1. technology and computing
2. networking
3. network monitoring and management

PART C: How to do it
Parts C & D provide guidelines for practical actions including revegetating sites,
propagating plants, controlling weeds, managing access, monitoring, and protecting
wildlife along the coast.
You may not need all this information and you certainly don’t need to know it all.
Techniques are constantly changing as we learn more about coastal processes, ecology
and managing human impacts on the coast. Always seek advice.
You must have permission from the land manager before commencing any works or
activities, sometimes assessments and approvals are required.
Chapter 13 Monitoring and evaluation
Chapter 15 Growing your own plants
13.1 Why monitor
15.1 To grow or not to grow
13.2 Environmental monitoring
15.2 Avoid spreading plant diseases
13.3 Developing a monitoring plan
15.3 Propagation mixes and other equipment
13.4 Basic monitoring techniques
15.4 Propagation techniques
13.5 Environmental monitoring techniques
15.5 Collecting seed for propagation of native plants
13.6 What to do with the information
15.6 Seed cleaning, storage and treatment
Chapter 14 Restoring coastal vegetation
14.1 Role of native coastal vegetation
15.7 More things you can do
Chapter 16 Identifying and managing weeds
14.2 Types of coastal plant communities
16.1 Effective weed management
14.3 Should you revegetate?
16.2 Identifying weeds
14.4 Know your plants, ID is important
16.3 Types of weeds
14.5 Revegetation planning
16.4 Planning weed control
14.6 What, where and when to plant
16.5 Weed control techniques
14.7 What species grow in your area?
16.6 Non herbicide control methods
15.8 Plant hygiene, protecting against disease
16.7 Before using herbicides
14.9 Revegetation techniques
16.8 Using herbicides safely
14.10 Follow-up care and monitoring
16.9 Herbicide control methods
16.10 Timing and follow-up
16.11 Avoid spreading weeds
16.12 Telling your community
13 Monitoring and evaluation
13.1
Why monitor
13.2
Environmental monitoring
13.3
Developing a monitoring plan
13.4
Basic monitoring techniques
13.5
Environmental monitoring techniques
13.6
What to do with the information
Keeping records and monitoring projects is an important part of working on the coast to
help track your progress and assess the success of your activities.
Monitoring can be a fun activity, providing a focus for your group and an opportunity for
members with different skills to get involved. Some members may not be fit enough to dig
holes and plant trees, but they may love the opportunity to regularly visit past plantings
and monitor their success.
13.1
Why monitor
Keeping simple records is easy to do. They will provide invaluable information for your group and will make it
easier for you to seek support for your activities.
Keep records of dates of meetings, activities undertaken, the number of participants, and the number of hours
worked. This information will be very useful when writing a funding application, or you’re asked to
demonstrate the amount of volunteer contributions to your land manager.
GOOD IDEA: Use your records to write a newsletter summarising your activities over a year and
share who your supporters and community.
Keeping records of the results of your activities will help you judge success and inform future decisions. The
more details you gather, the easier it will be to understand why something worked in one location and not in
another.
With your data you can demonstrate to partners and funding programs why your activities or projects are
needed. It makes it easier for potential partners and supporters to work with you as the benefits can be clearly
explained.
Ongoing monitoring will pick up any problems early on and reduce the cost of mitigating or managing those
problems.
Monitoring is a coastal management technique in itself and often the most important activity a group can
undertake. Monitoring can help you identify and understand the issues in your area. As a start, your group
could consider:




Photographs of illegal activity or evidence of illegal activity eg trail bike tracks
Photographs of storm damage or coastal erosion
Monitoring the success of plantings or access control
Monitoring visitor numbers using a particular access
Highlight text
Monitoring
Monitoring is the regular gathering of information in a consistent manner. It is a way to keep track of the
condition of an area or the progress of a project.
Evaluation
Evaluation is the systematic review of an activity or project. It indicates whether the activity has provided the
result intended. Evaluation involves analysing the collected information recording the results.
Evaluation enables information to be used to plan for future projects, review management methods and
techniques, and determine the worth of a particular activity.
End highlight text
13.2
Environmental monitoring
Consider conducting a baseline assessment of the values of your area, including the current and potential
threats to those values.
You have probably already done this to some extent in deciding on your group’s activities. However, it is very
useful to have documentation of values and threats so that you can prioritise activities, and provide better
justification for support from your land manager and potential funders.
The LIST (Land Information System Tasmania) provides a wealth of information on plants, animals, vegetation
communities, geophysical characteristics, water bodies, threatened species, and assessments of the
conservation values of a variety of features. You can produce maps of your area, with relevant features, for
planning your activities. Details of how to use the LIST to obtain information useful to Coastcare groups is
provided in Appendix***.
A couple of very important points to remember about monitoring natural systems:
Things vary a lot naturally. For example, survival rates of plants established in different years might be just due
to varying weather conditions, not that your group did a better or worse job of planting in those years.
Restoration of natural systems can take a long time, and things might get worse before they get better after
you try to fix them. This is especially the case where you have to remove weeds or do earth works before
establishing new plants. These activities may result in some erosion and loss of habitat before your new plants
become established.
13.3
Developing a monitoring program
Larger projects require funding, collaboration, and may take a long time before results are visible.
For these projects some form of monitoring plan becomes essential. Funding bodies require a report on
project outcomes and value for money. A baseline assessment of your work site and the impact that your
works have had, along with records of volunteer effort, is a great way to demonstrate these things.
If you are trying out a novel technique for your project, you need to be able to monitor the effects, so that you
can learn from your success and challenges. You can share what you learn with other Coastcare groups too.
When developing your monitoring plan you should consider the resources that you have available and how it
fits in with your other activities. These resources may include budget, equipment, time and the skills of your
volunteers.
Some types of monitoring may require skills not available within your group. If they are important for the
project you might consider hiring outside assistance to design the monitoring program and/or to conduct the
monitoring activities.
The monitoring plan should outline the why, what, when, who and how of your monitoring activities.
Answer the following questions to help you design your monitoring program.
What are the goals of your project?
These might be large and long-term, or small and specific, but they need to be defined at the start. Answering
this question will help your group focus on what they’re trying to achieve and why.
What are your monitoring objectives?
Think about what you want to know and why. Make these objectives specific.
What, where, when and how often will you monitor?
Decide on the details to meet your specific objectives. Make sure they are measurable within a time frame
that is reasonable for your group, as well as being within the capabilities of members (unless you plan to
engage someone else to do it).
Consider creating a monitoring calendar to track your monitoring activities and act as a reminder.
How will you use the information you collect?
You might want to report back regularly to your members. Create a place to record changes to techniques or
plans based on the information you collect.
If you plan to contribute data to a larger (e.g. statewide) monitoring project, you need to work within the data
collection requirements of that project.
Who will be involved and how?
This is the opportunity to utilise skills within your group. You should ensure that if a particular monitoring
activity needs to be carried out at a certain time and the person who normally does it is unavailable, someone
else can take over (i.e. is trained to make the observations and is available).
IMPORTANT: Record who collects the data so that any follow-up questions can be directed to that
person.
How will you manage your data?
Designate someone to collate the data and store it so that it can be readily retrieved (have a back-up person
for this too). If you want all members of the group to have access to the data and results, you can keep it on
the internet.
GOOD IDEA: SCAT and Landcare Tasmania provide a webpage for their members where they can
store information about their group. There are lots of free cloud-based programs that allow users
to store large amounts of information on the internet that can be accessed by users with
permission.
How will you evaluate and report on the information that you collect?
This is the most important part – all that effort spent on monitoring will be wasted if the data just sits there
and never gets used.
Consider how to analyse and present the data in such a way that it is understandable to all members of the
group (if that is your main audience). Think about how to evaluate the results so that your group and other
groups doing similar work can learn from them and put what you learn into practice.
IMPORTANT: Decide all this before you start your project, and make sure you start monitoring
before you start your works. It’s much harder to demonstrate convincingly the success of your
project if you can’t show what your site was like before you started.
13.4
Basic monitoring techniques
Monitoring of an area may include photographic records, water quality testing, beach profile measurements,
visitor use statistics, asset condition assessments, habitat or natural value assessments and changes over time.
Monitoring of a project may include monitoring of the work or area as described above but might also include
things like hours spent on administration, attendance at meetings, volunteer hours spent working at working
bees, amounts of consumables used (such as herbicide), and numbers of community members consulted.
Baseline surveys
Baseline surveys can be the most important activity that a group undertakes. A baseline survey can be as
simple as making a list of plants and animals on the site. If the survey is repeated at intervals, it can be a useful
indicator of how the site is changing. It is a good way to get to know an area, to learn to tell introduced species
from native species, and to detect changes. In degraded areas it is useful to find out what vegetation was there
before from old photos and long-term residents.
Photopoint monitoring
Photopoint monitoring is a simple, fast and inexpensive technique to record and monitor visual changes in the
natural environment over time. It involves taking a series of images of an area or subject from a fixed location,
at regular time intervals. These photos can then be compared over time to show physical changes at a given
location. Refer to Photopoint monitoring guide, NRM South.
Monitoring plots and quadrats
Monitoring plots such as transects or quadrats can help you quantify changes in vegetation or intertidal life.
This involves marking out a plot with tape or pegs and recording information, such as the number of each
species of plant and/or animal. Detailed information on designing monitoring projects and setting up transects
or quadrats to monitor vegetation condition or changes can be found in A technical manual for vegetation
monitoring.
13.5
Environmental monitoring techniques
Your group might be interested in contributing to existing monitoring programs, coordinated by other
institutions. These ‘citizen science’ programs serve as an early warning system for detecting changes in the
environment. The methods are generally easy and fun to do. The information collected by the community
complements the data collected by government agencies and scientists.
Contact your NRM or community facilitators within your local council, PWS and NRM regional office or land
manager to find out what monitoring programs are happening in your area.
If you wish to develop your own marine focused project, the Australian Marine Project Guide explains some
basic marine and survey techniques. The guide describes how to do surveys of recreational fishing, intertidal
areas, marine species and marine habitat. It is important to remember that environmental monitoring is most
valuable if the information gathered is useful to those studying or managing the environment.
A number of environmental monitoring techniques are useful for coastal management.
Managing and restoring vegetation
A variety of methods exist for monitoring vegetation. Choosing the most appropriate one will depend on the
available skills of your groups as well as the aims of your project. If the aim is to enhance vegetation condition,
you might consider monitoring plant survival and/or vegetation condition, while if the aim is to provide habitat
for animals, you might consider regular bird counts or some other fauna survey.
Assessment and monitoring of vegetation condition is best done using the Vegetation Condition Assessment
method, or for riparian areas, the streamside zone component of the Tasmanian River Condition Assessment
method. You will need someone trained in the methods to determine the vegetation type and conduct the
assessments. Both methods score vegetation condition on a number of criteria, and enable you to examine
which aspects of condition might need to be improved through management actions.
A method more suited to untrained observers is the Rapid Diversity Assessment Tool described in A technical
manual for vegetation monitoring. This method will provide you with information on the diversity of plants in
your patch of bush, and enable you to track it over time. An alternative checklist-style method is provided in A
Land Manager’s Guide for Assessing and Monitoring the Health of Tasmania’s Forested Bush. However, it is
really only designed for bush dominated by trees, so will not be suitable for some coastal vegetation
communities. Ask a DPIPWE Flora Protection Officer if you need help with techniques.
If you simply wish to monitor the success of your plantings or the removal of weeds, use a map or photos to
record the positions of your plantings or weeds, and note the dates of observations and survival/removal of
each plant on a record sheet.
Sea level rise and shoreline erosion
TASMARC (Tasmanian Shoreline Monitoring and Archiving Project) is a program that monitors shoreline
erosion in Tasmania by measuring beach profiles. The program relies on volunteers to take regular
measurements at permanent transect sites designated by the TASMARC team. Get in contact with them if you
would like to participate.
SHARING STORIES:
The Randalls Bay Coastcare group noticed that big storm events resulted in large losses of sand along certain
parts of the beach. They decided that it would be useful to monitor sand movements in the bay to determine
whether any actions could or should be taken to prevent this. They discovered TASMARC and received training
in the method, and were provided with the necessary surveying equipment. The group now monitors sand
movements at three locations along the beach at regular intervals throughout the year. This provides them
with long-term data on the amount of sand on the beach and whether it is increasing or decreasing, and where
it is moving to.
Managing access
Before planning access management, observations of types of users, number so f users and how they use the
access will be very useful.
This could be as simple and relaxing as nominating a different group member each weekend to spend time
sitting on the beach recording this information at each access point.
Records of observations before and after any works to manage access will help you report on success.
Waterway monitoring
Many groups are interested in water quality monitoring and some have used grants to purchase specialised
equipment. Water quality monitoring is most useful when there is a concern about localised pollution such as
from stormwater or sewerage outfalls.
Direct water quality monitoring is not always the most practical or effective way to measure the condition of
your waterway. If you are interested in the condition and health of your local coastal waterway there are a
number of indicators that you can monitor. Refer to Chapter 19: Protecting coastal waterways for more
information.
Wildlife monitoring
Regular monitoring of a highly visible group of animals, such as birds, can be a good way to keep a check on
whether your local patch is continuing to provide good habitat for animals, if your revegetation work is
providing habitat, or if habitat is declining in some way.
GOOD IDEA: Several members of the Randalls Bay Coastcare group keep a monthly checklist of the
birds seen in the area. This reveals interesting patterns such as migratory movements of birds in
and out of the area, and over the long term, can be used to detect changes in the bird community.
