Dear Blogger
Message from Alison Lister and the team endeavouring to eliminate the dreaded
HIMALAYAN BALSAM - your property backs onto the River Perry in Ruyton or up to Henged, or you spot this damned invasive plant - Please do your duty and pull it out
The team tackled the area from Platt Bridge along the bank of the Perry on the Queen Elizabeth field.
Further efforts will be made to remove any balsam which remains in the cleared areas but the vast majority of it has now been pulled and cannot therefore re-seed itself.
It would be great if local people could identify the plant and pull up any they see when they are using the field.
There are no known dangers in touching the plant with bare hands as it is in the begonia plant family and pulls from the ground really easily.
Once pulled up (preferably by the roots) it can be left in situ to naturally decompose It must not be removed from where it is growing in order to prevent its spread.
The working parties have endeavoured to pull the balsam and leave it forming a path down to the edge of the water. Hopefully this means those who want to access the water will find that easier.
It rots down and disappears into the ground after a short time but the main objective is to pull it before it seeds. It is an annual plant which if left will return and spread year on year.
Our hope is that pulling the plant over the next few years will largely irradiate it especially once any seed already in the ground has died.
