Do you have to report Himalayan balsam?
Himalayan balsam is listed under schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is an offence to plant this species or to cause it to grow in the wild. There is no obligation to eradicate this species from land or to report its presence to anyone.
What do I do if I find Himalayan balsam?
The most effective method of controlling Himalayan balsam is cutting and hand pulling. If you’re getting rid of Himalayan balsam plants by hand, let the cut plants lie on the ground in the sun for a few days to dry out and die before composting them. Herbicides also work but only as a last resort.
Is it illegal to have Himalayan balsam?
It is illegal to plant or allow Himalayan Balsam to grow in the wild and is listed under Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. If you have Himalayan Balsam growing in your garden, you must control it in order that it does not spread.
Is Himalayan balsam a controlled waste?
1.3 Any waste containing Himalayan balsam is classed as controlled waste under the Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991, which requires all producers, carriers and disposers of waste to follow a code of practice and keep records.
How do you stop Himalayan Balsam from spreading?
How Can You Stop the Spread:
- Learn to identify Himalayan Balsam.
- Do not plant Himalayan Balsam in gardens or landscaping.
- Dispose of Himalayan Balsam plants in the garbage.
- When walking or hiking, stay on marked trails, keep pets on a leash to reduce the spread of seeds.
Why is Himalayan balsam a problem?
Why is Himalayan balsam such a big problem? But Himalayan balsam is a problematic plant. It competes with native plants for light, nutrients, pollinators and space, excluding other plants and reducing biodiversity. It dies back in the winter, leaving river banks bare and open to erosion.
How do you stop Himalayan balsam from spreading?
How do you get rid of invasive plant species?
When invasive plants are relatively small, put them in contractor-grade garbage bags after removal and leave them out in the sun to bake. Once they are dried out, the plants should be dead and can be tossed in the trash.
What herbicide kills Himalayan balsam?
glyphosate
Himalayan balsam can be controlled by spraying the foliage with glyphosate. The plants should be sprayed in the spring before flowering but late enough to ensure that germinating seedlings have grown up sufficiently to be adequately covered by the spray. Glyphosate is sold under a number of brand names.
How bad is Himalayan balsam?
But Himalayan balsam is a problematic plant. It competes with native plants for light, nutrients, pollinators and space, excluding other plants and reducing biodiversity. It dies back in the winter, leaving river banks bare and open to erosion.
Why is Himalayan Balsam so invasive?
The extreme pace at which Himalayan Balsam can spread, thanks to its exploding seed pods and the damage it can cause to the environment, makes it an invasive species.
How can we control Himalayan Balsam in the UK?
Traditional control methods are currently inadequate in controlling Himalayan balsam in the UK. This is often because the plant grows in inaccessible areas or sites of high conservation status where chemical and/or manual control is not an option.
What are the natural enemies of Himalayan balsam?
In 2006, CABI started the process of looking for natural enemies to control Himalayan balsam. By 2010, a highly selective rust fungus, Puccinia komarovii var. glanduliferae, was found to damage Himalayan balsam and no other native species and, in 2015, a strain of the rust fungus originating from India was approved for release.
When does Himalayan balsam Bloom?
Himalayan Balsam’s beautiful pink flowers appear between June and September. We take a look at Himalayan balsam ( Impatiens glandulifera ), one of the UK’s most invasive and problematic weed species, and the work CABI is doing to combat its spread.
Why does my Himalayan Balsam have rust fungus?
It’s possible that the less light a Himalayan balsam plant has access to, the fewer nutrients it will produce to support the rust fungus, making it more difficult for the fungus to overwinter. Light and shade could be important factors determining how effective it is at infecting Himalayan balsam.