Observations of uncommon or rare shorebirds such as hooded plovers, fairy terns, little terns and migratory
waders are appreciated by BirdLife Tasmania.
Birdlife Australia’s ‘Atlas project’ is a fantastic way to monitor birds in your area, and at the same time
contribute to a national project monitoring birds across Australia.
It’s important to remember with any wildlife monitoring that the animals might take a long time to respond to
any changes to habitat. Numbers of migratory birds like swift parrots, might vary from year to year due to
events a long way from your patch.
You should report any sightings of whales, unusual marine mammals, turtles, injured dolphins or seals to
wildlife authorities.
More information on protecting wildlife in Chapter 20.
Monitoring pests
Monitoring pests such as feral cats, roaming dogs and foxes is best done with photographic evidence.
Marine pests can be monitored using transects or quadrats to determine if numbers are increasing.
Report all sightings of pests and new invasions to the land manager and DPIPWE experts.
Marine debris monitoring and clean-ups
If you have a regular clean-up day in your coastal area, it can be useful to keep a record of how much rubbish
you collect and the volunteer hours involved each time. This will enable you to keep track of whether the
rubbish problem is increasing, and whether it needs to be addressed, e.g. by the provision of bins, etc.
Keeping track of the types of rubbish will enable you to understand the source of the waste and whether you
can do anything about reducing the waste at the source. For example, fish farms are obliged to pick up their
rubbish, and the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council coordinates clean-ups of specific areas of the coast with
the companies responsible.
13.6
What to do with the information
You must refer to or share the information you collect for it to be valuable. Use the results to evaluate the
success of your activities, inform land managers of problems, justify your request for funding, assess the
impacts of a particular activity, assess long term changes to your coastal area and adapt your management
based on what works and what doesn’t.
Adaptive management
If you have the opportunity to try out different techniques, or variations (for example, planting trees at
different densities or planting different mixes of species in different places), monitoring becomes an essential
part of learning from your trials – this is the essence of adaptive management.
Think about how you will change your plans or techniques to build on the knowledge you gain.
Reporting
Try to be creative in reporting the results of your monitoring project. Some people love figures and tables,
while others relate better to words and pictures. Tailor your reporting to the audience for which you are
writing. Remember funding bodies and statewide or national projects will probably have a protocol for
reporting the data that you collect.
Anything that you learn in the process of doing and monitoring coastal works in your area may be valuable to
other Coastcare groups, so make sure you share your information.
14 Restoring coastal vegetation
14.1
Role of native coastal vegetation
14.6
What, where and when to plant
14.2
Types of coastal plant communities
14.7
What species grow in your area?
14.3
Should you revegetate?
15.8
Plant hygiene, protecting against disease
14.4
Know your plants, ID is important
14.9
Revegetation techniques
14.5
Revegetation planning
14.10
Follow-up care and monitoring
Restoring coastal vegetation can involve intensive replanting of badly degraded areas, or
simply restricting access to allow the vegetation to restore itself. The aim is to recreate, as
far as possible, the vegetation community that originally grew at the site.
This chapter provides some background about special considerations when revegetating
in the coastal zone.
Always plan first and seek expert advice. It is not necessary to know all the plants – a
botanist can help you.
14.1
Role of native coastal vegetation
A diversity of intact coastal vegetation is the basis of a healthy coastal ecosystem, which provides food, shelter
and breeding sites for birds and animals.
Vegetation holds sand dunes together. Vegetated dunes act as a buffer or windbreak for the hinterland and
provide protection from high seas and storms.
Take a walk around your area to see if you can find some relatively undisturbed coastal vegetation. The best
way to find out what to plant at your site is to note the natural vegetation in a similar nearby environment.
You will notice that certain plants grow together on a particular landform such as a dune, headland or
saltmarsh.
Coastal plants tend to grow in zones based on their distance from the sea and the type of landform. The aim of
revegetation is to reproduce these patterns.
14.2
Types of coastal plant communities
The plants in coastal communities vary with the climate, distance from the sea, exposure to prevailing winds
and salt spray, the landform and the geology.
There is a noticeable difference in plant communities between the west and the east coasts of Tasmania. A
number of endemic shrubs (i.e. found only in Tasmania) grow along the stormy, colder shores of the west and
southwest coasts, where the quartzite and conglomerate rocks are extremely low in nutrients. Along the
warmer, calmer northern and eastern coasts, basalt and dolerite rocks form relatively fertile soils, although
granite rocks form quite infertile soils.
IMPORTANT: Different conditions favour different species. See section 14.7 to find out more about
what grows in your region.
Although most coastal plants are widespread, there are distinctly different coastal communities growing on
sand dunes, rocky shores, including headlands and cliffs, heathlands and wetlands.
Plants on sand dunes
Coastal dunes form when sand is delivered to the beach by waves and blown on shore. Plants growing on the
shore trap the wind-blown sand and start to build-up mounds of sand behind them.
Only a few pioneer species can grow on the loose sand of the upper beach and foredune. A greater variety can
grow on the more consolidated sands of the lee side of the foredune and/or the dunes behind.
Figure 14.1 shows the zones where native plants commonly occur on relatively undisturbed coastal dunes. In
reality, of course, the plant zones overlap to some extent. Over time, a greater variety of plants may establish
throughout the site and the zones become less clearly defined. Erosion of the foredune can remove most of
the usual pioneer plants, after a storm, for instance.
Not all of the plants listed here will be native to your area. Some species prefer the warmer climate and the
higher calcium carbonate content of the beach sands on the northeast coast and the Bass Strait islands.
Regional variations in species are discussed in section 14.7.
Many Tasmanian beaches have been invaded by the introduced marram grass, which can almost totally
exclude the native dune grasses Austrofestuca littoralis and Spinifex sericeus.
Various heathland peas (Indigofera australis, Bossiaea cinerea, Aotus ericoides, Dillwynia glaberrima,
Pultenaea species), lilies (Bulbine), small daisies (other Senecio species, Chrysocephalum apiculatum) and
numerous grasses are often present in the more sheltered sites.
In places where fires or grazing are frequent, shrubs are often replaced by Poa labillardierei (snow grass),
Pteridium esculentum (bracken) or Lomandra longifolia (sagg) and various weeds.
Many of the plants on the hind dunes tend to be similar to those in the local woodland or forest, but some,
such as Myoporum insulare and Correa alba, are strictly coastal.
Plants of rocky shores
The vegetation on headlands, cliffs and other rocky shores is more variable. It depends not only on exposure to
salt spray and wind but also the rock type and landform. Table 14.2 lists the more common species. More
detailed information and references to botanical studies are in the book Vegetation of Tasmania. See Booklet
5: Sources and resources.
Plants of heathlands
Heathlands occur in places where infertile soil and salt spray or frequent fires exclude taller plants or herbs.
Although most plants are under two metres in height, heathland supports an amazing variety of plants with
spectacular displays of flowers in early spring.
Dry heathland, found on well-drained soils, includes Epacris impressa (common heath), Kunzea ambigua,
Calytrix tetragona, Allocasuarina monilifera (scrub oak), Banksia marginata, Acacia suaveolens (sweet wattle)
and species of Leucopogon, Hakea, Correa, Leptospermum and orchids. Wet heathland grows on waterlogged
soils where paperbarks, tea-trees, sedges and rushes dominate.
The northeast coast vegetation has extensive remnants of heathlands because of the abundance of lownutrient wind-blown sands. Taller shrubs like Allocasuarina monilifera, Banksia marginata and Melaleuca
ericifolia may locally dominate some of these areas.
Heathlands were once widespread but unfortunately large tracts have been displaced by residential,
agricultural and recreational development.
This is just a brief overview of the complex vegetation and ecology of Tasmanian coastal heaths. For
comprehensive information, refer to ‘The disappearing heath revisited’, which has many drawings and colour
photos of the plants. Expert advice is particularly important for identifying and managing heathland
vegetation.
* Senecio pinnatifolius was Senecio lautus. **This was Acacia sophorae but is now regarded as a subspecies of
Acacia longifolia. The very similar Acacia longifolia subsp. longifolia (golden wattle) possibly occurs on the
eastern Bass Strait islands but is regarded as a weed on the mainland of Tasmania.
Plants of saltmarsh and other coastal wetlands
Coastal wetlands may be temporarily or permanently covered with fresh, brackish or salt water. They include
estuaries, lagoons, swamps, tidal flats, saltmarshes, as well as seagrass meadows and kelp forests. Wetlands
are common along tidal inlets and where sand accumulates and blocks drainage from the land. The ecology,
vegetation and management of Tasmanian wetlands are described in Restoring wetlands and waterways: a
guide to action.
More information about coastal wetlands can be found in Chapter 19 Protecting coastal waterways.
Saltmarshes, which grow on sheltered tidal mudflats, are easily recognised by their distinctive glossy green to
red succulent herbs, often backed by low grey-green salt bushes. The plants species vary in their tolerance to
tidal inundation and usually grow in distinct zones. Different species grow in different patches depending on
the degree of inundation, salinity and drainage. If revegetation is required, e.g. no adjacent marsh is present,
only plant species found locally and where possible replicate the patterns of vegetation present in undisturbed
parts of your marsh or nearby saltmarsh.
Saline areas of saltmarsh (closer to the coast and in parts of the marsh subject to high evaporation) are
dominated by succulent herbs and shrubs such as samphire or beaded glasswort (Sarcocornia quinqueflora).
Where tidal creeks and freshwater streams cut through the saltmarsh, the mildly salt-tolerant rushes, grasses
and sedges occur, and in the higher tide regions non-succulent herbs survive. While this general pattern
applies, it can be altered by the presence of wetter areas around tidal pools and channels and drier areas on
slightly raised sandy or silty ridges.
Table 14.3 shows the salinity and drainage conditions preferred by various saltmarsh species in Tasmania.
After disturbance, changes in the elevation and the soil conditions can prevent the desired marsh plants from
growing if the frequency and duration of tidal inundation differs from what is needed. Some species, such as
Sarcocornia quinqueflora, Samolus repens (Brookweed) and Distichlis distichophylla are less fussy than others.
Kelp forests and seagrass meadows
The most extensive seagrass meadows in Tasmania are found at Robbins Passage in north-west Tasmania.
Other estuarine and sheltered sites support seagrass beds but many are in decline. In many populated areas
across Australia they have been lost or seriously degraded most likely due to urban and agricultural runoff.
Seagrass has been known to regenerate slowly if the water quality is improved, however very little is known
about the difficult task of restoring seagrass meadows..
Pollution and runoff are significant threats to seagrass, as is disturbance such as inappropriate boat moorings.
Kelp forests occur in many marine habitats around Tasmania and are threatened by pests such as introduced
kelp species and sea urchins.
It is possible, but hard work, to rehabilitate degraded kelp forests. Dedicated divers, under specialist
instruction, have reforested several sites in the southeast in the past.
Your group might be able to monitor what washes up on your shoreline to get an indication of the presence of
these marine plants and marine invaders or pests. More adventurous volunteers might consider joining dive
clubs to monitor the kelp in the marine environment or get involved in removing pests or reintroducing kelp
plants.
14.3
Should you revegetate?
One of the major reasons for deciding to revegetate a coastal area is to restore and maintain the biodiversity
and native vegetation that has been affected by human impacts.
Vegetation is the key to stabilising sand and other coastal soils damaged by human activities. Often this
damage is exacerbated by wind or rainwater runoff. Over time, these impacts can be mitigated by a well
thought-out revegetation project.
Planting vegetation is not always the answer to coastal erosion problems. Trying to stabilise soils subject to
wave erosion is very difficult, especially on sandy sites. Dune vegetation cannot stop direct wave erosion
because the sand is so loosely held together.
Take care if revegetating muddy banks or semi-consolidated clayey or ‘soft rock’ shorelines. They are highly
susceptible to erosion as material is not replenished or returned once washed away. Seek expert advice. Large
trees can actually exacerbate erosion in storm events as their root system can collapse more of the shoreline if
the tree is uprooted so careful selection of plants is important.
A reasonable vegetation cover will stop wind erosion in dunes by reducing the ground wind speed but in most
situations, the vegetation cover does not need to be 100%. Some sand dunes are naturally more sparsely
vegetated than others. Revegetation can restore diverse native vegetation and habitats for wildlife. However,
gaps between dune vegetation are needed for some shorebirds, including hooded plovers, to nest.
ALERT: Some dunes, with natural blowouts, have significant geomorphological values and should
not be revegetated. Planting of seedlings may not be allowed on some Aboriginal sites because it
involves digging and disturbance to Aboriginal heritage values.
Planting activities are enjoyable but consider whether they are really necessary. At some sites, fencing or other
access control strategies to reduce trampling from feet and vehicles may be all that is required to allow natural
regeneration.
Consider if changes, such as altered drainage, increased nutrients or dumping of garden waste have made the
conditions less suitable for native plants. Perhaps these changes can be modified to restore the conditions that
favour native vegetation rather than weeds.
On a highly disturbed site, natural regeneration may be too slow to keep up with erosion or there may be too
few suitable species present. In this case, planting may be worthwhile to stabilise the site or to assist natural
regeneration.
Before you go ahead with planting, assess the situation and your resources carefully. Revegetation is
rewarding but takes planning and hard work over a long time. Will you be able to provide the follow-up
weeding and other maintenance necessary for several years?
