Gahnia Grove's Progress Report for August 2018
August: 8 hrs liaison and research; 10 hrs monitoring and documentation; 10.5 hrs of weed control: Total: 28.5
YTD: 33.5 hrs liaison and research; 51.5 hrs monitoring and documentation; 67 hrs of weed control; 4.5 hours pathmaking: Total : 157
NB Most of the hours monitoring are necessary to establish results for those who have not previously observed them, and this time will not be required once the Methodology and practise are well-understood.
Regarding the proposed application of this methodology by both contractors and volunteers, please see "News".
August Site report:
Path: Parks advises that there is no need to maintain public access through the Grove, so the pathmaking is now simpler, confined to defining a narrow track between apron, arena and canopy, made non-slip with woody material and dead pampas.
Manuka/kanuka canopy: we have learned that much of the inner canopy is in fact Kunzea robusta (Kanuka)
An interesting suspected exotic naturalization observed: a lily perhaps?
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/16127454
All Pampas, large and small, have been suppressed by self-mulching, with no signs of resurgence. This is such a quick, easy process we would like to continue it throughout the canopy downhill, where pampas is also common, though it will probably die out if shade is successfully increased.
Watsonia leaves have been pulled off throughout most of the canopy in Gahnia Grove, leaving most bulbs in the ground, mulched with the leaves and in some cases forest debris eg manuka wood. An area of dense Watsonia remains to be treated similarly.
A few bulbs with leaves left on and thus mulched some weeks ago, are now able to be easily pulled up. However this is time consuming, so self-mulch has been left in place throughout, minimising piles to leave maximum room for seedling development.
Honeysuckle runners hidden in the forest floor continue to shoot rosettes at nodes, and to emerge frm the bases of tree trunks. They are being uprooted where possible, and partially-broken and mulched where uprooting is not possible.
In one interesting case, a stout vine is firmly embedded in the wood of two forks of a kanuka/manuka trunk: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/16023368
Kikuyu control:
Outer edge - The edge of the mown kikuyu area on the Outer, ie road side of the harakeke and island plantings has not yet grown long enough for pullback. There is no obvious regrowth in the sprayed edge. Occasional rhizomes have been discovered by disturbing the soil surface there, but an extensive search has not been made, due partly to the level of chemical contamination of that soil, and to the difficulty of locating deep rhizomes. The current plan is to control them as they develop above ground, probably letting them grow long enough to self-mulch by pullback.
Top of Arena - Kikuyu is slightly further reduced in width due to pullback from the planting, ie the harakeke and the trees in the Arena. It is not yet long enough to pull back, so a kikuyu "path" remains. We continue to gradually extend a defined kikuyu-free area.
The Arena bank - as for July: There is no evidence of live kikuyu and there are several square metres of bare clay. However, small areas of live rooted rhizomes remain, mulched heavily with their own live stolons and rotting foliage, with intermingled honeysuckle vines, some still rooted, some cut or uprooted. These mulch piles are heavy, which helps rotting but makes moving the material difficult.
Apron
Kikuyu rooted in several small areas, has been further reduced, mulched with its own attached stems and with semi-rotted kikuyu from other areas in the Apron.
Creeping buttercup widespread and being spot-mulched.
Sonchus oleraceus (Common Sow-thistle, sometimes called "puha" in NZ though not native) collected from neighbouring street berms and sown as a green mulch, easy to remove when necessary
Seedlings:
Native - 1 ? Haloragis erecta - not observed again, though 1 has been found under canopy
Exotic - [As in July: Fumitory, Prunella vulgaris, wild carrot and catsear - not much grown, continue to be retained , Also vetch sp. and Common daisy. The daisies may need to be controlled fairly early as they lie close to the ground and can be hard to pull out, but at the moment they are preferable to the inevitable creeping buttercup of which some sturdy specimens are already present in most areas. The vetch may or may not need to be removed depending on its competitors.
Lesser trefoil/Medicago sp is emerging in places and being pulled out as much as possible as it can be agressive and is virtually impossible to completely remove from among roots or from tussocks.]
Summary of observations of planted trees
Arena:
Hoheria - 1 x c2mH Hoheria - still flowering, but foliage is stiff and shrunken. What is indicated by the large amount of lichen on the trunk?
Karamu - 5 survivors of honeysuckle canopy - extremities which had extended beyond honeysuckle coverage are leafing out. 1 tree is not developing foliage at all, just retaining its few, terminal, misshapen and discoloured leaves
Manuka - foliage surviving honeysuckle coverage continues to flower
Ti kouka - c4mH trunk released from honeysuckle still growing strongly
Putaputaweta - 3x, all growing slowly
Kawakawa -1 x1.5mH - fruit developing
1 x1mH at bottom of Arena - no further development of scant foliage
Weeds
Arena
Blackberry- cut stems continue to shoot new leaves where not mulched. Being uprooted where where discovered under mulch with roots weakened
Montbretia - continued uplifting of dense clumps of bulbs where loose. Stored in thick used plastic bags (from 2005 compost purchases), including damp material and firmly fastening with cable tie to induce rotting
Creeping buttercup - arising throughout Arena, being mulched as found
Unidentified - seedlings continue to arise in bare clay, none mature except 1 ?manuka
Island Planting
Elaeagnus, Cotoneaster and Japanese spindle tree - no further regrowth yet
Moth plant - occasional seedlings uprooted or broken off
Common ivy - no more found
Climbing asparagus - 1 or 2 more seedlings found and pulled out
Manuka canopy
Blue corn lily (previously ID'd as Stinking Iris) - where uncovered under mulch in continued uprooting of honeysuckle , these have weakened roots and are easily removed on Annexe margin and under canopy nearby
Watsonia, abundant throughout - see above
Kahili ginger – one small leaf-bud of regrowth observed, removed with two fingers
Several Elaeagnus and Cotoneaster to c1mH - stems leaf-stripped, twisted and looped. No regrowth yet.
Canopy below Arena:
Single Chinese privet given another partial-breaking of reachable branches, further releasing adjacent mapou
Brush wattle seedlings 2-10cm , several more scattered, removed as encountered
ginger seedlings - occasional, removed
Arum lily - no longer evident
Phoenix palm - no change since 2nd intervention, stems still looped
Flame tree - Growing; standing control approved and being arranged by Parks
Agapanthus - minimal change, self-mulching continues with pulled leaves
Ginger - several small stands self-mulched and unchanged
Comentarios
Agregar un comentario