Where is the rain? The last time we had a bit of rain was the 8th of February and I can now really see how the drought is having an impact on the estate and all areas that is not under irrigation. Let us all hope for some relief in the next couple of days.

Around the course we are currently eradicating some kikuyu in the out of play areas. Kikuyu loves a little irrigation during a drought. I know that most of you always battle keeping kikuyu out of your lawns or for some of you; you battle keeping Bermuda grass out of your kikuyu lawns. Below I found an interesting article about eradicating kikuyu on a more environmental friendly method and as an added bonus, it is very inexpensive. Maybe it is worth a try by some of you if you have smaller areas of alien grass you want to get rid of:

Some weeds can be pulled out of the ground easily and once removed will die. Not so for perennial weeds with their tenacious underground root and stem systems. Rhizomes and stolons are adapted underground storage roots which enable the plant to spread faster and endure harsher weather conditions than annuals.

Perennial weeds include Kikuyu (Pennnistetum clandestinum), Buffalo (Stenataphrum secumatum) and Couch (Cynodon datylon). Other perennial weeds are oxalis, blackberry, onion weed, sorrel, dock, and many more.

As gardeners understand and respect the soil’s health, as well as their own, there is a growing preference for combating weed problems without the use of herbicides. Tim Marshall has been working on a way of controlling these invaders organically, using no herbicides.

The major problem when trying to remove persistent perennial weeds is that any little piece of root or bulblet left in the ground will reshoot. Cultivation is not possible because it breaks the roots and every little bit with a node will grow.

Tim Marshall has an organic farm, Nirvana, in South Australia. He has developed an organic method of eradication using a combination of plant exhaustion and heat.

1. During the growing season, mow grass and weeds down short. Water and fertilise to keep them actively growing.
2. Cover the whole area of infestation with black plastic. Underneath this stolons produce long, etiolated (long intermodal spaces and white/yellow colour) growth.
3. Under the plastic, without sunlight, plants are unable to produce chlorophyll (green pigment). Chlorophyll also protects plants from UV rays. Choosing a hot sunny day, strip off the plastic. Without chlorophyll the plants are unprotected and get sun-burnt, killing them.
4. It may be necessary to repeat the process several times until the forced growth under the black plastic depletes all the plants' energy stored underground.

Black plastic blocks all the sun's rays, whereas clear plastic allows long-wave radiation in and prevents short-wave radiation from coming out. This produces a greenhouse effect, or solarisation, which is good for sterilising potting soils but is not so effective to get rid of stolon roots.

Tim's method is a very effective way of killing off invading perennial weeds, particularly stolons rooted grasses.

It certainly beats herbicide use!