ASK: If in doubt, seek expert advice from your land manager or vegetation specialists.
Designer highlight text please
To plant or not to plant?
Do not plant if these situations apply:






Aboriginal cultural heritage values have been assessed and should not be disturbed
The landforms are geologically significant (on Tasmania’s Geoconservation Database)
Direct wave erosion occurs
Vegetation cover is adequate to prevent erosion
Shorebirds nest on the bare sand
Natural regeneration is likely if access is controlled. This needs to be monitored.
End highlight
14.4
Know your plants, identification is important
It is important to properly identify all of the plants on your site before planning any weeding or revegetation
activities. Many native species can easily be confused with weeds, especially when they are only seedlings. You
might have threatened or rare species growing on your site that you are unaware of too. Appendix *** depicts
some of the common native coastal plants at you might confuse with weeds.
Training in plant identification is sometimes provided by support organisations, such as the Understorey
Network, and is an opportunity to offer someone in your group new skills. If you do not have the experience
and skills to identify the species yourself then seek expert advice.
IMPORTANT: Always seek advice if you come across a plant that you cannot identify, it might be a
threatened species or a new weed!
Scientific names for native plants are used here because so many different common names are in use. To avoid
confusion (especially when ordering plants from a nursery) it is a good idea to learn the scientific names.
Common and scientific names of plants are listed in Table 14.1
Seek expert advice
Your local council NRM Facilitator, the Bushcare program, field naturalist clubs and the Australian Plants
Society are free sources of botanical expertise. For significant projects, scientists in the Biodiversity
Conservation Branch, DPIPWE, should be consulted.
SHARING STORIES: One of the motivations for starting the Bellerive-Howrah Coast Care Group was noticing
that some well-meaning people were pulling out native indigo thinking it was vetch, a common garden weed
with similar purple flowers.
For years another group transplanted pigface without realising it was the introduced Carpobrotus edulis, a
widespread and variable species that can look very similar to the native Carpobrotus rossii.
14.5
Revegetation planning
Revegetating on the coast, where dry sandy soils are exposed to salt winds and sun is quite a challenge. A wellplanned strategy has a much better chance of success.
Most coastal plants are tough survivors well adapted to the salt, wind and waves. But they cannot tolerate
being trampled by people, vehicles or livestock. Nor can they out-compete vigorous environmental weeds such
as marram grass and boneseed. It is critical to control access and weeds before you start to plant.
Keep in mind that it can take a year or more to obtain good quality plants grown from local seed or cuttings.
Coastal revegetation is a slow process. It usually takes several years. Many plants show little sign of growth
until they establish a good root system. During this time it is vital to help plants establish by removing weeds
and repairing fences and other structures controlling access.
Doing a plant inventory
If revegetation is a good idea, start with a plant inventory.
Assessing the condition of the vegetation is a useful step towards planning your revegetation strategy. This
involves finding out which plants are native and which are introduced and mapping the results. Take this
opportunity to look for evidence of human pressures such as trampling, dumping garden refuse (a source of
seeds and bulbs) and for other problems such as dieback or root rot disease (Phytophthora).
Community walks led by a botanist are a good way to involve the group and your local community in a
vegetation inventory and mapping exercise. September to early October is a good time, when most coastal
plants are flowering.
SHARING STORIES: After a hard summer of working bees along their lovely coastline, the Primrose Sands
Coastcare Group, (a sub-group of Southern Beaches Landcare/Coastcare Inc), took a break and enjoyed a
guided tour of their local saltmarsh. Phil Watson (NRM facilitator with Clarence Council), is well known for his
work with the saltmarshes in the Lauderdale area, shared his expertise.
Not only did they identify seven saltmarsh specific plants but Phil explained to the volunteers how the plants in
this unique environment have evolved and how the life cycle of the plants in the marshes contributes to the
marine ecology. A bonus was the discovery of the very rare “Golden Dooder’ in a nearby lagoon!
The day helped the group understand more about their unique area and the threats from increasing
urbanisation. They also established contact with the adjoining land owner who joined in for part of the ramble
and will be a good partner in protecting the saltmarsh into the future.
Designer please highlight
A revegetation planning checklist
If revegetation is appropriate and feasible consider the following steps (refer to Chapter 13 Monitoring and
Evaluation):





Identify the causes of native vegetation loss – e.g. dumping of garden waste. Can these practices be
modified to favour the native plants?
Do an inventory of the vegetation.
Study the vegetation in a nearby natural area.
Seek expert advice
Consider the nesting, feeding and shelter requirements of local animals, including birds.












Consider Aboriginal heritage
Control access to the site – is a fence needed?
Remove weeds.
Consider if stabilisation techniques (e.g. brushes or mulches) are needed.
Decide which native plant species will be planted to create a natural habitat.
Work out the costs involved of obtaining plants, fencing, weeding materials etc.
Consult with anyone in the community likely to be affected.
Estimate how many plants you can physically manage to plant each year.
Decide how many of each species will be needed and organise propagation.
Plant the site in winter when the soil is moist.
Protect plants if required with guards, brush or mulch.
Do follow-up weed control and maintenance.
End highlight
14.6
What, where and when to plant
It is a waste of time planting on the coast unless you put the right plant in the right place at the right time of
year to give them the best chance of surviving in a very difficult environment.
Planting needs to be done in the late autumn to winter months but wait until good autumn/early winter rains
arrive. This is often not until June. Planting can be extended into September if the soil is still thoroughly moist.
June to August are the best months for planting in the drier parts of the state.
Plan to use only locally native plants as these are adapted to the local conditions and generally provide the
best habitat for wildlife.
IMPORTANT: Many of the plant species or forms found in geographically isolated areas such as,
the Tasman Peninsula, are only found there. So it is particularly important to use local provenance
plants for revegetation projects.
Coastal plants grow in zones according to their capacity to tolerate exposure to the salty sandy conditions of
the shoreline. It is critical that species are planted at the right distance from the sea in a suitable environment,
based on your observations and advice from experts. The zones in Tables 14.1, 14.2, 14.3 are a good guide.
Try to replicate the natural local patterns of vegetation – the species, their position and their relative
abundance.
Sand-binding grasses and succulent creepers grow in unstable sand nearest the sea. These pioneer plants
tolerate salt spray and can stand the harshest conditions. Dune pioneers can withstand being partly buried by
sand. However, only Spinifex and Austrofestuca can tolerate rapidly accumulating sand.
On exposed bare sites, start with these pioneer species to stabilise the soil and provide a buffer for other
species, which are planted in the following years.
Grasses, sedges, herbs, and low shrubs can grow right next to the sea but are relatively intolerant of burial by
sand. These are suitable for planting on the seaward side of the foredune but only if the pioneer plants have
established to provide shelter.
Taller shrubs and trees are planted landward of the foredune crest. Many of them grow better if they are
planted even further back from the sea, where there is greater protection from wind and salt spray. Tall trees
can be planted later if conditions are suitable for their growth and if revegetation is required in the zone
furthest from the sea.
In sheltered sites, most of these species can be planted at the same time.
Table 14.1 shows the recommended places to plant the different species on sand dunes or other sandy coastal
sites. Most species, apart from Spinifex and Austrofestuca, can be planted further back. Some will grow nearer
the sea than indicated in the table, but they will establish better if planted further inland.
[start table 14.1]
CAPTION:Table 14.1 Zones where common native plants grow on sand dunes and sandy landscapes. Use this
as a guide for planting these species when revegetating. Some species occur naturally only in the north (N),
northwest / west (NW/W) or east (E) of Tasmania
Seaward face of
foredune
Grasses, prostrate
plants, low shrubs
Sand and salt
tolerant
Plant first
Atriplex cinerea
grey saltbush
Austrofestuca littoralis
coast fescue
Carpobrotus rossii
native pigface
Spinifex sericeus*
spinifex
Tetragonia implexicoma
bower spinach
* Spinifex sericeus is difficult to propagate and grow in Tasmania
because the species prefers warmer temperatures – it is near the
limit of its climatic range
Plant a little further back behind the shelter of the species above
More sheltered
foredune areas and
hollows
Grasses, sedges, low
shrubs
Tolerate salt spray
Acacia longifolia subsp. sophorae**
coast wattle
Austrostipa stipoides
coast spear grass
Cakile species
sea rocket
Distichlis distichophylla
salt grass
Poa poiformis
coast tussock grass
Senecio pinnatifolius*
coast groundsel
Ozothamnus turbinatus
coast everlasting
Olearia axillaris (N)
coast daisy bush
Lepidosperma concavum
sand sword-sedge
Lepidosperma gladiatum
coast sword-sedge
Ficinia nodosa (formerly Isolepis
nodosa)
knobby club-rush
Acaena novae-zelandiae
Kennedia prostrata
Pelargonium australe
Austrostipa flavescens
Rhagodia candolleana
Distance from the sea
Leucophyta brownii (N)
Lomandra longifolia
Correa alba
Leucopogon parviflorus
Dianella species
Dichelachne crinita
buzzy
running postman
native geranium
yellow spear grass
seaberry saltbush
cushion bush
common sagg
white correa
coast beard-heath
flax-lilies
long-hair plume-grass
Hind dunes
Acacia dealbata
silver wattle
Shrubs and trees
Acacia verticillata
prickly moses
Need protection
from wind and salt
spray
Allocasuarina verticillata
drooping she-oak
Banksia marginata
silver banksia
Bursaria spinosa
prickly box
Dodonaea viscosa subsp. spatulata
native hop
Leptospermum laevigatum (N)
coast tea-tree
Leptospermum scoparium
manuka
Melaleuca ericifolia (N on wet
heaths)
swamp paperbark
boobialla
Myoporum insulare
Eucalypts
Eucalyptus amygdalina
black peppermint
Eucalyptus globulus (E)
blue gum
Eucalyptus nitida (NW/W)
Smithton peppermint
Eucalyptus viminalis
white gum
[end table 14.1]
CAPTION: Table 14.2 Zones where native plants grow on headlands and cliffs.
Sarcocornia quinqueflora
beaded glasswort
Samolus repens
brookweed
Apium prostratum
sea celery
Disphyma crassifolium
round-leaved pig face
Carpobrotus rossi
pigface
Tetragonia implexicoma
bower spinach
Tetragonia tetragonoides
New Zealand spinach
Austrostipa stipoides
Poa poiformis
coast spear grass coast
tussock grass
Heath
Leptospermum, Melaleuca, some other plants
in the Myrtaceae family Asteraceae family
coastal tea-trees, paperbarks daisy shrubs
Scrub
Plants in the Myrtaceae family
tea-trees, paper-barks
Plants in the Asteraceae family
coastal daisy shrubs
Allocasuarina species
she-oaks
Eucalyptus amygdalina
black peppermint
Eucalyptus globulus (east only)
blue gum
Damp saline niches
closest to the sea
Succulent herbs
Distance from the sea
Tussock grasses
Woodland
Low forest
Eucalyptus nitida (north west and west only)
Smithton peppermint
Eucalyptus viminalis
white gum
CAPTION: Table 14.3 Zones where native plants grow in saltmarsh. Note that drainage of waterways into the
saltmarsh from the land and salinity variations also heavily influence zonation in saltmarsh areas and result in a
mosaic of species rather than distinct bands from the shoreline.
Areas most
frequently
submerged by the
tide
Sarcocornia quinqueflora
beaded glasswort
Samolus repens
creeping brookweed
Areas less
frequently
submerged
Suaeda australis
seablite
Juncus kraussii
sea rush
Sclerostegia arbuscula
shrubby glasswort
Hemichroa pentandra
trailing hemichroa
Selliera radicans
swampweed
Sarcocornia blackiana
thickhead glasswort
Disphyma crassifolium
round-leaved pigface
Gahnia filum
chaffy saw-sedge
Austrostipa stipoides
coast spear grass
Poa poiformis
coast tussock grass
Distichlis distichophylla
salt grass
Tetragonia implexicoma
bower spinach
Atriplex cinerea
grey saltbush
Ficinia nodosa (formerly Isolepis nodosa)
knobby club-rush
Slightly raised areas
Drier areas
14.7
What species grow in your area?
This section outlines some of the regional differences in vegetation to help you to choose species for
revegetation projects.
East and southeast coast
Dune vegetation
Spinifex sericeus grows on the foredunes on the east coast. Spinifex increases in abundance towards the
warmer north of Tasmania (where the sand contains more calcium carbonate compared with the more silicarich beaches of the south). Spinifex sericeus is sparse in the south and south east because it is near the end of
its climatic range.
Austrofestuca littoralis grows on the foredunes with Spinifex on the east coast and often with Carpobrotus
rossii (pigface), Acaena pallida (shiny buzzy), Actites megalocarpa (coastal sow thistle) and Stackhousia
spathulata (coast mignonette) in the south east
Poa poiformis grows on more consolidated dunes, backed by Acacia longifolia subsp. sophorae, Myoporum
insulare, Leptospermum laevigatum and Leucopogon parviflorus.
Banksia marginata woodland grows behind dunes, with low Eucalyptus viminalis or Eucalyptus globulus
beyond the dunes.
Leptospermum laevigatum has extended its range from Musselroe Bay down the coast to the St Helens area
and was previously planted further south, where it is now regarded as an environmental weed.
Rocky shore vegetation
On the granite sections of the east coast the vegetation grows in zones as shown in Table 14.2. Other shrubs
that may occur are Alyxia buxifolia (sea box), Leucopogon parviflorus, Leptecophylla juniperina (crimson berry)
and Olearia phlogopappa (dusty daisy bush).
