Carless
Well-known member
Hi all.
Near me there is a stand of reeds, which is being colonised by Himalayan Balsam. Currently the balsam is starting to grow. Last year's dead reeds are still standing but I can see no sign of the reeds sprouting.
What is the best method of removing the balsam so that the reeds will grow and the stand of reeds will be saved. When I've seen reeds with that much balsam growing up in them before, the reed stand has not survived even if the balsam is removed.
Is there any particular method, timing, or other strategy that will maximise the probability that the reeds will be preserved? My current plan is to remove the balsam ASAP by careful weeding, chopping them off at the base of the stem to not disturb the soil, in the hope that the reeds will then grow undisturbed, but given that I've seen reed stands not recover before, wish to see if there's anything better that I can do.
EDIT: There is one reed bed/stand that appears to have been saved by balsam removal, but in this case the balsam had only spread into part of the reeds. Even now years later the reeds haven't recolonised the area where the balsam grew; it's only the completely unaffected regions that have survived. In the reed bed/stand I'm looking at now, balsam is growing up through the entire thing.
Near me there is a stand of reeds, which is being colonised by Himalayan Balsam. Currently the balsam is starting to grow. Last year's dead reeds are still standing but I can see no sign of the reeds sprouting.
What is the best method of removing the balsam so that the reeds will grow and the stand of reeds will be saved. When I've seen reeds with that much balsam growing up in them before, the reed stand has not survived even if the balsam is removed.
Is there any particular method, timing, or other strategy that will maximise the probability that the reeds will be preserved? My current plan is to remove the balsam ASAP by careful weeding, chopping them off at the base of the stem to not disturb the soil, in the hope that the reeds will then grow undisturbed, but given that I've seen reed stands not recover before, wish to see if there's anything better that I can do.
EDIT: There is one reed bed/stand that appears to have been saved by balsam removal, but in this case the balsam had only spread into part of the reeds. Even now years later the reeds haven't recolonised the area where the balsam grew; it's only the completely unaffected regions that have survived. In the reed bed/stand I'm looking at now, balsam is growing up through the entire thing.
Last edited: