Concerns over Swamp Grass Harvesting
- willy
- ...............................
- Posts: 126
- Joined: 01 Apr 2009, 13:41
- Location: Moree, NSW
- Location: Moree North Western NSW
All grass species have a percentage of hard seeds. It varies between species. The hard seededness allows the species to regenerate even when there is a dry year, no seed production. There would be such a high seed bank of swamp grass seed anywhere that you harvest it, that I would reckon you won't eradicate it from your collecting area GregH no matter how hard you try.
- TomDeGraaff
- ...............................
- Posts: 1024
- Joined: 25 Jul 2012, 11:04
- Location: Melbourne
Thanks. Great summary, Craig. As I recall, the lady speaking at the meeting expressed concern that some finchos might be inadvertently spreading this scourge by pulling up clumps for nests and spreading the seeds. It would seem very worthwhile for people to identify it so we can be vigilant.Craig52 wrote:
No Tom,Serrated tussock is totally different even though it does let go and gets blown by the wind and banks up against things.It is very coarse and much longer than swamp grass.It has a twisting borrowing dangerous seed.
R Trott killed all his bluetongued lizards and some birds when he put it in his aviaries for nesting material.The seed twists and borrowed up the nostrils of the lizards to the brain and it entered the ears of some of his birds.It is a notifiable weed and there is signs up every where in country areas about control of it.
Just recently a fellow aviculturist informed me about this huge amount of swamp grass near the YouYangs he had got,it turned out to be serrated tussock and i advised him not to use it and it's illegal to take it for the spread of the seeds. Craig
http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/p ... ed-tussock
Sorry to hijack the thread