Looking after nature

the male flower of spinifex hirsutis. The male and female flowers are borne on separate plants.

zoysia macrantha recruiting at Perce White Reserve

Friends of Port Melbourne's Foreshore [FoPMF] hosted a workshop led by Jeff Yukovic of Biosis Research on Strategic Weed Management at Perce White Reserve. At the workshop it was confirmed that Perce White Reserve is the only site in Port Phillip where zoysia macrantha is found, shown above naturally recruiting.
Principles of revegetation

• planting should only be done as a last resort
• recruitment is preferred to planting
• plants should be site indigenous - not just locally indigenous
• create conditions for recruitment through weeding
• anything else is horticulture which may be appropriate depending on the context
• a guide to knowing when revegetation or horticulture is preferred is whether the original soil is present

Principles of weeding

• minimise off target damage
• rhizomatous plants such as sea wheat grass Thinopyrum juncei are not amenable to hand weeding
• mulch puts weeds into temporary dormancy and is not a permanent solution

I also learned that:

• Atriplex cineria has male and female flowers on separate plants, as does Spinifex hirsutis.
• Spinifex hirsutis has unlimited horizontal rhizomes which creates sloping dunes whereas marram has horizontal and vertical rhizomes and builds steep dunes.

Strategies

• Use rhagodia or tetragonia as edges
• [Jeff didn't have an issue with acacia sophorae or rhagodia]

Resources

• A census of the vascular plants of Victoria [2007]
• Flora of Victoria

Other

Look out for Coast saltwort salsola tragus a prickly succulent, annual, tumbeweed which may appear if Cakile maritima is weeded out