13th Dec 2022 |
Last Saturday, a group of Landcarers from the North West got together for a workshop with weed expert Sharon Young to learn how to spot weeds - and what to do about them.
Image: Could you spot your local weeds? © Cynthia Schaap
At this Weed ID and Control session, 20 eager Landcarers met at the Cape Bridge Picnic Ground in Wynyard to brush up on their weed identification and control skills, taught by weed expert Sharon Young.
Image: Sharon Young showcases her local loot of nasties © Cynthia Schaap
We were in luck with beautiful sunny weather and a delicious fruit platter, allowing us to settle in comfort for Sharon's weed identification presentation.
Sharon showed us a (incomplete, yet very large) selection of weeds that she found within a 20 minute walk from the Cape Bridge Picnic Ground, and went through how they all reproduce and spread so we can better understand how to control them. Many of these weeds are common across much of the North West and across the State, so all groups could apply the information learnt to their own patch. She also went through some of the legal issues and requirements around weed control and chemical use.
Image: Sharon demonstrates poison methods © Cynthia Schaap
After a brief break, Sharon then took us on a short walk along the river track to demonstrate various methods of weed control such as cutting and pasting using a dabber, foliar spraying, scraping stems with herbicide, hand pulling, and using dish-washing sponges attached to the inside of tongs to apply herbicide to long, flat leaves such as those of bulbs. The main message Sharon had for us was that any weed control we do needs follow up. Follow up, follow up, follow up!
Image: Have you got the right equipment? © Cynthia Schaap
As well as it being a practical and informative workshop where we all learnt some extra tips to take back to our groups, it was a great opportunity to catch up with other group members along the coast who we hadn't seen in a while!
We would like to thank Sharon for presenting so brilliantly and all the effort she went to collecting lots of good quality weed samples (even if one of the arum lilies smelt like roadkill!) and set them up beautifully on the tray of her truck.
Image: A great turn out on a sunny day © Cynthia Schaap
This workshop is part of our Outreach Program which aims to increase capacity for Landcarers so that all our land and coasts can be cared for by the community.
This workshop was funded by Braddon MP Gavin Pearce through the Volunteer Grants and the Tasmanian Landcare Fund.More Resources
List of declared weeds in Tasmania
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for permits and other info on pesticides
