west’s pests
War on Weeds is ongoing Following last months’ annual War I recently wrote to Biosecurity with our concerns on Weeds, weed bins will still be about this plant and received a response from available over the next few months, the project coordinator of Environmental Services reports FIONA DRUMMOND. This thanking me for bringing it to council attention is welcome news as weeds will be and assuring us that a recommendation will be easier to dig out once the autumn made to add it to the Regional Pest Management rains arrive. Strategy. Council do appreciate public concern and Removing weeds is one way of reports to do with pest species. dealing with the weed issue, but If you are keen to find out more about pest plants, preventative measures to minimise Auckland Council Biosecurity have an A-Z listing of the spread of weeds are also all plants including the control measures for each. important. They are also planning a Pest Plants Environmental Take kahili ginger for example. Talk on Thursday April 2, 6-7pm at Te Atatu Despite its alluring heady fragrance, Agapanthus have hundreds of seeds per flower head, so Library. Visit http://www.communitywaitakere. wild ginger forms dense clumps deadheading is essential to avoid spread. org.nz/index.cfm/news-events/pest-plants-freein native forests, smothering young plants and preventing native environmental-talk/. seedlings from becoming established. This makes it a serious threat to Temporary bins will be available on specific dates at the following native ecosystems. It typically has around 100 seeds per flower head, West Auckland locations: and these are often spread by birds. When dealing with a large area of • Waiatarua Community Hall, (911 West Coast Road) May 2 – 3. ginger, start by removing the flower heads and burning the seed heads. • 69 Victory Road, Laingholm: May 2 – 3. This won’t kill the plant but will stop it from seeding that year. Then you • 15-17 Mountain Road: April 4 – 5 and June 6 – 7. can concentrate on spraying or removing the whole plant. • Kōwhai Reserve (28 Withers Road): April 4 – 5 and June 6 – 7. Small seedlings can be hand-pulled and disposed of carefully. Small There are also two permanent weed bins, at Piha Domain (Seaview clumps can be dug out, as long as all of the root system is removed and Road) and Huia Domain (Huia Road) disposed of safely. Rhizomes (the fleshy roots) can be placed in a black It is important to respect these bins – they’re for invasive weeds only. plastic bag and rotted, or placed in a weak herbicide mix, crushed, When illegal dumping happens, Council has to pay for the rubbish to be dried then burned. Larger clumps can be sprayed using Escort or removed, making the service more expensive and less viable. Vigilant. It is best to cut the stems down to the rhizome first, and then The bins should not be used for bamboo, large branches or tree drill several holes in the rhizome before adding the herbicide. This will trunks, palm trees, cabbage trees, general garden waste and weeds make the control more effective. from near kauri trees (to prevent the spread of kauri dieback disease). I am more tolerant of agapanthus even though it also can prevent other seedlings from growing. Nothing beats it as a hardy and stunning summer flowerer, synonymous with a Kiwi summer. It can easily be kept in check by dead-heading when it finishes flowering so the seeds don’t get a chance to germinate elsewhere. Unlike ginger, the seeds are not dispersed by birds, but by wind and water, and each flower head can have between 650 to 4000 seeds. This makes removing the spent flowers essential to keep the plant contained. MS 170 (14") CHAINSAW
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Bidens Frondosa or Devil’s Beggarticks on Exhibition Drive
Other pest plants are not so well known. On Exhibition Drive we have been attempting to eliminate a weed plant that doesn’t feature highly in Auckland Council’s list of pest plants. However, it does have the potential to be a very invasive plant. Bidens frondosa or Devil’s Beggarticks is a North American species of flowering plant in the sunflower family, and an invasive weed in Canada. It has a leaf resembling the cannabis plant but, as its common name suggests, the flowers have ticks or burrs attached which will stick to clothing or dogs, and as such can be easily spread. It is essential to remove this plant before it seeds.
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