Date/Time
Date(s) - 23/07/2019
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location
MONKMEAD WOOD
Categories No Categories
Tuesday – Now is the chance to help rid the world (well, a tiny bit of it) of the invasive Himalayan balsam which can grow in profusion alongside and close to waterways.
Himalayan balsam is a tall growing annual, 2-3m (6-10ft) in height. Between June and October it produces clusters of purplish pink, helmet-shaped flowers.
The flowers are followed by seed pods that open explosively when ripe. Each plant can produce up to 800 seeds which are dispersed widely as the ripe seedpods shoot their seeds up to 7m (22ft) away.
Once established in the catchment of a river the seeds, which can remain viable for two years, are transported further afield by water.
By pulling up the plants one year, we decrease the number of growing plants the following year. It’s not an unpleasant job and there is the satisfaction of seeing the piles of uprooted plants at the end of the session.