Himalayan Balsam gets a bashing

[rscott74]

On BBC Look North last night there was an item on Balsam Bashers- these are volunteers who try to rid areas of the invasive Himalayan Balsam which can cause havoc by completely taking over. They face no pests, grow from seed easily and are tall with large foliage. The bashers uproot the plants before seeding and for some reason I can't grasp then jump up and down on the plants!
I've noticed the flowers in my area and now realise they are getting everywhere and expanding well away from the stream banks where I first noticed them. The stream in question runs into Hetton Bogs SSSi and I wonder if there might be damage to that habitat'
I wonder if anyone else has a comment to make and if we should be encouranging people to assist with control or eradication.
Pics below show flower (which is attactive and is said to smell of peaches} and the plant.

[Paul mabbott]

I wish them luck! I was looking at the bank of the River Irwell between Bolton and Salford a few days back - enormous swathes of Himalayan balsam - but not alone! This picture by Ringley Bridge -



- shows Hb also Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed. To rub things in, higher up the hill was a patch of Rhododendron ponticum. There has been some bashing and also some chemical application. Not all that effective and, to make matters worse, where the weed had been killed off it is being replaced by horsetail or, in drier areas, bracken! Looks like you can't win .....

[Hornbeam]

Lovely flowers and long may they flourish on our waterways! Confusion to the bashers and confound their knavish tricks.

[svenrufus]

Originally Posted by Hornbeam

Lovely flowers and long may they flourish on our waterways! Confusion to the bashers and confound their knavish tricks.

I'll take that in the mischeivous and provocative spirit it was surely intended. Its a curse, and anyone offering it sanctuary deserves 3 days in the stocks.

Paul, surely bracken and horsetail are better than the balsam?

I've often wondered how effective bashing the stuff back is, it's very easy to kill the plant, but how long do seeds persist for, ie how many years would you need to come back to stop it getting hold again?

[rscott74]

We seem a bit divided on this!
I heard mention on the TV that it takes 3 years of bashing.
Where I live it's appearing further away from the stream. I might contact our LA because its possible invasion of an SSSI might not be welcome.

[Hindpool]

The Wey Navigation in Surrey is owned by the National Trust; they have not yet got around to "bashing" Himalyan Balsam but are working to discourage this rampant invader. The attached picture was taken in mid-July a couple of years ago, this year there is a marked reduction in clumps on the river banks but the adjacent wooded areas are now being colonised.

Hindpool

[James M]

They organised a Balsam bash here in Saddleworth last Sunday and I meant to go but unfortunately couldn't make it.

[Adam Cheeseman]

I've got problems of my own with Goat's-rue, but I always pull up any HB that I can reach when I'm out walking. Sometimes the wife has to send out the St. Bernard to see where I've got to.

Cheers,

Adam

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Adam Cheeseman

I've got problems of my own with Goat's-rue, but I always pull up any HB that I can reach when I'm out walking. Sometimes the wife has to send out the St. Bernard to see where I've got to.

Cheers,

Adam

Does he come with a little barrel of medicinal brandy??

[Pete Collins]

The bashers seem to have successfully eradicated Himalayan Balsam from both my flower books, as I can't find it in either of them!

Both books have Indian Balsam which they say comes from the Himalayas, so am I correct in thinking that's another name for the same flower?

Are all Balsams a problem? There is a mass of Small Balsam (if I've identified it correctly!) in a section of the National Trust's Ashridge property - it seems to cover the ground pretty thickly, preventing any other flowers from growing there.