Dolerite coasts and softer sedimentary cliffs are common in the southeast. Bedfordia salicina (blanket leaf)
grows in sheltered moister sites. On the east coast, Callitris rhomboidea (oyster bay pine) is sometimes
common where there is sufficient protection from fires.
On shelfs and talus slopes along the cliffy coasts of southeast Tasmania there is sometimes found dense forest
dominated by Callitris, Bedfordia salicina and Atherosperma moschatum (sassafras). The shrub Richea
dracophylla (dragon heath) is one of several endemic mountain species growing on the Tasman Peninsula,
Bruny Island and the south coast where rainfall is higher.
Far northeast, northwest and Bass Strait Island
Dune vegetation
These areas are not as grassy as dunes on the east coast. Spinifex sericeus and Austrofestuca littoralis both
grow on the foredunes. Leptospermum laevigatum heathland and shrubland is dominant on consolidated
dunes, often growing with many shrub species including Ozothamnus turbinatus, Olearia axillaris, Acacia
longifolia subsp. sophorae, Correa alba and Myoporum insulare. Pomaderris apetala (rough dogwood) and
other Pomaderris species occur in damp places. Further inland Leucopogon parviflorus and Melaleuca ericifolia
also grow and sometimes Callitris rhomboidea (oyster bay pine).
Leptospermum laevigatum’s natural range is on the Furneaux Islands and along Bass Strait westwards from
Musselroe Bay and around the corner to Bluff Hill on the northern tip of the west coast.
Dianella tasmanica is often the most common species of Dianella along the northwest coast, especially on
damp sites. Dianella revoluta and Dianella brevicaulis also occur.
White gum and black peppermint are typical of the far northeast and the Furneaux Islands, while blue gum and
stringybark (Eucalyptus obliqua) are common in the far northwest and King Island.
Rocky shore vegetation
In these areas the sequence of vegetation from the shore is often: Disphyma crassifolium Carpobrotus rossii,
Tetragonia implexicoma – Poa poiformis,– shrubs (such as Correa alba, Rhagodia candolleana, Helichrysum
species) – Bedfordia salicina and Allocasuarina verticillata woodland.
The basalt headlands of Table Cape and The Nut were once covered with dense wet eucalypt forest.
Leucophyta brownii (cushion bush) is common especially on parts of the north coast, west coast and Bass Strait
islands.
West coast
Dune vegetation
In many places the vegetation of west coast dunes is disturbed by sand blows. Where the original foredunes
are still intact, they support the groundcovers Disphyma crassifolium, Carpobrotus rossii and Acaena species
and shrubs, dominated by Leptospermum scoparium and Leucopogon australis. Leptospermum laevigatum
becomes more common north of the Pieman River.
The lee faces of the dunes carry a closed scrub of Banksia marginata and Leucopogon parviflorus but on the
more disturbed dunes Acacia longifolia subsp. sophorae and Acacia verticillata are more common.
Damp dune hollows are dominated by species of Hydrocotyle (pennyworts) and Ficinia (club¬sedge) and
sometimes Ammobium calyceroides (a small endemic daisy).
Consolidated dunes further inland are clothed in Leptospermum scoparium, Melaleuca squarrosa and
Leucopogon heathland, with woodlands of Melaleuca ericifolia in wet areas. Older dunes inland are covered
with Eucalyptus nitida open heathland.
Rocky shore vegetation
The quartzite and conglomerate rocky shores on the west coast and south coast carry distinctly different shrub
and heath species. A narrow zone of Austrostipa stipoides, Disphyma crassifolium and Plantago triantha
(halophyte plantain) is backed by heath often dominated by endemic shrubs including Leptecophylla abietina,
Correa backhouseana, Westringia brevifolia (native rosemary) and Ozothamnus reticulatus, backed by scrub of
Leptospermum species and Banksia marginata.
Unstable slopes are frequently dominated by Leucophyta brownii.
14.8
Avoid spreading weeds and diseases
Make sure that your revegetation work doesn’t spread weeds or disease. It’s good practice to wash boots,
tools and other gear before and after working on any site, just in case soil borne diseases are present.
If you know there is a risk of disease in your area then these practices become essential.
Phytophthora, known as root rot, affects many coastal species especially shrubs in the heath (Epacridaceae),
pea (Fabaceae) and Proteaceae families, as well as grass trees (Xanthorrhoea species). Root rot spores can
hitch a ride on your boots, equipment and vehicles if you move from an infested area to a clean area. If you do
work in an infested area, stay on formed tracks and clean all the dirt from your gear before leaving the area.
Weed seeds can also be spread on boots, equipment and vehicles. Take care if bringing vehicles and trailers
onto your site. Clean all equipment before moving from one site to another. Remind your volunteers to only
bring clean boots and equipment to working bees and to clean them at the end too.
14.9
Revegetation techniques
Often the best method is to simply help natural regeneration of the remnant local species that remain.
However in highly degraded areas, direct seeding or plantings are usually required. You might plant seedlings
grown in a local nursery or by the Understorey Network. You can propagate your own plants from local seeds
and grow them up in a Coastcarer’s garden, or spread seeds into properly prepared soil.
Helping natural regeneration
This approach to revegetation is the cheapest and the most likely to be successful, as long as there is some
existing native vegetation. Natural regeneration can be greatly assisted by restricting access to allow the
vegetation to grow back without being trampled. Fencing is the most reliable way to keep people, vehicles and
domestic stock away.
Regeneration can be assisted by laying down branches cut from local shrubs in summer, with ripe seed
attached – Banksia marginata and species of Leucopogon, Acacia, Leptospermum and Allocasuarina are
suitable. The branches will stay in position if the butt ends are pushed into the sand so they are aligned with
the prevailing wind direction.
Planting seedlings
Planting seedlings grown in pots or tubes (tubestock) is a labour-intensive and expensive method. If the
seedlings are planted carefully during the wet season, this method can be quite successful. Weeds should be
removed from the site and the pots before planting.
If planting late in the season on dry sites, mix some water-absorbing pellets into the sand before the plant
goes into its planting hole.
Plant seedlings when they are about 10–20 cm high with a well-developed root system. If at all possible,
arrange a water supply to water in the plants. In very wet places, little channels can be made to divert water to
the revegetation site.
Where a tap is available nearby, some groups invest in a long hose so that the plants can be watered before
and after planting. This greatly improves the survival rate and is essential if the soil is dry. (Beware of theft and
vandalism of hoses.)
GOOD IDEA: Some groups use a fire-fighting backpack for watering.
Plants will survive better if placed in clumps (to protect each other from wind and create a favourable microclimate) but not so closely that they will compete for water. On more sheltered sites, a mixture of species with
an understory of shrubs and groundcovers will most closely resemble the natural vegetation.
To encourage sturdy growth, do not stake the plants.
The plant spacing depends on the site but as a general rule of thumb:



Plant trees 1–3 m apart
Plant shrubs 1–2 m apart
Plant 2–3 grasses/groundcover per square metre
For successful planting, follow these tips:
Water seedlings well, a few hours before planting.
Scrape any loose sand from the surface until you reach moist sand or soil. Use a sturdy trowel or spade to form
a hole in the moist soil slightly deeper and twice as wide as the tube.
If the sand is at all dry, water the hole with 1–3 litres of water and allow the water to drain away. In pure sand,
placing a handful of composted mulch at the bottom of the planting hole is beneficial.
Gently remove the plant from its tube – first trimming any roots growing out of the tube (cut some leaves off if
you trim roots). Hold the stem between your fingers to support it but do not pull the plant out by the stem.
Instead, turn the tube upside down and squeeze gently. If the plant doesn’t move, tap the edge sharply on a
spade handle or other solid object. Slide the plant out with the root mass and soil resting in the palm of your
hand.
Slide the plant into the hole so that the soil from the tube is slightly below ground level. Take care not to
disturb the roots. Loosen the roots if they are bound around in the shape of the pot. Round off the soil top to
direct water down the side to the roots.
Press the soil firmly around the base of the seedling, leaving a slight depression for 30 cm around the stem to
trap water.
Gently water the plant with at least one litre of water. Replace any surface mulch to conserve water and
control weeds (or add a light mulch of brush, dead leaves or seed-free weeds).
Dead bracken fronds, grass tussocks or twigs stuck into the ground make unobtrusive plant guards. Plastic tree
guards are useful to protect young plants from browsing, trampling and wind, but may attract vandals. Tree
guards can increase wind erosion on shifting sands.
Fertiliser is not necessary and may encourage the growth of weeds that will out-compete the native plants.
Fertiliser is harmful for species such as casuarinas, acacias and banksias that rely on certain soil microbes
(bacteria and fungi) to assist nutrient uptake. However, the survival of some seedlings on deep sandy sites is
improved by adding a small handful of slow-release fertiliser (suitable for native seedlings) to the planting
hole.
Casuarinas, acacias and banksias will grow better if you apply a mulch of leaves or a little soil from around
healthy specimens of the same species growing nearby – some of the microbes are present in the fallen leaves
overlying the roots of mature plants.
Direct seeding by hand
Direct seeding is the spreading of seed onto carefully prepared soil, which must be thoroughly weed-free (this
can take two years or more of weeding). This method can be successful but the soil conditions must be just
right and follow-up weeding is essential.
Scrape the top centimetres of soil with a rake-hoe (a fire-fighting tool), sprinkle a pinch of seeds, lightly rake
them into the soil and firm the soil with the back of the rake-hoe. The seeds should be buried at a depth about
1–2 times their size.
Seeds can be collected in spring and summer (see Chapter 15) and planted in late autumn or winter. Assistance
is available from organisations such as the Understorey Network, Greening Australia and the Australian Plants
Society Tasmania, as well as native plant nurseries and commercial seed collectors.
Seed of some species will germinate better if it is pre-treated before sowing (see Chapter 15). Mix fine seed
with damp perlite beads in a clear re¬sealable plastic bag such as a sandwich bag. Seal the bag tightly, taking
care not to expel all of the air. For larger seed, use a clean potting mix with fine particles (you can add perlite
or other another moisture-holding additive).
Using cuttings and layering on-site
Cuttings are a quick and easy way to grow creepers and shrubs in sheltered sites where the soil is moist.
Simply cut off branch tips a few centimetres long (without flowers or seed heads). Gently pull or snip off the
lower leaves and place the cutting into the soil. Some species will need to have the cut end briefly treated with
a rooting hormone. Firm the soil gently around the cutting. Protect with brush fencing or mulch to provide
shade and trap moisture. Tetragonia and Carpobrotus both grow well using this method.
ALERT: You will need a permit to take cuttings of species listed under the Threatened Species
Protection Act 1995. Contact Flora officers within DPIPWE.
Atriplex responds well to layering. To encourage layering, scrape a small hole in the underside of the bark, or
cambium, of the branch and treat with rooting hormone. Then hold the lower branches in place along the
ground with tent pegs and cover the branches lightly with sand or soil in a couple of places.
14.10
Follow-up care and monitoring
Regular weekly watering for the first few weeks will help the plants survive until they develop deep roots. Less
frequent deep watering is better than frequent light watering. The best times to water are early morning or
late evening.
Weed control is vital for a few years after planting on disturbed sites. Once the vegetation is well established,
it may be possible to remove fences in less heavily-used areas. Watch out for native herbivores.
Regular patrols of the area are important to check for sporadic damage by inappropriate access, vandals, fires
or storms. In these situations it is important to quickly notify the land manager, there may be urgent works
required.
It is important to check for weeds and to remove any tree guards when the plants outgrow them.
Monitoring is another important aspect to consider. Record your revegetation progress by taking notes and
before and after photos (see Chapter 13). This is useful for working out which species are more successful.
SHARING STORIES: Revegetating a large industrial site – the Port Latta Project
The Stanley Peninsula Land and Coastcare group in partnership with Australian Bulk Minerals (the owners of
the iron-ore pelletising-plant at Port Latta), undertook, what was at the time, the largest Coastcare project in
Tasmania. The project involved a beach clean-up and a large-scale revegetation and weed removal program,
assisted by Green Corps and Conservation Volunteers Australia teams.
15 Growing your own plants
15.1
To grow or not to grow
15.2
Avoid spreading plant diseases
15.3
Propagation mixes and other equipment
15.4
Propagation techniques
15.5
Collecting seed for propagation of native plants
15.6
Seed cleaning, storage and treatment
15.7
More things you can do
Propagation enables you to grow new plants from existing plants. It can be fun and
rewarding and may be a great activity for a volunteer with a keen interest in gardening.
It is important to only grow plants that have been propagated from local vegetation. This
local provenance stock is adapted to the local conditions and is often genetically distinct
from the same species growing elsewhere.
15.1
To grow or not to grow
Growing your own native plants takes time, patience and commitment. The Understorey Network supports a
network of volunteer growers across Tasmania. Members receive a comprehensive guidebook and seeds as
well as ongoing support and advice.
If you are unable to grow your own, your land manager may be able to assist by growing plants in their
nursery. It is worth asking if your local Tasmanian native plant nursery will collect seeds and cuttings from your
location and grow them at low cost.
Growing plants for rehabilitation is quite different from growing for ornamental gardens. The aim is to produce
tough plants with deep root systems that will survive being planted out in the coastal environment.
It is best to grow the plants outdoors, without the use of a glasshouse or shadehouse. This way the plants will
tolerate the natural conditions found in your area.
