Weed prevention
We can attend your property and meet with you onsite to discuss the options available for your weed eradication needs. Please call 1300 882 787 or email us.
Prevention is the most effective method of dealing
with weeds. Once a weed has entered an area and become
established, eradication is far more expensive and it
is likely that greater resources will be required to
control its further spread and reduce its impact. The
first step in weed prevention, and the most cost effective
means of managing weeds, is preventing the entry of
new weeds into Australia. Once a weed has entered Australia,
early detection and eradication is crucial to reduce
its potential environmental and economic impacts. It
is much easier to treat weeds when present in small
numbers than when they are well established. Early detection
and eradication requires an awareness and understanding
of the factors that favour the establishment and spread
of weeds, and applying appropriate management practices
that can prevent or reduce the risks. The importance
of weed spread prevention has grown with the recognition
that the spread of most weeds occurs through similar
pathways, such as the movement of goods, animals and
vehicles contaminated with weed seeds. Currently, individual
states and territories have different approaches to
managing the spread of weeds.
Weed prevention in agriculture
In agriculture, the pathways for spread include transported
livestock and fodder, contaminated crop and pasture
seeds, deliberate introductions of new species, and
contaminated machinery such as harvesters and recreational
vehicles (including boats which can spread water weeds).
There are many ways to prevent weeds in agricultural
activities which are well known including:
- Restricting the opportunity for new weeds to invade
and spread:
- Be vigilant about introducing stock, fodder or seed
onto your property to ensure weeds will not be introduced.
- When buying stock, find out where the stock has
come from and what weeds infest that area.
- Buy certified weed free fodder and seed where possible.
Restrict the movement of vehicles and machinery
on your property in periods when seeds are likely to
spread.
- Establish tracks and laneways along which vehicle
movement can be concentrated.
- Wash down vehicles which have been in known infested
areas.
- Do not allow machinery or vehicles to enter your
property unless they are clean.
Restricting the spread of existing weed infestations:
Carry out control works prior to other works. Slash
and cultivate when weeds are outside of seeding period.
Work the clean area first and the infested area last.
Work from the outside in and clean down equipment prior
to moving into a clean area.
Quarantine:
Hold livestock that may be infested with seed in a
single location until they are shorn or until weed seeds
have had the chance to pass through their digestive
system. Feed out infested fodder in a feed lot type
situation only and introduce clean fodder to stock.
Monitor:
Continually monitor weed infestations and carry out
control works.
Weed prevention in your backyard
Plants from commercial nurseries, landscaping suppliers
and gardening clubs can also be pathways for the introduction
and spread of weeds. Another significant cause of weed
spread is inappropriate use and disposal of garden waste.
There are a large number of potential weeds in Australian
gardens. Private gardens contain over 4000 plant species
with weed potential, while botanic gardens hold approximately
5000 species of plants with weed potential. The likelihood
that any particular plant will become a weed is difficult
to predict; however, the CSIRO has estimated that an
average of 10 weed species establish in Australia each
year.
Measures for weed prevention in your backyard include:
- Choose plants that are unlikely to become weeds
in your area.
- Check existing garden plants are safe. Remove potentially
weedy plants.
- Dispose of garden waste carefully.
- Be careful not to spread weeds.
- Place mulch on soil surfaces in the garden to reduce
weeds growth.
Weed prevention in the natural environment
Landscapes that contain a diversity of healthy, vigorous
vegetation with very little bare ground have the ability,
in most cases, to deter weed invasion. It is important
to reduce the risk of the environment becoming vulnerable
to invasion by exotic species by encouraging beneficial
vegetation growth and by avoiding disturbance as much
as possible.
- Measures for weed prevention in the landscape include:
- Minimise the disturbance of desirable plants along
trails, roads, and waterways.
- Maintain desired plant communities through good
management.
- Monitor high-risk areas such as transportation corridors
and bare ground.
- Revegetate disturbed sites with desired plants.
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