Weeds as friends

Any questions or comments you have about Natural Sequence Farming processes. These could include general questions or ones about your personal problems.

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Shirley Henderson
Posts: 356
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 4:03 pm
Location: Thirlmere

question

Post by Shirley Henderson » Mon May 11, 2009 2:18 pm

My question regards Privet. In bushcare we are required to remove it. It takes over water ways and shades out all other plants. Ok I have grown to like it now because I see some of the positives in the function it performs.
1. Shading and protecting the waterway from evaporation.
2. Provides great habitat and food source for birds and other animals
3. Removes excess Phosphorus from the soil which is usually overloaded by neigbouring farms or suburbia.
4. Stops the scouring of the creek bed when down pours occur and the water washes through at fast speed.
5. Giving wildlife a cool habitat from extreme heat.
So to remove it we are required to drill it and apply glyphosate into the drill hole to poison it. Then all the leaves drop RETURNING THE PHOSPHOROUS TO THE SOIL. So, should we remove it completely, totally clearing environments, displacing the wildlife, exposiong the soils to evaporation and drying, clearing the waterways so protection has gone that slows the water, removing the stabilisation the roots of the Privet provided to the creek banks.
This does not make sense to me. Can anyone explain the benefits of removing it apart for allowing hand planted regeneration or ongoing maintenance that all costs money. What if that money is not available?

ColinJEly
Posts: 167
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:50 am
Location: melbourne

Post by ColinJEly » Mon May 11, 2009 8:12 pm

Shirley
As a sometime gardener I will put in my two bobs worth. It is no use removing a 'weed' from your flowerbed, unless you immeadiately replace it with a 'worthwhile' plant. Otherwise it, or another 'weed', will just grow and replace it!

Cheers

Col.

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