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Himalayan Balsam

Colin Bridger

Colin Bridger

Senior Member
Various bodies are advertising for anglers to try and eradicte this giant Busy Lizzy. Well you are at least 15 years too late. This plant is now wide spread along most river systems in the country, and is as established as the Grey Squirrel, or the Mink. The rules of two of the clubs I belong to forbid the destruction of bank side vegetation so there is obvious conflict there.

It is much too late to have an effect on it now, save your money and learn to live with it.
 
The Balsam is a nuisance but at least it keeps the nettles down. I've not been down to walk my normal stretches yet but the giant hogweed is really taking over in some places and that is nasty stuff. I've seen a few people with small burns of it and it is not pleasant.
 
If you have hogweed contact the EA.

I managed to get a license to spray it on our section of the Wye but the EA have now taken over and are attempting to eradicate it albeit after a long delay :rolleyes:

Don't spray it without authority as the only stuff that will knock it back is extremely poisonous to everything else, fish and invertebrate life included. However, if you cannot get permission, make a point of lopping the seed heads before they open at the end of May to early June. They look like cauliflowers just before they open up like Cow Parsley.

Don't let the seed heads fall into the river, if possible remove them and burn them.

Wear gloves and long sleeves, the sap when exposed to uv light, will burn and blister the skin - trust me, I know :eek:
 
Stuart Brookes said:
The Balsam is a nuisance but at least it keeps the nettles down.
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It does indeed. Unfortunately it is also so shallow rooting that it provides absolutely no supprt for the banks, this means that on spate rivers it quickens erosion. Nettles are a real pain, but at least provide some minimum rooting support for the bank. Nettles and many other species suppressed by Balsam also provide habit for lots of insect life that helps feed the fish; Balsam is next to useless in this regard. The stuff is a real disaster, if it can be stopped it should be. Cutting back right to the ground right now and then planting grass seed and willow where possible can keep it in check. When cutting it down in summer to make swims don't let it fall in the river as this is a great way of spreading the stuff downstream.
On the Teme the stuff is absolutely every where and whilst not the only cause is certainly responsible for some reduction in invertebrate life. We may be fighting a loosing battle, but it is one worth fighting and on those rivers not yet infested with the stuff every effort should be made to prevent further spread.
 
Indeed Pete, the stuff is so invasive it out competes all our native species like the beautiful Purple Loostrife. A quick google search suggests it's an annual plant so the best way to 'get rid' would be to pull it out now, before the seed pods develop.

Just had a thought having previewed that post - every river i've fished - Yorkshire Ouse,Yorkshire Derwent, Nidd, Swale, Wharfe, Foss, Trent, Derbyshire Derwent, Soar, Dove, Ribble, Mersey, Goyt, Roch - they are all infested with the stuff! That's an awfull lot of weeding to be done!
 
I understand from Pete Reading, who is from down that way, that they haven't got much of it (yet) on the Hampshire Avon and Stour. They have a campaign to prevent it going on down there. I saw some posters, which are pretty good, but unfortunately up here on the Teme the sort of campaign they are running would be like bolting the stable door after the horse had escaped, won the Oaks ,Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe :D
 
I saw some women eating the seeds right from the plant on TV last night... Maybe that how we should control it!

Cheers
Adam
 
I was actually with some Natural England people on the Teme today and we discussed this issue. Obviously solutions are dependent on the nature of the river bank itself and what agriculture is going on, so different issues face the Teme than perhaps the Ouse et al.. Where banks are grazed down to the river (as on many parts of the middle and lower Teme ) Balsam is kept down. Unfortunately, on the Teme, where this happens nothing much grows, causing point pollution into the river and erosion (serious issues on the Teme and possibly the biggest problem regarding recruitment). They suggest fencing the banks from sheep and cattle, with gates to allow controlled grazing to take place during certain times of the year (if the farmer is on one of the stewardship schemes he may get funding for this). Once that is done, then pulling or even cutting back to the ground as Andrew suggests (as it is an annual) followed by grass seeding and willow planting. Along with preventing the stuff then arriving from upstream, which is a problem in anglers own hands in the main as quite a bit finds its way into the river through our actions, it can be eradicate. But it does take management, like anything else, time and cash. It also need the riparian owner, the farmer, the Angling Club etc.. all to co operate. A difficult, but not impossible task.
 
