FuturEcology & EmGuard ™ February 2023 update.
Mid-February already and what a month it has been.
Drought, flooding and cyclones are just some of the challenges we seem to be facing on a more regular basis. The country doesn’t seem to be catching a break. Our hearts go out to those who have been affected by these unprecedented events.
The sentiments that Jacinda Ardern conveyed during the Covid pandemic still stand true “we will get through this together, but only if we stick together so, please be strong and be kind”.
In these times of uncertainty, please take the time to be patient and caring to not only those around you but also to yourselves. Stay safe New Zealand, don’t take any chances and follow directions from local authorities.
Response: What to do during a flood » National Emergency Management Agency (civildefence.govt.nz)
Here in Nelson, we fully understand the trauma caused by these events, but we know that the sun will shine again, and we are a resilient country with great people.
Figure 1: Before maintenance
Maintenance 101.
By Jan Fryer
I have spent the last week swinging on the end of a weedeater in one of our key plantings at Wakapuaka. It has given me plenty of time to think about the vital importance of a good maintenance regime in establishing new plantings.
We had a major flood through this particular area in August last year, which inundated the whole site. Our planting was delayed as a result, but we still got 5000 plants in there by late September. The site preparation wasn’t as thorough as we would usually do because of the flooding and the fact that most of the site had a new layer of silt. It made the planting nice and easy but what it has meant is that after a very wet spring and summer, with the Christmas break thrown in, the weeds have had a field day.
We went to the site a couple of weeks ago and it was a sea of Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and thick pasture grasses which made it very difficult to actually see the plants. Luckily all were protected by EmGuards, so provided we found those, we managed to rescue the plants.
It left me thinking though of the maintenance regime. I also saw a comment on facebook by another company very similar to ours, who had been out doing maintenance on their plantings and saying how crucial it was to the success of a project.
Good site preparation is the start of that success, followed by regular visits to the site to clear around plants, stand guards up, spray if that is part of your maintenance regime, weedeat around grasses, flaxes and toe toe as they do not like even a hint of glyphosate on their leaves.
In the main, it is all about keeping the plants clear of weed competition.
Grass and weeds are your enemy in a restoration project and having been on the end of a weedeater now for nearly a week, I can’t help but think timeliness and thoroughness is the key to staying on top of your maintenance.
Figure 2: After weedeating with a spray to still go on.
We aim to have the plants at least twice the height of the EmGuards at the end of their first growing season, so if we can keep up the maintenance it makes a big difference to the outcome.
The EmGuards have also been a very welcome protection against “weedeater blight” which tends to be a consequence of not being able to see plants among the weeds!
A zero tolerance approach the immigration of invasive weeds on the Wakapuaka
by Meg Harry
The August 2022 flood event saw the vast spread of new weed friends (or enemies) to the Wakapuaka riparian zone. Convolvulus, Datura, Montbretia, Oxalis and Poppies, to name a few.
These weeds were easily transported as corms, bulbs or fragments during the floods and have taken off, particularly in the summer months when we bask in warmer more humid temperatures, and active macroinvertebrates.
The growth we’ve seen in our plantings in the area this season has been impressive, but that includes the weeds as well. This has all led to an increased necessity to keep on top of maintenance and keep invasive weeds at bay.
In doing so, we have been quick to identify the most effective methodology to keep these new residents from establishing and spreading too quickly.
The photo shows a classic invasion of convolvulus, where we couldn’t see the plants at all. However, a quick hand weed around the actual guards and plants to release them, then a spray, had this under control. The secret here was that we sprayed on a really hot day, in the middle of the afternoon, with 1.5% glyphosate, pulse and dye. The large leaves just lapped up the spray. It worked really well, but will need a retreatment as the problem with convolvulus is the vast underground root structure.
Weed of the Month
Datura - Datura stramonium
(BioNET-EAFRINET, n.d.)
Datura stramonium, commonly known as Datura, common thorn apple or the devil’s trumpet, is part of the Solanaceae family. The native origin of Datura is unclear, but it is likely it comes from the tropical regions of Central and South America.
Datura is an annual herb that forms a bush up to 1-1.5m tall. It’s leaves are soft, irregularly undulate, and toothed. The fragrant flowers are trumpet-shaped and white to creamy or violet. Datura produces a walnut-sized seed capsule that can either be covered with spines or bald. The seeds are thought to be carried by birds and the seeds can lay dormant underground for years.
To control Datura, isolated plants can be hand-pulled before they set seed and larger infestations can be treated with appropriate herbicides.
Datura stramonium is one of the world’s most widespread weeds and has been recorded from over 100 countries. All parts of Datura contain dangerous levels of poison which can prove fatal if ingested by humans, livestock and pets.
Datura was the weed responsible for the contaminated spinach recall in December last year.
Wasps
By Emma Fryer
Desiah got this brilliant video of a wasp attacking a Katydid. This is an indication that they are taking protein, so now is a good time to get your Vespex out.
Order it here Vespex| Merchento
Welcome to the team Shaun
The new year brings about exciting changes and this month we are very pleased to welcome Shaun to the team at FuturEcology as a Project Supervisor. Shaun comes to us with a great deal of experience having previously worked in local government for 5 years and has experience in land management.
Shaun is looking forward to gaining practical experience, seeing projects through from the ground up and making positive change in the region. He is looking forward to getting plants in the ground.
Shaun is an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, mountain biking and surfing in his spare time. He is also an aspiring artist and spends lots of time at the easel painting NZ landscapes in acrylic. Check out more here: @shaundburton_art
Interesting Snippets
Books we have read.
English Pastoral
An Inheritance by James Rebanks
This is an autobiographical account of one man’s journey of discovery about farming in the Lake District of the UK. Briefly, the book spans his early life, growing up on his grandfather’s and father’s farm, through to when he takes over the farm from his family.
James has an excellent way with words and can paint a picture so vivid, it is as if you are present in the fields with him. I can only liken it to the beauty of the TV series “Detectorists” and I have to confess that whilst reading this book it became my happy place.
Over James Rebank’s life, he became aware of growing problems of how we produce food and the struggles and strains for those who produce it. He does not claim to have solutions for all these problems but details his journey of understanding and the path he takes to try and create a better world for his children.
Although this book is set in the UK, there are lessons here for all of us. Much of what he writes resonates with the issues that we also are facing in NZ today.
Beautifully written with many passages that I would find myself reading aloud. I would rate this title 17 out of 10, so keep an eye out for it in bookstores.
By Rob Fryer
We are resilient here in New Zealand. However, as these weather events continue to batter the country, it is a reminder about the harrowing effects of climate change and the importance of planning and future proofing our infrastructure. We need to be thinking about what Aotearoa will look like in not 5 or 10 years but 500 years and making sure our choices are in the best interests of the generations to come.
As the Chinese proverb states, “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is today”. It is very refreshing to see that the Nelson City Council is looking at the future of council forestry blocks and taking the approach of “right tree, right place” and looking at converting recently harvested blocks into natives. Read more about it here Taskforce with former environment commissioner to consider future of council forestry | Stuff.co.nz
Hang in there New Zealand. We will get through this together.