The main propagation methods are by seed, cuttings and division. Many common coastal plants will propagate
readily from one or more of these methods during spring or autumn.
IMPORTANT: A permit is required to collect seed from public land or to collect seed for plant
species listed under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995. Please contact staff in DPIPWE if you
plan to collect on public land or propagate any rare or threatened species.
The Understorey Network website includes a propagation database with information about seed treatment
and germination time for around 200 Tasmanian native species with photographs for ID purposes. The
Florabank website includes lots of information about collecting seed. Growing Australian Native Plants from
Seed is another great resource.
General propagation techniques are explained in the Understorey Network’s Guide to growing native plants in
Tasmania 2nd ed. Many of the instructions in this chapter are based on this guide and this information is
reproduced with permission. The techniques detailed here are suitable for coastal plants.
15.2
Avoid spreading plant diseases and weeds
Take care not to introduce plant diseases like Phytophthora cinnamomi to rehabilitation areas. Check whether
any diseases are in the area and seek advice when planning to plant in susceptible plant communities.
Don’t dig up plants from the bush or take seed or cuttings from plants in infected areas. Check your
propagated plants for signs of disease before planting. Seek advice if you suspect some plants may be affected,
remember the whole batch may be infected.
Take care not to introduce weed seeds to new sites on your tools, boots, clothes or vehicle. Brush any weed
seeds off your equipment before leaving a site where weeds are present.
Ensure that any plants that you bring into a site do not have weeds growing in the pots.
15.3
Propagation mixes and other equipment
Propagation mixes suitable for potting or growing seed of native plants can be purchased from nurseries and
supermarkets. You can make your own propagation mixes but they must be sterilised to avoid spreading
disease. Heat them in an oven at 80°C for 30 minutes or 100°C for 10 minutes, and allow to cool.
The tubes, punnets or grow bags need to be placed in a box or tray. Polystyrene boxes from the supermarket
are cheap and can hold 40–60 tubes or up to 100 plastic grow bags. The drawback is that roots tend to grow
out of the tubes or grow bags, attracted to the moisture collecting in the bottom of the box. Trays made from
weldmesh are an expensive but excellent alternative container for native tubes, as the roots are ‘air-pruned’.
For potting-on seedlings, the use of a dibber reduces damage to the root system.
DANGER: Protect yourself from Legionella (a respiratory disease). Dampen potting mix before
handling it. Avoid inhaling dust – use a dust mask. Wear gloves and wash your hands after
handling potting mix.
Table 15.1 Types of potting mix for plant propagation
A good potting mix for growing
cuttings and potting on seedlings*
*as recommended by the
Understorey Network
7 parts composted pinebark
1 part river sand (coarse sand)
1 part cocopeat.
Growing mix for striking cuttings
2 parts coarse sand
2 parts vermiculite or perlite
1 part cocopeat
A good general seed-raising mix
1 part river sand
1 part cocopeat
1 part vermiculite
Useful supplies for propagation:
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plant labels and labelling pens
plastic tubes, grow bags or seed trays
polystyrene boxes or weldmesh trays to hold the tubes
dibber (a wooden dowel, sharpened at one end like a pencil)
gloves
trowel or scoop
Use certified sterile materials.
Add trace elements in very small
quantities (1 teaspoon/60 litres of
mix)
Add controlled release fertilizer
(osmocote) for natives (about
50g/60 litres of mix).
There is no need to add nutrients
because seeds have their own food
reserves. Use this mix if you plan
to prick out the seedlings when
they are very small.
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disinfectant e.g. household bleach (diluted at 20 ml per litre of water it keeps for a week), methylated
spirits (diluted by one-half) or tea tree oil (follow the instructions on the bottle)
dust mask
watering equipment
workbench to save your back
Quantities of propagation mix for 100 containers
25 mm x 125 mm native tubes
33 litres of mix
Plastic grow bags
17 litres of mix
120 mm pots
120 litres of mix
15.4
Propagation techniques
Propagation from cuttings - the Understorey Network way
The Understorey Network Guide to growing native plants in Tasmania 2nd ed. has detailed information about
taking and striking cuttings. The following is a brief summary to give you a feel for what is required.
Most native plants will grow from cuttings. The exceptions include eucalypts, casuarinas and some acacias.
Taking cuttings
Identify plants carefully. Choose healthy looking plants and take cuttings first thing in the morning for best
results. You will need a permit (if collecting from public land), secateurs, plastic bags (damp to keep plants
fresh) labels to identify plants you have collected. You might consider recording on a map or GPS where plants
were obtained.
Striking cuttings
Set up a clean workspace, have your tools, labels, pots and growing mix ready as well as some clean water,
disinfectant solution and rooting hormone. (Use a rooting hormone designed for semi-hardwood such as
“Clonex Purple”). Be sure to disinfect your cuttings and keep them wet at all times by storing in water until you
are ready to disinfect and dip in rooting hormone.
Ensure that your potting mix is moist prior to taking your cutting to avoid the need for watering once the
cuttings are in the trays.
Do not over water, a gentle spray or bottom watering method is best. Keep them in dappled shade away from
wind and garden pests. You might consider making a mini greenhouse with plastic to help protect your
cuttings.
Rooting time will vary depending on the season. Check by looking for roots, new shoots do not guarantee
successful rooting. If you have put more than one cutting in a pot you will need to transfer each cutting to its
own pot once rooting has occurred.
Propagation by division
Grasses and sedges can be propagated by dividing the tussocks. Use a mattock to divide them into sections,
preferably after watering. Lift the plants carefully to retain the roots, and cut back the tops to about 10 cm.
Divide the clumps into small sections and plant in 5 cm diameter tubes filled with potting mix and a little slowrelease fertiliser.
DANGER: Take care when using mattocks. Always ensure no-one is standing within 1 metre behind you and
never raise the mattock above shoulder height to avoid striking another person.
The plants should be divided just before or during the start of the root-growing season, which will vary from
species to species, and may be in late autumn, in winter or in early spring.
Propagation from seed
Many native plants can be propagated by seed and it is the only method that works for eucalypts. Plan ahead.
The seedlings will not be ready to plant until the year following sowing.
Seed can be obtained from commercial suppliers or collected from local vegetation. The Understorey Network
provides members with seeds, advice and a copy of their comprehensive growers guide.
Seeds may require pre treatment. See section 15.6 and Table 15.2.
Use a specially prepared potting mix or make your own, see section 15.3. Do not allow ordinary soil to contact
the potting mix.
Before use, wash your bench top, trowels and other tools with disinfectant. Wash your hands with soap and
disinfectant before filling tubes or sowing seeds and between handling different batches of seed.
Steps for sowing seed in punnets
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Pre-treat seed if necessary (see section 15.6 and Table 15.1).
Prepare seed raising mix, moisten to avoid breathing in dust.
Place the seed-raising mix in a clean punnet (disinfect old punnets). Shake the soil down very gently to
make an even flat surface, about 10 – 15mm below the top. Do not push the soil down firmly or jolt
the container because this removes air spaces and excludes oxygen from the soil.
Place punnets on a tray (e.g. an old plastic meat tray with a ripple bottom).
Spread the seed evenly over the surface of the mix in punnets, and then cover with a shallow layer of
seed-raising mix. Do not firm down. Don’t forget to label!
Water punnets by pouring water into the tray and the mixture should absorb the moisture by
capillary action (if this does not happen spray lightly with water). Continue to water by this method.
Place punnets in a warm sheltered place.
Seedlings in punnets will need to be transplanted to larger pots when they are 10 – 30 mm high to
continue growing.
Keep the potting mix wet but do not over water. Once germinated water once a day, do not water at night
which attracts slugs end encourages fungal disease.
Some species may take several months to germinate. Germination is not always predictable, especially in some
native species that germinate in stages as a survival strategy. You may find that you get a rush of germination
within the expected time and then the remainder of the seed comes through intermittently afterwards.
GOOD IDEA: Grow just one seedling per tube until it is ready for planting. There is no
transplanting at any stage to weaken the seedlings.
The Understorey Network bog propagation method
To propagate species that grow in coastal wetlands such as saltmarshes, the soil must be kept very moist all
the time. Use the bog method, which is similar to bottom watering, but the propagation containers are kept in
deeper water.
Grow the seeds or cuttings in pots or trays standing in water, with the water level maintained a few cm below
the soil level at all times. For each species, the water level should be similar to that experienced by the plant in
its natural environment. For instance, for species growing in deep permanent water, keep the water level just
below the soil level in the pot. For species growing in less wet sites, keep the water level much lower.
Most wetland plants have seed that requires light for good germination, so leave seed uncovered (and protect
from wind and birds) or cover very sparsely with potting mix. Mix tiny seed with very fine sand before sowing
to help spread the seeds evenly.
Step by step guidelines and tips are available in the Understorey Network Guide to growing native plants in
Tasmania 2nd ed.
15.5
Collecting seed for propagation of native plants
Decide which native species to collect and find out when their seeds are ready. Most plants have seeds that
ripen in summer or autumn. Appendix *** has propagation information for most coastal species.
Collect seed as close to the revegetation site as possible so it is of the same provenance (genetically similar) to
the local plants. Indentify your plants carefully with the use of a guide.
IMPORTANT: A permit is required to collect seed from public land or to collect seed for plant
species listed under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995. Please contact staff in [DPIPWE] if
you plan to collect on public land or propagate any rare or threatened species.
Seed timelines, available on the Understorey Network website, show the best months to collect seed for each
species. The time when seed is ready can vary from year to year, depending on the weather, so start looking in
December.
Avoid collecting in wet weather as the seeds may go mouldy.
Small amounts of seed can be collected into paper bags, be sure to label them. Large amounts of seed or twigs
can be collected into cardboard boxes or onto a groundsheet. Do not take too much seed from one plant.
DANGER: Avoid unnecessary risks such as climbing trees without a safety helmet. If you plan to
use heavy-duty loppers or a stepladder, work with other people, not by yourself.
Tips for collecting good quality seed
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Open a few seed pods or capsules to see if there is any seed there. A magnifying glass can help to see
tiny seed such as grass seed.
Do you have ripe seed? Ripe seed is dark in colour – green seed will not grow.
Collect from as many different plants as possible to get a range of genetic material.
Take no more than 10% of the seeds from any one plant.
Label each bag of seeds with the specific location, the plant species and the date. Putting a tag or
other label inside the bag will help you to keep track of the seed when it is cleaned.
DANGER: Wear a dust mask or respirator if you suffer from allergies or asthma when collecting
seed from daisies and other plants with dusty seed.
15.6
Seed cleaning, storage and treatment
The seed capsules often require drying to extract the seed. Some species may need heat treatment to release
the seed. Some seed requires cleaning before it is stored. Clean and dry as soon as possible after collecting to
avoid seeds going mouldy.
First remove leaves and other material that may hide insects especially Allocasuarina needles, which produce
substances that inhibit germination. Dry the seed capsules to extract the seed.
Small amounts of capsules or seed pods can be dried in paper bags, envelopes or open trays in a warm room
with good air circulation, away from rats, mice, birds and other animals.
Dry larger amounts by spreading them onto sheets laid in the sun or suspended from the ceiling in bags for
good ventilation. Turn the pods regularly to prevent sweating and ensure even drying.
Once the seed is released, use sieves to separate the seed from other material. It is not necessary to clean the
seed completely. With fine seed, you risk losing too much seed.
DANGER: Some plants are toxic and others may cause allergic reactions so wear gloves and a dust
mask and work in a well-ventilated area or near a household fan to blow dust away.
Store the seed in a cool dry place in labeled containers.
More information about storage is available from [Florabank] and the Understorey Network Guide to growing
nd
native plants in Tasmania 2 ed.
Pre-treatment of seed
Most soft seed germinates easily but some species have very hard-coated seed. Others need treatment to
break dormancy or allow ‘after-ripening’ – these strategies delay germination until conditions are right for
survival in the wild. Pre treat seeds just prior to planting.
There are a number of different techniques used to treat seeds and the type used depends on the species.
Refer to table 15.2 and to appendix ??? for more information about individual coastal plant species.
Some acacias and peas have a hard seed coat that must be ‘broken’ with hot water (not boiling) before sowing
to imitate the effect of a bushfire. Some seeds benefit from soaking for 2–3 days in tomato soup, which is
mildly acidic.
Some seeds contain chemicals that inhibit germination and benefit by soaking in water for up to 3 days in a
muslin bag or stocking. Change the water once or twice daily.
The seed of some species, including Correa, requires leaching for several weeks. A toilet cistern provides the
perfect regularly-flushed environment – put the seeds in a nylon stocking and place it in the cistern, with the
top draped over the upper edge.
Dry woodland vegetation including some common coastal plants, respond well to the chemicals in bushfire
smoke. You can imitate this effect by applying smoke or smoke water after sowing.
Diplarrena moraea and Bedfordia salicina germination is improved by soaking the seed in smoke water before
planting. Other plants may benefit from smoking the propagation mix before you sow seed or plant cuttings.
Water the mix first so it is slightly moist but not wet.
Smoking the mix improves germination of Acacia mearnsii, Acacia melanoxylon, Astroloma humifusum,
Banksia marginata, Bursaria spinosa, Chrysocephalum apiculatum, Dianella revoluta, Diplarrena moraea,
Epacris impressa, Leptospermum scoparium, Melaleuca ericifolia and Xanthorrhoea.
Smoke can improve the growth of cuttings of some species, especially tea-trees.
