of it is to pull it up by the roots,this is easier just after some rain.It is very invasive and certainly needs controlling but to get rid of it altogether would ruin some of bug life so within reason we may need to keep some areas,not that we have much chance of getting rid of it all together
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Up until a month ago I had never really heard about this plant. Given that it was brought in by our Victorian forefathers (Ta chaps.) Why has it suddenly become a problem? Is it because land management has changed or have garden centers been selling it and it has become a garden escapee? Does it respond well to being mown/strimmed? Just wondering as someone I know in wales has it going on the rampage and they are not entirely sure what to do - given that they are trying to look after their land single handed while also working at a very stressful job, I could hear their shoulders slump at one more job:(
Caroline in Jersey
Cin J
Hi Caroline,
The plant is an annual and so if you can stop it getting to seed stage then you have won half the battle. The seeds apparently last about 2-3 years in the ground so after only three years you can conquer it.
Pulling up is the easiest way - it just comes up with the slightest pull. If you want to strim or cut that works too but you have to check that it is not coming up again from the bottom of the stems so it is a question of two or three cuts between May and August.
As I said before, my OH and I (in our late sixties) have cleared about an acre of the stuff quite successfully though it is marching towards us again from another field! I think we will have to do a lot of work next May/June! :-(
Cheers
Jenni, thanks for that I will let her know. There is only herself to do the work so it may be easier to strim rather than pull.
C in J
The only trouble with strimming is if you have left it too late and the seeds are near ripe,like now in our area,ou can help the seeds to "pop" and so spread them for next year.