Weeds invade public space

EvanJames said :

Weed control is extremely expensive so don’t expect the government to do anything about it soon.

Much easier to knock down willows and denude lake and river banks in the name of the environment.

Not to mention those magnificent cottonwood things that surrounded historical Duntroon oval. I guess that’s more important than preventing pastureland being competely wrecked by voracious weeds. They’ve NEVER tried to control blackberry, it’s rampant everywhere surrounding the city.

They control blackberry. I’ve often seen signs warning not to eat because it’s been sprayed (at least I have out round Cotter). Doesn’t seem to stay controlled though cos it always seems to be there. I rang once to find out what they were using to hose a thicket of something (similar but not blackberries) over the back fence and they insisted it was “Zero just like you use at home”. If true no wonder they’re not getting anywhere. Or perhaps they didn’t want to admit they were using stronger stuff so close to housing. Whatever, it didn’t work, the thicket grew back. Meanwhile I use to wonder when they were going to get rid of the pampas grass visible from Hindmarsh Drive and the Parkway. It never ever looked to be sprayed (I reckon a bulldozer would’ve been more effective anyway for that particular situation). Isn’t pampas grass considered a noxious weed now too? But at least the riverbanks are bare, a conspicuous show of how the government is right on top of the situation.

Weed control is extremely expensive so don’t expect the government to do anything about it soon.

Much easier to knock down willows and denude lake and river banks in the name of the environment.

Not to mention those magnificent cottonwood things that surrounded historical Duntroon oval. I guess that’s more important than preventing pastureland being competely wrecked by voracious weeds. They’ve NEVER tried to control blackberry, it’s rampant everywhere surrounding the city.

St John’s Wort looks to be having a merry old time on the hill near the intersection of Hindmarsh Drive and Canberra Avenue in Fyshwick too.

LSWCHP said :

I took the kids out for a walk through Goorooyarroo nature reserve north of Gungahlin a couple of weeks ago, and there was Patterson’s Curse starting to pop up. Coming from a farming family I hate that stuff with a passion.

Patto’s is going full bore. The rosettes for killing were already big and developing during winter, and come spring the flowers just exploded. Once they flower, the seeds are already there unfortunately.

2620watcher said :

EvanJames said :

Wort is hard to kill (only a few herbicides will kill it, but Roundup/Glyphosate actually will) and spreads by runners, so you have to keep hitting it. And they’re just letting it rip.

Starane is the best to use. It’s selective (unlike Glyphosate), so it only kills certain weeds (including St Johns Wort).

The key is that every year you leave it is another 5yrs of sead head left in the ground. So commit to spraying and do it for 5 seasons.

I’m using Grazon currently (or the cheaper re-branded Woody stuff… Triclopyr and Picloram). Cost a bomb but it’s effective and selective, unlike the cheaper Roundup/Glyphosate which just kills everything green (useful for serrated tussock though). I’m planning to start using Starane when the Grazon’s finished, so-as to cycle through different chemicals so the St Johns doesn’t get resistant.

Also, Metsulferon works on it when the plants are soft and new, in late winter/early spring. It’s slow, but it seems quite effective. No good when it’s got the woody stems and flowers though.

troll-sniffer said :

Been cycling around the northside quite a bit this last fortnight and have noticed the profusion of a yellow everlasting daisy type of ‘weed’ that is I believe a native. Lots of it on Mount Ainsliwe as happens every so often.

Just saying, so all the bandwagon jumpers with little botanical knowledge but itchy typing fingers don’t start reporting ‘St Johns Wort’ where it ain’t, if you know what I mean.

The sticky helichrysum is pretty different from St John’s Wort, although from a distance it’s a similar yellow. Close up though, it’s a daisy, quite different. it’s having a good year too, but as you say is a native, and it’s native to this area so not feral.

For the record, St John’s has a fern-like foliage, a soft grey-green, the stems are reddish, and the flowers are multiple heads of quite delicate yellow soft flowers. when the flowers die back, it’s making the dreaded seed. Pulling it out is pretty useless, as it spreads by runners (and seed), and they just lurk in the soil until next early spring. A systemic herbicide is best.

Guys, guys, guys: why is this such a big issue?

I really don’t understand your preoccupation with such trivial issues when there are children in Thailand having their human rights trampled on every day, and the ACT Government isn’t doing a damn thing to prevent it from happening.

Jon Stanhope wouldn’t have forgotten the children of Thailand like this!

I took the kids out for a walk through Goorooyarroo nature reserve north of Gungahlin a couple of weeks ago, and there was Patterson’s Curse starting to pop up. Coming from a farming family I hate that stuff with a passion.

EvanJames said :

Wort is hard to kill (only a few herbicides will kill it, but Roundup/Glyphosate actually will) and spreads by runners, so you have to keep hitting it. And they’re just letting it rip.

Starane is the best to use. It’s selective (unlike Glyphosate), so it only kills certain weeds (including St Johns Wort).

The key is that every year you leave it is another 5yrs of sead head left in the ground. So commit to spraying and do it for 5 seasons.

troll-sniffer said :

Just saying, so all the bandwagon jumpers with little botanical knowledge but itchy typing fingers don’t start reporting ‘St Johns Wort’ where it ain’t, if you know what I mean.

Big difference between the native daisies and this stuff. But if your not sure pick a leaf off, they are only small and hold it up to the light. If you see little white dots then its Wort. The dots are the oil or whatever that they extract. I guess its so prevalent after a few good years rain, but on the other hand so are the natives – Tugg Hill is carpeted with natives flowers at the moment.