Removing Himalayan Balsam From The Banks Of Our Rivers

[arbocop]

This still does not answer the question of what replaces HB when it is ripped up. The "monoculture of balsam" surely becomes a deserted area and that does not encourage any insects at all. The HB in my area is always alive with bees and there must also be some other useful stuff in there as wherever I sit I get invaded with shrews and the like

 

It will be replaced by whatever grew there before balsam came around. Probably very quickly at this time of year. It may initially be plants like hawkweed, but over the long term it gets increasingly richer with more diversity. The thing with diversity is that what may appear to be a a home for lots of insects may be just a refuge. What they need to keep themselves going and reproduce may be something else entirely different. Most insects require native plants, that is their adaptation. Therefore, the greater the variety of plants the greater the diversity of insects. However, if there is tall robust vegetation it supports (generally) a higher biomass than short maintained vegetation, and this is why the balsam may appear good - there are lots of insects sheltering there, but it has not assisted their reproduction.

 

If the pullers had a bag of seed it would help - plants like Purple loosestrife and Valerian - but for the most part their seeds are still there, lying dormant in the soil waiting for an opportunity to establish. Coarse grasses will also fill in the gaps. I'm sure one of the more botanically minded members of this forum will elucidate further.

 

As regards bees, I'm sure that bees do visit Balsam, but they also visit lots of other flowering plants. Nectar rich plants abound in the wild. But other insects such as butterflies e.g.large skipper and comma rely more on the nectar from native species than non-natives, and also need coarse grasses and nettles for their larvae.

 

There is a lot more to the river bank than you might think!

Edited June 29, 2010 by arbocop

[Steve Walker]

Grub out the roots that'll see to it. Safer and better in the long term than using chemicals. It's not really invasive on a broad scale, it just spreads via roots.

 

We haven't attempted to kill the main stand of it - I quite like it - but it's coming up on the patio, 55 feet away!

[arbocop]

We haven't attempted to kill the main stand of it - I quite like it - but it's coming up on the patio, 55 feet away!

 

 

Cut the roots back to where you want it kept to (but not too close). You could also try containing them.

[Steve Walker]

Cut the roots back to where you want it kept to (but not too close). You could also try containing them.

 

Surely it doesn't have a 55 foot root system, does it?

 

I assumed it had self-seeded?

 

This is the beast, then there is an area of lawn, a seating area and a patio about 2 feet higher than the lawn. It's coming up through the patio...