Hand Weeding

Areas that have been weed infested in the past have to be reweeded regularly as seeds can lie dormant in the soil for a long time. The size and denseness of the weed seedlings mean that hand weeding is often the best option. When seedlings are small enough they are often quite easy to pull out. Below is a series of pictures of weeds found in the forest and descriptions of each plus clicking on the weed names will take you to pages that contain further information.

Gorse is a plant initially introduced from the UK for hedgeing purposes. It is a legume so does have some benefit for the soil, but this is overshadowed by its ability to spread and quickly cover large areas. Its seeds can also survive for many years in the soil.

Banana passionfruit is a fast growing vine that in no time can smother a bush or tree. Its fruit is edible and attractive to birds (and humans) so it can quickly spread. Initially the plant was brought into New Zealand as a food source. In the above picture the plants are the spindly ones nearest the camera with tripartite leaves.

Scotch Thistle is a biennial plant meaning it seed every two years. This means it can be controlled with regular weeding that stops the plant from seeding. Note the healthy looking coprosma at bottom right. If weeding is kept up, this type of plant will recolonise the area. Coprosmas are often the first native plant to recolonise an area.

Climbing dock

Climbing dock is a particulay nasty weed that is hard to kill as it has bulbs and root rhizomes that hold nutrients meaning it it likely to come away after being sprayed.

Above is a picture of the rather delicate looking stems and leaves. They can be snapped quite easily.

Above is a picture of the beetroot like bulbs. A large one at top centre has been pasted with weed killer paste.