A simple seed smoking system from the Understorey Network
A covered kettle-style barbecue can be used to set up a simple smoking system. Light a small fire with bush
litter and green material (2/3 old bark and leaves and 1/3 green leaves) in the barbecue and wait until it is
smouldering (very hot smoke can damage the seed). Place the propagation mix in a fine metal sieve or wire
basket in the barbecue and put the lid on. Smoke for two hours. The smoked mix will keep up to a week in a
tightly sealed plastic bag at 5°C (in the middle section of a fridge).
Insert table 15.2 here landscape 2 pages
Table 15.2: Tips for collecting and treating seed from common coastal plant groups. Information reproduced
nd
from Thorp, V. 2011 Understorey Network Guide to growing native plants in Tasmania, 2 edition.
Type of plant group
Seed collection or treatment
Daisies (Asteraceae
family)
The small seeds of daisies such as Ozothamnus, Helichrysum and Senecio are
generally ready to collect when the flowers start to dry and become fluffy. Ripe
seed is easy to dislodge. Remove flowerheads and place in a paper bag.
A small portable vacuum cleaner is useful for collecting this type of fine seed.
(Empty the vacuum cleaner first!)
Grasses and sedges
(Poaceae and
Cyperaceae families)
Grasses and sedges tend to ripen unevenly, from December through to January.
Collect seed when the first seeds are mature. Run your fingers upwards along the
flowerhead with a gentle pressure to test if the seed is beginning to fall. This is the
easiest way to remove the ripe seed from most grasses.
For sedges, Poa and other tussock grasses with small seeds grasp a handful of
flower stalks and cut with secateurs. Do not turn the flower-heads upside down
until you put them in a bag, or some seed may drop off. Thresh the heads once in
the bag to remove the seeds.
After-ripening - The seed of many native grasses and herbaceous species may be
released when it is still immature. The seed may look mature but needs a period of
‘after-ripening’ at room temperature before it will germinate, usually 3–12 months.
Acacias
Pick pods just as they start to dry and change colour. Remove pods by hand or
shake onto a sheet.
Scarification - A fiddly but effective method of breaking the hard coat of acacia
seed and some other large seed is pricking, nicking or filing it with a sharp knife or a
nail file. First find the scar on the seed coat where it once joined the pod, then cut
the other end of the seed, a bit to one side, to slightly expose the white embryo.
Soak the treated seed in water for 24 hours before sowing.
Another way to scarify seed is to rub it between two sheets of medium to coarse
sandpaper.
Fleshy fruits
(Myoporum insulare,
Dianella)
The fleshy fruits darken when ripe and drop to the ground. The fruit can be gently
picked off by hand. Place the fruits in a plastic bag because they tend to make paper
bags soggy.
Digestion - The fleshy seeds germinate better if you weaken the seed coat by
digestion or fermentation. Place the fresh ripe fruits in a sealed plastic bag with a
little water and put in a warm place for 2–3 weeks before sowing. It may be
beneficial to add about 1 ml of smoke water to the bag (where recommended) or 2
ml of vinegar (a mild acid). Then gently mash and strain the seeds away from the
flesh, wash in fresh water and allow them to dry for a couple of hours before
sowing.
Peas (Bossiaea,
Dillwynia, Pultenaea)
Monitor the pods closely for ripeness because the seed is forcibly ejected and
dispersed over a very short period of time (1–2 days). There are two ways of
collecting the seed:
1. Cut off small branches or twigs with the ripe seed pods attached (the pods need
to be attached to the branches to split open). Use secateurs to trim leaves and
other material away from the pods. Store in paper bags until the pods open and
release the seed.
2. Enclose the pods in a nylon stocking tied firmly in place and inspect regularly.
Soaking - Cover the seeds with hot water, about 4–5 times the volume of seed. Use
water just off the boil for hard peas. For pea seeds with a softer coat use hot water
(70–90°C).
Pour the hot water over the seeds in a basin, stir well and leave to soak for 12–24
hours. Discard seeds that float. The swollen seeds can then be sown. You can sow
seeds that did not swell, but germination may be slower (pour a second lot of hot
water over them for 12–24 hours before sowing).
After treatment, if you can’t sow seeds immediately, mix them with kitty litter
moistened with water and put in a muslin bag in the fridge.
Hard cones –
casuarinas, tea trees,
melaleucas, banksias
and hakeas
Collect the oldest cones when they are brown or grey and hard, but the valves
haven’t opened. Cones can be collected at almost any time of year. Picking
unopened hakea cones and sitting them in the sun will result in them opening and
releasing their two-winged seeds.
Dry heat - Some species with hard cones such as banksia may be slow to release
their seed. Keep the cones in a paper bag in the sun or on top of a warm stove.
Eucalypts
Most eucalypts can be collected all year round from gum nuts (capsules) when they
are brown with obvious valves that are still tightly closed. Eucalypts can be difficult
to identify. One of the key features is the number of capsules in a cluster – record
the number of young buds as some may die before maturity.
DANGER: Wear a dust mask or respirator if you suffer from allergies or asthma when collecting
seed from daisies and other plants with dusty seed.
15.7
More things you can do
Propagating plants can be lots of fun and a great way to involve others who may not have the enthusiasm for
heavier tasks.
Consider involving students from the local school, it is a great opportunity for them to learn about the
different plant species and their fruits and seeds. Students might enjoy preparing the seed beds or planting out
some of the excess plants in a native garden at their school.
Organise a seed collecting day and involve a local botanist or invite a leading expert that can share knowledge
of local plants with your group.
Organise a seed cleaning, sorting and pre treatment session. This is a great way to teach other members of
your group how to do it.
Seek out donations of ingredients and materials for making your propagation potting mixes.
Hold a native garden information session and let locals in your area know about landscaping with native local
vegetation. NRM South’s Native Gardens Booklet: A planting and landscaping guide for the southern region of
Tasmania is a great resource for those in southern Tasmania
16 Weed management
16.1
Effective weed management
16.7
Before using herbicides
16.2
Identifying weeds
16.8
Using herbicides safely
16.3
Types of weeds
16.9
Herbicide control methods
16.4
Planning weed control
16.10
Timing and follow-up
16.5
Weed control techniques
16.11
Avoid spreading weeds
16.6
Non herbicide control methods
16.12
Telling your community
Weeds are changing the character of our coastal vegetation and threatening the diversity
of insects, birds and other animals that depend on our native plants. Introduced plants
have few or no predators to keep them under control.
Weeds can be spread by water, wind, birds and other animals. People can unwittingly
disperse seeds that collect on footwear, clothing and vehicles. Dumping of garden waste
(lawn clippings, prunings, bulbs, unwanted plants and soil) on coastal reserves is a source
of weed infestations.
Weeding is an important part of rehabilitating degraded coastal areas. Weeds are difficult
to eradicate but can be controlled through a carefully planned weeding and weed
replacement strategy.
Weed removal can impact on other coastal values. Soil disturbance, including the removal
of existing weeds, can promote new weed growth, destabilise dunes and increase erosion.
This chapter can help you develop an effective weed management strategy and minimise
any adverse impacts.
16.1
Effective weed management
Removing weeds is only a small part of good weed management which aims to maintain native biodiversity
and landscapes and increase resistance to invasion by weeds. Protecting sites that are weed free, revegetating
degraded sites and improving soil health are all part of effective weed management.
Many coastal sites have a large number of weeds present from grasses and small herbs through to large shrubs
or trees. It is not possible to eradicate all weeds, so expert advice, long term planning and an integrated
approach is critical to success.
Before embarking on any weed management you need to ask: What is the weed? What is the situation? What
is the best method for control?
Always consult with the local council or other land manager before you attempt any weed removal. The best
methods of controlling particular weeds are constantly being updated. The Invasive Species Management
Section of DPIPWE maintains an informative website and has Regional Weed Management Officers who can
offer advice.
And of course, follow-up weeding is absolutely essential as most weeds come back year after year from seeds,
bulbs or other persistent reproductive structures. Weed control is a very rewarding but long-term job.
IMPORTANT: Remember to seek advice and gain permission from the land manager before
weeding. An Aboriginal heritage assessment may be necessary. If you dig and find dense shells or
artefacts, stop work and ask the land manager to contact Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania.
16.2
Identifying weeds
It is extremely important to correctly identify the weeds on your site. Some of the most invasive weeds are
described in appendix *** but there are likely to be other species present. A number of handbooks and
brochures are available to help with identifying weeds. Many of these resources are listed in Booklet 5. Consult
these and talk to your land manager before removing any plants that look like weeds.
Ask a very experienced botanist for help with identification because quite a few native plants can be mistaken
for weeds, including several native Senecio species with yellow daisy flowers. Refer to appendix *** Native
plants you might confuse with weeds.
Take particular care when working in saltmarsh areas as there are many species here that you will not find in
other coastal areas and they can easily be mistaken for weeds.
IMPORTANT: If something new comes up, seek advice, don’t just pull it out. Reporting new weeds
is extremely important, and helps land managers to address emerging weed problems. If you don’t
know what it is, send it to DPIPWE or the herbarium for identification.
Designer highlight text please
Tasmanian Weed Alert Network
The Tasmanian Weed Alert Network (coordinated by DPIPWE) consists of volunteers on the lookout for new or
uncommon weeds that would pose a significant threat if they became established. Volunteers all over the
state include farmers, agronomists, Local and State Government staff, field naturalists, botanical consultants,
weed control operators and interested members of the public.
Comprehensive guidelines about collecting specimens are on the DPIPWE website, including safe ways to
collect specimens, how to record information and a weed reporting form. There are information sheets for
each of the weeds on the list and these are available on the DPIPWE website as PDF’s.
End highlight
16.3
Types of weeds
Environmental weeds
Environmental weeds invade bushland and threaten native plants. They are vigorous plants that grow or
reproduce faster than the native species and take over. The most serious environmental weeds can eventually
exclude the native vegetation and form monocultures.
One mature boneseed shrub can produce 60 000 seeds annually and these remain viable in the soil for many
years. Bridal creeper reproduces vegetatively from root stems and tubers, which must be completely removed
or new plants will grow from even small remaining pieces.
Some coastal weeds, such as marram grass and radiata pine, were deliberately introduced in the past to
stabilise dunes. Others escaped from gardens – these include banana passionfruit, blue periwinkle and
cotoneaster. Even mainland Australian native plants, such as cape leeuwin wattle, can become environmental
weeds.
IMPORTANT: Occasionally, plants that are indigenous to some parts of Tasmania become environmental
weeds in other parts. For instance Leptospermum laevigatum (coast tea-tree), which is native to the shores
of Bass Strait, has spread to coastal areas in southern Tasmania, where it is regarded as a weed.
Weeds are classified according to their threat to agriculture and the environment. These classifications, along
with legislation, policies and strategies, help land managers prioritise weed management activities. Resources
have been produced for many of these weed groups to assist with planning and undertaking weed
management.
Details of legislation and weed policies are available on the DPIPWE website or from your local land manager.
Declared weeds
The Tasmanian Weed Management Act 1999 requires that each declared weed is contained or eradicated.
Approved Statutory Weed Management Plans (SWMPs) for each weed are on the DPIPWE website.
The SWMP for each declared weed specifies what land managers are required to do to manage that weed
within each municipality. It provides information about the distribution and extent of the weed, restrictions
and measures required to control, eradicate or restrict the spread of a weed.
Weedplan - Tasmania’s weed management strategy and Response Plan are on the DPIPWE website.
Weeds of National Significance (WoNS)
Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) are listed in the National Weeds Strategy: A strategic approach to
weed problems of national significance. Seven of the original 20 Weeds of National Significance occur in
Tasmania; blackberry, willow, serrated tussock, bridal creeper, boneseed, Chilean needle grass and gorse.
New WONS recently added that are present in Tasmania are African boxthorn, canary broom, English broom
and asparagus fern. From time to time, Australian Government funding is targeted at the management of
WoNS weeds, because of their national recognition. All WoNS referred to above are declared under the
Tasmanian Weed Management Act 1999. For further information about WONS visit the WONS website.
National Alert List weeds
The Alert List for Environmental Weeds, available on the Australian Government weeds website, is a list of 28
non-native plants that threaten biodiversity and cause other environmental damage. Although only in the
early stages of establishment, these weeds have the potential to seriously degrade Australia's ecosystems. In
Tasmania these include Calluna vulgaris or heather, orange hawkweed and horsetail species.
Tasmanian beach weeds
The Tasmanian beach weed strategy contains information for identifying and managing sea spurge (Euphorbia
paralias), marram grass (Ammophila arenaria), sea wheat grass (Thinopyrum junceiforme), pyp grass (Erharta
villosa) and beach daisy (Arctotheca populifolia). The strategy is on the DPIPWE weeds website.
Dune revegetation in Tasmania was previously based on the incorrect notion that all dunes are naturally well
vegetated and stable and that active dune movement was the result of poor land management. As a
consequence large areas of active dunes have been stabilised by planting marram grass, including most
southeastern beaches and the northeastern coast around Waterhouse.
Marram grass (and to a lesser extent sea spurge) can severely affect the dynamics of the movement of sand in
on the beach and foredune. Their rapid vertical growth and rates of spread trap large amounts of sand. They
form much taller and steeper dunes than native species would in the same situation. In some instances,
unnatural foredunes formed by marram grass threaten wetlands behind the dunes by interfering with
drainage.
In some areas, marram grass impacts on the nesting habitat for shorebirds that rely on smaller dune faces and
bare patches for nesting sites.
