Himalayan Balsam

[jall55]

Day 15 or so - lost track of pulling this horrible plant up from the rivers and woodland edges
Whoever brought this plant in should be prosecuted !

Instead of the endless predator releases why not fund for the eradication of this biodiversity loss driver

 

[UnframedDave]

A neighbour of mine planted one in his garden a few years ago. It's all over my paddock now.

He thinks it's pretty.

 

[muddy42]

Day 15 or so - lost track of pulling this horrible plant up from the rivers and woodland edges
Whoever brought this plant in should be prosecuted !

Instead of the endless predator releases why not fund for the eradication of this biodiversity loss driver

Keep going, pulling it up when in flower really is the best method of eradication. I am fighting a constant battle, I suspect tractors and forestry vehicles move the seed around. I have had areas of success where the plant once was prolific but has now ceased to exist.

 

[jall55]

Keep going, pulling it up when in flower really is the best method of eradication. I am fighting a constant battle, I suspect tractors and forestry vehicles move the seed around. I have had areas of success where the plant once was prolific but has now ceased to exist.

Thanks mate
Yes some areas i have just about sorted it - but then a flare up of germination occurs and its hard on the soul !
We have done lots of coppicing this year and some of those areas have had germination successes

I really am going to try and sort it this year - i am now on the fourth wave of going over my areas

 

[sako751sg]

Horrible stuff but the smell brings back some superb memories of catching trout,sea trout and salmon through the years on so many waters from tiny burns to big rivers.

 

[jall55]

A neighbour of mine planted one in his garden a few years ago. It's all over my paddock now.

He thinks it's pretty.

It is illegal to do that

 

[VSS]

Fire cooked fallow loin with pomegranate and Himalayan balsam.

 

[LuckyEddie]

Horrible stuff but the smell brings back some superb memories of catching trout,sea trout and salmon through the years on so many waters from tiny burns to big rivers.

My dad and I used to hack down as much of it as we could when we fished the Lunan Water.
This going back about 50 years.

 

[jall55]

View attachment 479532

Fire cooked fallow loin with pomegranate and Himalayan balsam.

Eat it all mate

 

[Greenmist]

Oddly enough, the JKW and bamboo have made a valiant effort to come back this year at mine, I've had a steady reduction every year with various methods of removal, this year saw the bamboo come back early, and the JKW came in a little later so was harder to spot with other plants growing over it

 

[timbrayford]

View attachment 479532

Fire cooked fallow loin with pomegranate and Himalayan balsam.

I didn't know that it was edible, does it taste good?

 

[VSS]

I didn't know that it was edible, does it taste good?

Pretty much all parts of the plant can be eaten, but in this instance it was just the flowers used as an edible garnish.
Very tasty!

 

[Mungo]

There is an argument that it might not be quite as awful as its reputation makes out. Because it’s one of the last annuals to flower in abundance in early Autumn, it may provide a substantial nectar resource to pollinators when there’s not a lot else.

 

[LWFDuke]

Get a decent strimmer on the job. As long as you cut it below the first node it won’t regrow and you’ll be exponentially faster than hand pulling!

 

[shbangsteve]

weed wiper with Glyphosate. Kills the roots as well.

 

[timbrayford]

Pretty much all parts of the plant can be eaten, but in this instance it was just the flowers used as an edible garnish.
Very tasty!

I'll give it a try next time that I find some

 

[Smallholder]

There is an argument that it might not be quite as awful as its reputation makes out. Because it’s one of the last annuals to flower in abundance in early Autumn, it may provide a substantial nectar resource to pollinators when there’s not a lot else.

I thought many regard it as a useful source of food for all sorts of bees, the bumbles certainly like it round here.

I do pull it up from our stream banks but it seems pointless because so much seed comes down from upstream and masses.of it grows in the council roadside ditches that pollute the steam. Until something is done about that I can't.see much point in controlling it downstream.

I'm also not sure about how destructive it is around here as it grows alongside nettles and hemlock water dropwort.

 

[jall55]

There is an argument that it might not be quite as awful as its reputation makes out. Because it’s one of the last annuals to flower in abundance in early Autumn, it may provide a substantial nectar resource to pollinators when there’s not a lot else.

Its worse than its reputation - when it dies off - nothing - banks / woods erode

 

[jall55]

Get a decent strimmer on the job. As long as you cut it below the first node it won’t regrow and you’ll be exponentially faster than hand pulling!

Very very hard to strim in many areas its in though

 

[jall55]

I thought many regard it as a useful source of food for all sorts of bees, the bumbles certainly like it round here.

I do pull it up from our stream banks but it seems pointless because so much seed comes down from upstream and masses.of it grows in the council roadside ditches that pollute the steam. Until something is done about that I can't.see much point in controlling it downstream.

I'm also not sure about how destructive it is around here as it grows alongside nettles and hemlock water dropwort.

Same story though - why control deer - crows - foxes when next door doesnt ?