kathryn marsh wrote:
Kathryn
Was just clearing out some old mail when I came across this. A
triquetrum is well known here under the name of onion weed and is
widespread in the Lower Hutt valley, but much rarer in Wainui, thank
goodness, and I have never found it in my patch. However when I had my
gardening business I did come across numerous infestations and actually
devised a pretty good method of dealing with it.
Apparently it is one of those bulbous plants which uses up all the food
it has stored in a mad rush of spring growth and flowering, so at that
time it has virtually no bulb left at the base and pulls up very easily.
The secret I found, apart from the timing, is not to attempt pulling up
single plants but take it in handfuls as large as you can manage.
I cleared many areas in this way leaving the beds apparently clean of
all bulbs, but of course there is aways the odd one missed because it is
very small or because the top breaks, or I suppose the odd seedling
which then germinates. However, I found in most cases a further attack
the second spring would round up and dispose of the stragglers.
And then of course all one needs is to guard against re-infestation!!
A method I have heard of but not actually tried is to put the area into
lawn as it is apparently quite easy to weaken by regular mowing.
Hope you find these ideas helpful.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
