Just a quick fun post letting you all know about what a fun morning I’ve had!

So this morning I went out to my local park to meet up with a volunteer group the Friends of Northcliffe. These guys do tonnes of preservation work around the park and I’m always feeling the benefits, so today I decided I was going to do my part and give them a hand.

On Thursdays, the group run a workshop of sorts where they teach you all about the terrible invasive plants that are…

Himalayan Balsam – Impatiens Glandulifera

Gonna add this one to the database in a mo.

Himalayan Balsam is a weed of sorts that is now widespread around the northern hemisphere. As the name suggests, it originated in the Himalayas in northern India and Nepal, but was taken by Victorian era ‘explorers’ and spread around the world.

The plants are very strong growers, mostly because they spend barely any time growing roots and invest everything into huge stalks that are hollow on the inside.

They have the appearance of a soft bamboo, almost celery like but with large leaves at the top. In August they sprout pink flowers which spread up to seven HUNDRED seeds in the surrounding area. The plants then tend to monopolise the foliage, killing everything else; so it’s best we kill them first.

Plant Killing Time

I don’t usually advocate plant killing because I love all plants, however these plants will complete destroy the idea of biodiversity if we left them to spread so I’m going to do my best to prevent that.

So I met up in the park at 10am. Fortunately I wasn’t the only first timer, so we had a quick lesson on what we were looking for and the best way of disposing them. So here’s what you do:

1. First, identify the Balsam, I’ve put loads of pictures to help you out here.
2. Grip the plant low down near to the root, then PULL
3. The plant has shallow roots so it should come out pretty easily!
4. Snap the roots of from the bottom of the plant, this well help them to not just take root again.
5. Snap them in a few other places, they can also take root in the notches so try to destroy them!
6. Place the plant carcass(?) in a pile somewhere. They may still take root here but at least you’ll know exactly where!

And that was my morning, I spent about two hours in all just pulling out plants and snapping them. It was shockingly relaxing!

I listened to the birds, I talked to the other volunteers about their lives, and I did my best to not be eaten by flies. The last one didn’t go so well.

All in all, a great time, I’ll definitely be back to do it all again.

Hope to see you again soon!

Cassie

P.S. Maybe I should make a booklet on the best ways of disposing of Balsam, I always love a new reason to make a booklet!