Rice grass
Rice grass (Spartina anglica) is an invasive weed of intertidal, muddy flats of estuaries that changes the ecology
and habitat, threatening the health of the estuary. The Strategy for the management of rice grass in Tasmania,
Australia contains information for identifying and managing this estuarine weed. The strategy is on the
DPIPWE weeds website.
SHARING STORIES: Members of Port Rubicon Coast and LandCare at Port Sorell have developed an
environmentally-friendly technique of controlling small infestations of Rice Grass. Hand digging and slashing is
followed by covering clumps with black plastic sheeting or weed matting, held down with wire pegs and steel
stakes, for 3–4 months. This technique uses solarisation which smothers the weed and uses the heat from the
sun to destroy it. The group was able to effectively eradicate smaller areas of infestation. Spraying with an
approved herbicide is required for larger areas. In developing the technique the group had to adapt through
trial and error. They originally had problems with high tides and wind lifting the plastic, so it needing bedding
down regularly. They used chicken wire to hold it down, but this became a problem when it started to rust.
When weed matting was invented, it was easier to use, and they pegged down the edges and threw mud on
top. The commitment and resourcefulness of this group has seen them achieve results, receive
acknowledgement and awards and secure support from other stakeholders in the ongoing battle to prevent
the spread of this weed.
16.4
Planning weed control
Planning is critical to the success of any weed control works. A weed management plan may be a
comprehensive weed management document with a number of signatories, or a simple site plan identifying
the problem and some control and management steps.
Some simple planning will enable you to define the weed problem and identify priorities to ensure your hard
work is not wasted. It will make it easier for you to gain approval for activities from land managers, secure
funding and garner support from others in your community. Before you start work, obtain expert advice from
your land manager about the best strategies for removing the weeds and replacing them with native
vegetation.
IMPORTANT: Remember to gain permission from the land manager before weeding.
Steps for successful weed control planning
Step 1: Identify and map weeds
Step 2: Identify weed control priorities
Step 3: Decide on weed control strategies
Step 4: Monitor and adapt
Steps for successful weed control planning
STEP 1: Identify and map weeds - What is there and where is it?
Good weed management planning starts with finding out what weeds are present and mapping their location
and extent.
Have a look at your area and note the following:
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weed species present
the locations and area of infestations (e.g. 10 m x 5 m)
the number and age of weeds (e.g. 10 scattered seedlings, 4 mature seed-bearing plants).
activities that may have led to the infestation, such as neighbouring gardens, dumped garden wastes
or soil disturbed by roadworks, pedestrians or vehicles.
Use different colours to mark different weed infestations on the map. Early spring is a good time to map
weeds, when they are starting to flower. Note the times of year when each weed flowers, sets and disperses
seed. Update the maps as you control the weeds.
IMPORTANT: Remember to identify other coastal values in your area that might be impacted by
your weeding activities; such as wildlife, threatened species and Aboriginal heritage. Seek expert
advice to identify them correctly and plan how to protect these values during your weeding
activities.
STEP 2: Identify weed control priorities - What is most threatening and worth controlling?
Once you have identified and mapped your weeds correctly, determine which weeds are actually a problem
or threat at your site.
Decide which weeds are worth tackling. It is often not possible to tackle all weeds. Generally, aggressive
woody weeds like gorse, broom, spanish heath and cotoneaster are considered far more serious than small
herbs and grasses. Some weeds, such as some exotic grasses or dandelion, are not problems and are not worth
wasting time on. In some areas, marram grass is so entrenched that it would require enormous effort to
remove and create considerable environmental damage during the process.
The priorities are usually:
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areas with fewest weeds
areas with aggressive weeds that could be easily controlled
areas where weeds threaten important values.
Set realistic goals. It is better to concentrate your efforts on some small problems and achieve control rather
than spreading your work too thinly. The weeds will quickly proliferate once again if you can’t manage the
follow-up work required. It is also less daunting to break-up the area into manageable sections.
Preventing new infestations is the best way to control weeds. This involves monitoring the area to detect new
outbreaks.
ALERT: Weeds may play a role in protecting wildlife. In areas lacking native vegetation, birds and
small marsupials rely on shelter provided by weeds, especially prickly ones that deter predators.
(Penguins often breed under boxthorn). A staged replacement with other species that provide
shelter is required.
STEP 3: Weed control strategies – How are you going to do it?
Define the weed control techniques best suited to your site, weeds and the capacity of your group. A
combination of techniques is usually most effective. Refer to section 17.5 Weed control techniques.
Weed management is only sustainable with careful planning to steadily replace the weeded area with
indigenous species until the native vegetation becomes re-established. This requires either careful monitoring
of natural regeneration and/or planting for at least five to ten years along with persistent weeding. Most small
areas with small weed infestations will recover naturally after the weeds are removed.
The problem with weeding a large area is that it creates the ideal conditions for more weeds to grow – soil
disturbance and exposure to sunlight – and exposes the site to erosion. There will be lots of weed seeds in the
soil waiting to germinate, creating a potentially bigger weed problem that will require years of major follow-up
work. Unfortunately, planting native species won’t completely control such a huge regrowth of weeds because
the natives tend to be much slower to establish. A gradual removal of large sites works best.
STEP 4: Monitor and adapt – What did you do and what would you do differently?
Some techniques will be more successful than others. It is important to look at what has worked and what
hasn’t and adapt techniques and strategies along the way. This is called ‘adaptive management’.
Try to record details of the work you undertake, as this will help you to determine when, and perhaps why, the
treatment has been successful, or has not worked.
Record at weed activities:
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the time of year activities took place;
the areas covered, number of people involved;
time taken;
method used; and
anything else you notice.
Ongoing monitoring should include:
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Photopoint photos
Maps of changes to weed distribution
Checking for new weed seedlings
Checking for regrowth of treated plants
Searching for and identifying any new weed incursions
Determining what ongoing works are required and when.
GOOD IDEA: Other group’s can learn from your experiences, both good and bad, so please consider
sharing what you have learned with other Coastcarers. The SCAT Newsletter (or other state-wide
or regional newsletters and websites) are a great way to do this.
16.5
Non herbicide control methods
Hand-pulling
Hand-pulling is simple, satisfying and requires no special equipment. Soil disturbance should be minimised to
prevent more weeds from germinating.
Plants with shallow root systems such as boneseed are easy to pull out, especially when young, and are
suitable for working bees involving children. Small seedlings of pine, tree lucerne, broom and cotoneaster can
be quite easy to pull up when the ground is moist. Try to prevent disturbance to the soil (which leads to more
weed invasion), by placing your feet either side of the weed as you pull. However, get out as much of the roots
as possible.
Mattocks, pointed spades and hoes are useful tools for digging out small numbers of plants. Remember to take
bags to remove plants with seeds, bulbs and other pieces that could grow into plants.
DANGER: Take care when using mattocks. Always ensure no-one is standing within 1 metre behind
you and never raise the mattock above shoulder height to avoid striking another person.
Plants that have not developed seeds can be left on the ground with their roots turned upside down, as long as
they are not smothering native plants. They will rot away and form valuable mulch on bare patches.
Digging up small marram infestations is possible but back-breaking because the roots are so long and deep.
Seek expert advice.
GOOD IDEA: Do you need an area to pile-up weed material after removal? Seedless weed material
can be used to close off unwanted accessways.
Mechanical methods
Chainsaws, brushcutters, slashers and other large equipment can be useful to remove larger weeds without
chemicals, but they must be used by qualified people who know about bush regeneration and always with the
permission of the land manager.
Contractors are a good source of labour. It is best to leave the engagement of contractors to the land manager.
This ensures that legal obligations are met and all parties are protected by the appropriate insurance.
Contractors must be chosen carefully as equipment can cause terrible damage to habitat if inappropriate
methods are used or if equipment has not been cleaned properly and new weeds are introduced.
If you think your site could benefit from mechanical weed removal please contact you land manager. Your
NRM or community facilitators within your local council, PWS and NRM regional office will be able to help you.
DANGER: Boxthorn has vicious thorns that can penetrate deeply even through solid boots, clothing
and tyres. Take great care when cutting and disposing of this plant – don’t leave branches where
anyone could get hurt. Burning may be the safest option but is the responsibility of the land
manager and fire authorities. Seek advice before tackling boxthorn.
Biological control
In some areas, research is being done to control certain weeds with insect predators and pathogens from the
country where the weed originated. Contact DPIPWE to find out whether any biological control is happening in
your area before you use chemicals that might work against it.
Environmental management
This involves changing the environmental conditions to disadvantage the weeds and prevent their spread.
Techniques include over planting to shade weeds and slashing schedules that enable native seeds to set but
removes weed seed heads before they set and can propagate.
Fire can be used to kill certain weeds and encourage native species. However, burning is likely to lead to
massive seedling germination because it breaks the dormancy of many weed seeds.
DANGER: Fire is a risky management option and burning should only ever be undertaken by the
land manager and fire management authorities.
SHARING STORIES: One Coastcare group realised that the slashing regime of their local council was
inadvertently favouring some weed grass species in the reserves the group was caring for. The group
understood that the council had a responsibility to keep the grass low during the summer but was frustrated
that the native grasses were not reseeding and the weed grasses were taking over. The group negotiated with
the council and the works crew staff to shift the slashing deadline by a couple of weeks which was enough
time to allow the native grasses to set their seeds before being slashed. The group advises that formalising
such arrangements with the land manager is essential to ensuring such practices remain in place regardless of
changes to staff or group membership.
16.6
Before using herbicides
Herbicides can be useful and have the advantage of not disturbing the soil. Herbicides should be used with
great care to ensure the safety of the user and the protection of the environment.
All herbicides are designed to kill and the utmost precautions need to be taken to avoid any risk of
contamination to the environment and ourselves. The best way to do this is to undertake an accredited course
on herbicide use, such as ChemCert.
It is more environmentally friendly to use techniques that target only the weed you are trying to kill. Check the
label to see if the herbicide you are using is very mobile in the soil or prone to vaporisation (and likely to drift
onto non-target plants and kill them). Consider the toxicity of the chemicals.
IMPORTANT: Minimise the impact of herbicides on the environment. Do not contaminate streams,
waterways, reservoirs or channels – there are only a few chemicals that are approved for use near
waterways. Avoid using chemicals where bees are foraging.
Designer highlight text please
CHECKLIST
Before you use herbicides check that you have:
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identified the weeds correctly
sought permission from the land manager
sought expert advice
ensured no biological control agents are in use at your site
checked that the herbicide you have chosen will kill the target weeds
read and understood the label on the herbicide you are using
selected the appropriate weed control method for your site
the correct safety equipment and a first aid kit
all the equipment necessary for the task
adequate water for rinsing spills
organised a site where you can clean the equipment after use.
Before any herbicides are applied the users should be briefed as follows:
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explain which herbicide/s are being used;
go through the safety precautions;
explain what actions or first aid to apply in the event of a spill; and
demonstrate the correct application techniques.
End highlight
Have you chosen the right herbicide?
Check to see if the herbicide you have chosen is registered for the intended use. Read the label and see if there
is a special licence to use the herbicide in Tasmania for your purpose.
IMPORTANT: The label is not just the label glued to the bottle – it also refers to the Material Safety
Data Sheet (MSDS), often contained in a plastic sleeve attached to the bottle.
Never remove the label from the bottle, and always ensure that the label is on-site when undertaking weed
control work.
If in doubt, contact a Regional Weed Management Officer at the Invasive Species Management section of
DPIPWE.
What is the Material Safety Data Sheet MSDS?
The MSDS is the official document that accompanies hazardous substances to provide the user, and
emergency and safety personnel with important information about the physical and chemical properties of the
substance.
The label and MSDS are important documents. You should read and understand the information contained on
the label. You must follow any instructions to use the material safely. The MSDS must always accompany the
substance when in transport or use.
You must NOT apply an agricultural chemical product at variance with the label instructions, except under a
permit granted by the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) DPIPWE has an offlabel permit (PER13160) for the use of a range of herbicides in non-crop and bushland situations. This permit
covers ‘persons generally’ and covers the majority of herbicides used by community groups. Individuals and
community groups should obtain a copy of this permit to have on site when undertaking weed control
activities.
16.7
Using herbicides safely
Personal health and safety are the most important consideration for anyone handling herbicides. Wearing
personal protective equipment and having adequate training for the task is essential. Spraying or mixing of
herbicides should only be undertaken by those with more formal training such as ChemCert. Consider the
following safety precautions.
Personal safety
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Read the label and wear the recommended safety clothing.
Do not use herbicides in windy weather.
Check all safety equipment especially gloves to ensure there will be no leakage. Gloves made of
absorbent material, including leather, should not be used if handling chemicals.
Avoid contact with eyes, skin and respiratory system.
If poisoning occurs seek medical help.
Avoid working in poorly ventilated areas.
Wash thoroughly before eating and drinking.
Wash safety clothing and other contaminated clothing after use.
After applying herbicides, it is important to wash hands and any other skin that may have come into
contact with the chemical.
GOOD IDEA: If you are at a working bee where herbicides are being used ensure you provide a
bucket with soap and water so that everyone can wash their hands before eating a snack or lunch.
Just in case they touched a bottle, glove or tool with herbicide on it.
Other precautions
The following precautions also apply when using any herbicide:
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It is recommended that dyes be used with herbicides. This serves to mark which plants have been
treated, to monitor any non-target damage, and to identify spillage. Specific herbicide marker dyes
are available at hardware stores.
