Spanish
Heath
is an escaped garden plant which is rapidly becoming a serious weed in
many areas of Australia, particularly in Victoria and Tasmania.
It
looks very pretty when flowering but unfortunately it has the potential
to completely take over an area and swamp everything else out.
Learn to recognize this plant and eradicate it (or
at
least
stop its spread) wherever you can
Small
plants can be simply pulled out. This is best done when the soil is
damp and soft. Larger plants can be grubbed out with a
mattock.
For dense infestations spraying with a herbicide (such as glyphosate)
may be the only feasible method.
The seeds last a long time
(10 years or more) in the ground so you have to be persistent and
remove each new crop at least every second year.
Note that slashing, mowing or burning will not
kill this
plant, nor are there any effective biological control methods known.
The Department of Primary Industries and Water in
Tasmania has
formulated a Weed Management Plan for Spanish Heath.
(See www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/).
Under this plan it is illegal to import, sell,
or distribute this plant, and property owners may be required to take
certain measures against it.
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