Tuesday, 24 April 2012

Making Progress


Nearly one month on and I have been hard at work. As expected, weeds have been a serious issue, and a lot of my job involves weed control. Mulch had been used in the past to help suppress the germination of weeds, but it’s been found that when the Yarra floods, the mulch gets washed away and is scattered over the back paddock and into the bushland behind it. The new course of action is mass planting! Once an area is looking reasonable, and I have removed most of the weeds, I have been planting heavily in amongst the native vegetation that is already there, in order to try and achieve a high coverage of the soil in native plants: a sort of ‘living mulch’. Over the last few weeks I have planted several hundred tube stock. A majority have been local grasses: Microlaena stipoides and Poa labilliardieri, as well a box of Lomandra longifolia, some semi aquatic plants: Juncus usitatus and Persicaria decipiens, some herbaceous Lycopus australis, and some small to medium shrubs with Gynatrix pulchella and Melicytus dentatus. These have all been purchased from V.I.N.C. (Victorian Indigenous Nursery Co-op), who source them from growers in the local area: Fairfield, Kew, Ivanhoe, Merri Creek, etc. I highly recommend this nursery. they have good knowledge of local plants, and are happy to help with things like weed ID.
It has been a good time for planting, and we have been fortune with the weather. The warm season seems to be hanging on, with a good amount of rain to help the plants along. With a bit of luck, this extra vegetation will take hold and reduce the need for future intensive intervening.

Victorian Indigenous Nursery Co-op, Yarra Bend Rd













References

Gray, M, Knight, J 1993, Flora of Melbourne, 2nd edn, Hyland House Publishing, South Melbourne.
Wigney, R 1994, Plants of the Merri Merri, 2nd edn, Merri Creek Management Committee, Northcote.