Holyland Wood Balsam Bashing Wed 26th July

Holyland Wood Balsam Bashing Wed 26th July

A quick check this week for the appearance of flowering Himalayan Balsam confirmed that there are still groups of plants to be removed.

As the forecast is for rain on Saturday, we have decided to hold our next Work Party to pull out these rogue plants on Wednesday 26th July meeting as usual in the Car Park of Holyland Wood at 10:00.

Since we have had some rain since our last work party, the ground is a bit softer, so waterproof clothes and footwear are recommended.

If you are unable to come along to this volunteer event, but would still like to help, please feel free to have a go next time you wander along the boardwalk. Please bear in mind that it is safer to do this with another person, in case of accidents.

The preferred technique for identifying and removing Himalayan Balsam is as follows:
Himalayan Balsam is a tall annual plant producing clusters of purplish pink helmet-shaped flowers. Large plants often have a reddish stem.
If you attempt to pull up the plant, it should come out of the ground easily.
Pull up the whole plant, including the root by grasping the stem low down to the ground.
If you see smaller young plants, please remove these too.
Once removed, break off the root below the first node to prevent re-growth, and discard on the ground.
When you have accumulated a number of plants, collect them up and place them somewhere they can dry out. A good way to do this is by hanging them over a convenient tree branch.
Should you find any plants that have seed pods, please take care to prevent the pods from exploding and distributing their seeds on the ground. The best way to do this is to carefully bend over the top of the plant into a bag and cut off the top of the plant, thus catching the seed heads within the bag. After which you can pull up the plant as normal. Keep the seed heads in the bag and compost. They will quickly decompose inside a plastic bag.
We look forward to seeing you on WEDNESDAY 26th JULY at 10am