Pete Marshall said:
It does indeed. Unfortunately it is also so shallow rooting that it provides absolutely no supprt for the banks, this means that on spate rivers it quickens erosion. Nettles are a real pain, but at least provide some minimum rooting support for the bank. Nettles and many other species suppressed by Balsam also provide habit for lots of insect life that helps feed the fish; Balsam is next to useless in this regard. The stuff is a real disaster, if it can be stopped it should be. Cutting back right to the ground right now and then planting grass seed and willow where possible can keep it in check. When cutting it down in summer to make swims don't let it fall in the river as this is a great way of spreading the stuff downstream.
On the Teme the stuff is absolutely every where and whilst not the only cause is certainly responsible for some reduction in invertebrate life. We may be fighting a loosing battle, but it is one worth fighting and on those rivers not yet infested with the stuff every effort should be made to prevent further spread.
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Pete I wasn't being flippant about it presence, on some stretches of the Tees I fish it has taken over and as you say it dramatically increases bank erosion. Most of the river Tees is arable farming with some grazing but I would also say a lot of the river is on private estates that do not have the time or resources to dedicate to the removal of the Balsam.
 
Colin Bridger said:
Various bodies are advertising for anglers to try and eradicte this giant Busy Lizzy. Well you are at least 15 years too late. This plant is now wide spread along most river systems in the country, and is as established as the Grey Squirrel, or the Mink. The rules of two of the clubs I belong to forbid the destruction of bank side vegetation so there is obvious conflict there.

It is much too late to have an effect on it now, save your money and learn to live with it.
Click to expand...

I agree leave it alone.
It's prettier than nettles and the bees love it, and they need all the help they can get.

Ian.
 
Balsam/ Hogweed

Just as a correction to Dave `s comment about treating giant hogweed. The chemical used to treat it is usually a glyphosate based chemical ( roundup pro biactive or similar) this is not a poisonous chemical ( although I wouldn`t recommend drinking it) and certainly is not poisonous to wildlife and fish when applied correctly. The key things to remember are; timing, treat it before the seed heads form and the fact that if it is an established site the seeds already in the ground can lay dormant for 10 years, so persistence is the key to eradicating it. Also wear protective clothing to protect you from contact with the plant. Its sap has the ability to make the skin photosensitive, so you get extreme sunburn when exposed to sunlight.

If close to the watercourse( 10 mtrs or so) then a licence might be required usually a NPTC PA1 6AW which is a qualification to apply chemicals on or adjacent to the watercourse.

Regards

Mic
 
Went to the B.S. FEP at Topcliffe on Sunday with my customary sprayer for the Balsam. On our 3rd year now and hardly a seedling to be seen, mind you I think the cold and frosty winter has ahad a great benificial effect, what seedlings there were showed signs of frost burn. Heres hoping that a similar effect applies on the other local rivers.
 
Up until 4 years ago one venue i regularly fish had this, about 15 yards of pretty pink flowers, the insect life it encouraged was amazing, it was a pleasure just being there.

10lb5ozRiverLoddonAug98-1.jpg
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4 years ago it it was all cut down.
Now we have this,same swim now all there is, are nettles and bind weed. The bind weed is excellent for taking the sting out of nettle rash though.


14lb4ozLoddon-23-8-08-1.jpg
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It's a pity some people don't concentrate more on the issues that cause real damage, or the invasion in recent times of other foreign blights.

Ian.
 
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Dave,
Every time the flash goes off, i think dammit !! forgot to smile again, but i'm very happy really, :)
My simple brain can't cope with concetrating on the photo, and smiling at the same time :D

If i looked like stef i'd only take shots of fish on the mat.

I think i've seen a few of you with a face looking like a slapped backside :D

Ian
 
Travelling anglers are partly responsible for the spread of these plants, the seeds get lodged in your clothing and equipment and are easily transferred from site to site.
One which has not been mentioned and is probably the most invasive is Japanese knotweed.
 
Steve Roffey

Bindweed roots have been found 15 feet down, but most of it is within a spit or two from the surface. If you are able to dig with a fork and remove as much of the thick white fleshy roots as possible that is the best way to be rid of it. Hoe off any green shoots as soon as they appear this will keep photosynthesis to a minimum, and eventually it will die out.
You have to be really motivated to beat this one.
Good luck
 
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