Thoroughly wash equipment after use and before using another herbicide.
Store equipment in a safe place away from foodstuffs, seeds, fertilisers or other chemicals.
Store herbicides in the original container: never decant into other bottles or use unlabelled
containers. Do not re-use the container for other purposes. Dispose of containers appropriately, and
according to label instructions.
16.8
Herbicide control methods
‘Cut and paint’ or ‘drill and fill’ are popular techniques because they tend to kill only the targeted plant, and
use small amounts of herbicide. The herbicide must be applied to the sapwood (cambium layer), which is the
living part of the plant. It must be applied when the plant is actively growing, usually from spring through
summer. Do not apply when rain is due, as the chemical may run to other plants.
Take particular care. The herbicides for these techniques are used at higher concentrations, often undiluted.
Use protective gear such as gloves and protective eyewear.
GOOD IDEA: Remember to keep records of your herbicide applications to allow for monitoring and
adaptive management.
Cut and paint/cut and paste
For this method you need something to make the cut (secateurs, a hand saw or long handled pruners) and an
applicator, which can be a shoe polish container with a foam applicator pad or a hand spray bottle. Cut the
plant as near to the base as possible and apply the herbicide. This should be applied to the cut surface within
10 seconds of cutting or it will not work.
Apply the herbicide around the perimeter – this is where the living cambium layer is.
Keep the applicator pads as clean as possible to maximise the efficacy of the treatment. Some herbicide labels
that recommend the cut and paint method also recommend treatment of the bark below the cut.
Be sure to label the applicator bottle.
After use, empty the container, thoroughly clean it and store it safely.
Unused herbicide should be discarded as per the instructions on the label or taken to the chemical disposal
section of your refuse centre.
Drill and fill/frill and fill
Drilling and filling involves drilling holes around the trunk of a tree, usually at about 150 mm spacing, and filling
the holes with herbicide.
Frilling is similar but is done with a tomahawk or a chisel, and hammer, and the spacing is much closer. The
chisel is held at a slight angle to the trunk, hit with a hammer and the herbicide applied into the cut hole. The
aim is not to drill or chisel too deeply but to target the layer just under the bark (sapwood) that transports the
chemical throughout the plant. It is important not to ringbark the tree when frilling as this will reduce the
translocation of the herbicide.
Spot spraying
Spot spraying with a 1–2 litre spray bottle can control regrowth of weeds. The spray jet can be altered to
either a wide or narrow jet, making the application of the herbicide very target-specific.
Never use this technique in windy conditions and only use low to the ground, to minimise any spray drift on to
yourself and non-target plants. Even on a calm day spray drift can result in some non-target losses. In addition,
a residual compound can remain active in sandy soils and result in some off-target damage where leaching
occurs.
For spot spraying you must wear extra protective clothing. In addition to gloves and waterproof shoes wear
waterproof overalls (not just water-resistant), a hood and a face mask.
Mixing or diluting herbicides
Mixing or diluting herbicides should only be undertaken by an experienced person. Wear PVC or nitrile gloves,
protective eyewear and take a great deal of care.
Syringes (without needles) are very useful for measuring herbicides – use a different syringe for each product
you are using. If you are using a herbicide, a dye, and a penetrate you need three syringes. Use clean syringes
each time you mix up. Place the used syringes in a bucket, and clean them at the end of the day, along with the
cut and paint applicators. 20 mm syringes are ideal and available at a chemist.
Disclaimer of Liability
The previous section has been prepared to provide general information about using herbicides safely in
bushland situations. While the information has been provided to the best of our ability, the author and
publisher excludes all liability to any person for any consequences, including but not limited to all losses,
damages, costs, expenses and any other compensation, arising directly or indirectly from using information
or material (in part or in whole) contained in this handbook. This publication is for guidance only and those
reading it are advised to verify all information and to obtain and comply with any appropriate professional
or industrial advice and/or manufacturer’s instructions.
16.9
What works best
A single technique might work for a single weed species in a small area. However a combination of techniques
is usually most effective, particularly in controlling larger weed infestations. Using hand weeding along with
small amounts of herbicide (by the cut and paste method) and, in some instances, a spray contractor for large
infestations can be very effective.
DANGER: Whatever method of weeding you use, make sure everyone is wearing gloves and you
have a suitable first aid kit. Some plants can cut your hands and broken glass, syringes and other
hazards may be present. A variety of plants – cotoneaster, for example – can cause allergic
reactions including hay fever, asthma and skin rashes in susceptible people.
[DESIGNER please put the Bradley method into a coloured box]
The Bradley method is best (developed in the 1960s by Joan and Eileen Bradley)
The best and cheapest weed management strategy is usually the Bradley method. This method of gradual
removal takes some years but is very effective. It greatly reduces the effort of follow-up because the
regeneration of native species is more successful.
The method has three basic principles.
1. Work from the best areas of native plants towards weed-infested areas.
Start with the areas with the least weeds. This gives the indigenous species the upper hand because their
seeds are already in the ground.
2. Minimise the amount of soil disturbance to reduce the potential for a fresh weed invasion.
Weeding will invariably cause some disturbance to the existing soil structure and layers. Return the disturbed
soil as close as possible to its original position and firm it down gently. This includes the mulch, which is the
first line of defence against a fresh invasion.
3. Let native plant regeneration dictate the rate of weed removal.
Don’t weed the worst areas immediately after less infested areas have been weeded. It is often better to
simply wait for the less infested areas to regenerate before proceeding slowly into the worst areas. Overclearing an area faster than the native plants can re-colonise just guarantees a lot more weeding.
SHARING STORIES: Southern Beaches Landcare/Coastcare find the Bradley method works well. They have
learnt from experience that large-scale removal of some species by contractors doesn’t work if the local group
can’t manage to control the huge numbers of seedlings that come up over the next few years.
16.10
Timing and follow-up
Timing of weeding is important – it must be done before they produce seed. Otherwise, weeding can disperse
the seed and set off a new invasion. Many plants release seeds during flowering or soon after flowering
finishes, but some, such as coast tea-tree, retain their seed and removal at any time can cause seed dispersal.
Knowing how different weeds reproduce is helpful for planning control. For instance it can tell you how long
seed may be stored in the soil or the best time to expect the majority of seedlings to emerge.
Plants with a long seed-maturing period offer a longer window of opportunity for physical removal. Most
weeds are flowering by September and set their seed soon after. As a general rule, pulling weeds out in
September–October is the safest option, but there are exceptions, such as Spanish heath, which is best done
earlier (August–September).
Note that flowering times vary from season to season, and often by a matter of months, not just weeks.
Flowering times also vary considerably along the coast. For example, some plants flower almost year-round in
the milder conditions on the east coast.
It certainly pays to get to know your weeds and to keep an eye on them, especially from late winter onwards.
Table 17.1: Weed control methods and timing for the southern temperate zone. Taken from Tasmanian
Coastal Works Manual (Page and Thorp 2010)
Woody weeds
Mulch/smother
Shrubs
Herbaceous
plants
Grasses
All year
All year
Vines &
scramblers
Bulbs, tubers &
rhizomes
All year
Spring &
summer
Solarisation
Pull*
Cut & paint
Spring &
summer
Before seed set Before seed set Before seed set Before seed set Before seed set Before seed set
Spring
Foliar spray
Inject
Spring &
summer
Spring &
summer
Spring
Spring
Spring &
summer
Spring
Wipe
Spring &
summer
Spring &
summer
Spring
Spring
Before flowering
*Most weeds in Tasmania are flowering by September and set seed soon after. As a general rule, pulling weeds
out in September–October is the safest option (avoid shorebird nesting beaches) but there are exceptions,
such as Spanish heath, which is best done earlier (June–July). Note that flowering times vary from season to
season, and often by months, not just weeks. Check the growth and flowering times of individual species to
ensure weeds are targeted at the optimum times.
DANGER: Sea spurge produces a toxic sap that is irritating to the skin and can be
particularly painful if it gets into the eyes. Sea spurge sap has caused painful eye damage
sufficient to hospitalise experienced Coastcarers who were wearing gloves and full
protective gear but brushed the hair out of their eyes with sap on their gloves.
Best times for hand-removal of some common coastal weeds:
There are optimal times for hand removal of some common coastal weeds. However, when planning the
timing of weed-removal activities, it is important to consider other environmental, cultural and recreational
values.
IMPORTANT: Shorebirds typically nest between 1 October and 31 March and will be disturbed by
activities on beaches and dunes. Penguin and shearwater colonies should be avoided during
breeding and moulting times. Shearwater colonies are active between September and March, and
some penguin colonies can have breeding penguins at any time of the year – check with local PWS
staff and BirdLife Tasmania for additional information and local issues.
Early spring: boneseed, boxthorn, brooms, Cape Leeuwin wattle, Spanish heath, sweet pittosporum (but watch
for attached fruit), tree lucerne
Spring: coprosma, rice grass, sea spurge. This is shorebird breeding season.
Autumn: sea spurge, boneseed
IMPORTANT: Never remove weeds when ripe seed is on them unless you take exceptional
precautions, such as placing them in bags as you go. One seed-laden weed carried even a small
distance to a weed pile or bin will negate all the hard work done.
Follow-up work is essential
If you do not do follow-up weeding to finish off the plants you missed or those that germinated afterwards,
you will have wasted your time. Any weed infestation requires a long-term commitment and consistent effort
if it is to be controlled effectively.
It is important to keep a constant eye out for new weed invasions and to patrol the whole area at least once a
year.
Climate change and weeds in Tasmania
Climate change may result in unexpected or complex changes to weeds and infestations in the future. Existing
weeds may spread to new areas, new weeds may emerge and some vegetation communities may become less
resilient to weeds and diseases.
It is more important than ever to maintain healthy ecosystems and foster resilience in our natural habitats.
Working from least infested areas to most infested areas and addressing the most potentially damaging
invasive species will continue to be the best weed management approach. Look out for new information and
guidelines as they become available to address climate change affects on weed management.
ALERT: Identifying new weeds incursions will become critical in a changing climate. Seek expert
advice about any plants that you cannot identify.
16.11
Avoid spreading weeds - weed and disease hygiene
It would be a shame to remove one weed infestation from your site only to introduce another on your tools or
equipment, or worse a soil borne disease. Good weed and disease hygiene, is critical in coastal areas to avoid
introducing weeds and diseases in imported materials and spreading weeds or diseases from an infested area
to an un-infested area on vehicles, tools, other equipment and clothing.
Mulches are often used to prevent the spread of weeds onto bare patches of soil. It is important to ensure that
imported landscape materials such as mulches are free of weeds and diseases – ask for a statement from the
vendor. Mulches tend to be made from a variety of products with varying origins and may contain weed
propagules (e.g. seeds or root fragments). Use mulches made from single products (e.g. gum bark) or which
are heat treated in some way (avoid materials treated with chemicals or irradiation, which may harm the
natural vegetation).
Avoid slashing in weed infected areas when seed heads are mature, to reduce the risk of spreading the weed
on-site and collecting seeds on machinery that could be transported to new sites.
GOOD IDEA: Ask your volunteers to clean their boots and tools before the working bee to ensure
they do not bring weeds or disease from home or their last bushwalking trip.
Wash down all tools, machinery and personal equipment when moving between sites. This is particularly
important when a site is known to be either infested or free of weeds and disease. Although wash-down
procedures take time, they will greatly reduce future weed and disease management needs.
Washdown standards are detailed in DPIPWE Tasmanian washdown guidelines for weed and disease control.
Personal equipment and small tools
Portable wash baths are recommended for washing footwear and small tools.
Washbaths can be made from a plastic tub fitted with an open weave plastic doormat, a scrubbing brush, a
pair of safety gloves, glasses, detergent or fungicide, and a container of clean water. For backpacking, a 2L
bottle, scrubbing brush, safety gloves and glasses can be used for washing small tools and boots.
A biocide such as F10SC or Phytoclean™ should be added to washbaths to control the spread of pathogens and
disease (e.g. P. cinnamomi) if required.
Phytophthora Root rot
Phytophthora root rot (Phytophthora cinnamomi) is a microscopic pathogen (disease-causing organism). P.
cinnamomi (root rot or die-back) is listed as a key threatening process in the Commonwealth’s Environment
Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. A national P. cinnamomi threat abatement plan has been
prepared and is supported by national guidelines.
DANGER: Phytophthora cinnamomi can be spread by moving soil including minute quantities of
soil on tools, boots and vehicles.
Signs of phytophthora infection include patches of dead or dying peas and heaths, often extending down
slopes and showing older areas of mortality towards the centre. Sedges and grasses remain unaffected.
Vulnerable vegetation types include coastal heathlands, heathy eucalypt woodlands and buttongrass
moorland. Phytophthora root rot is unlikely to be an issue in wetland or foreshore beach vegetation.
The best way to prevent the spread of phytophthora is to clean all tools and machinery before entering and
leaving work sites.
If you suspect one of your work sites may be infected with phytophthora you will need to take extra
precautions. Please consult with experts at DPIPWE for advice.
16.12
Telling your community
Let your coastal bushland neighbours know about the impact of weeds on our coastal areas and that they can
help stop the spread of weeds.
Encourage property owners to dispose of garden waste responsibly by composting or mulching (some councils
collect green waste from homes).
You can help educate your community about the threat of weeds escaping from their gardens by using the
many weed brochures and posters that are available. There are a number of resources about replacing weeds
in the garden with native plants and how to landscape with native plants.