
Japanese Honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica spreads by birds and dumping garden waste.
Come along and give a hand at the Friends of Mt Majura working party on Sunday, the 16th February; help remove Japanese Honeysuckle and other pesky weeds at the drainage ditch close to the Hackett water tank and spread wood chip mulch to suppress the germination of Chilean Needle Grass along the edge.
When: Sunday, 16 February 2025, 9 am to 12 noon; give as much time as you can spare.
Where: Meet at the drainage line close to the water reservoir off Rivett Street and French Street intersection, Hackett; view this map.

Japanese honeysuckle smothering native plants in mt Ainslie nature reserve (W.Pix)
What: Removal of Japanese Honeysuckle, Ivy and Privets; spread of wood chip mulch.
Bring and wear: Sun protection, long sleeves and pants, sturdy shoes and garden gloves, if you have them.
We will provide tools, buckets, extra gloves, a delicious home made cake and instructions.
You need no experience to attend this event.
Inquiries: secretary@majura.org
For further information of the restoration work around the drainage line, visit https://majura.org/working-party-23-10-2022/
Deep Mulching – An experiment to help control Chilean Needle Grass
Chilean Needle Grass (CNG), Nassella neesiana is a Weed of National Significance. It is regarded as one of the worst weeds in Australia because of its invasiveness, potential of spread, and economic and environmental impact. It is closely related to another Weed of National Significance, Serrated Tussock, Nassella trichotoma.

A mono-culture of Chilean Needle Grass in the reserve east of Rivett Street, Hackett (W.Pix).
CNG reduces the biodiversity of grassy ecosystems where it out-competes indigenous species and can form mono-cultures.
An unusual feature of the grass species is the formation of basal flower stems in addition to normal flower stems which enables plants to reproduce despite slashing or grazing. Seedlings have a high survival rate and can produce flowers in the first season; the adult plants are long-lived and very hardy.
CNG on Mt Majura occurs mainly at the lower slopes, at nature park entry points, and around tracks. A large infestation spread around the Hackett water tank, along the drainage line and the back of Rivett Street residential properties.
The dispersal of CNG is assisted by regular slashing including during peak seeding time in summer to reduce fire fuel and by local residents who spread grass clippings in the reserve (see for instance here and here).
Two years ago, volunteers of Friends of Mt Majura (FoMM) began control of CNG along the southern edge of the drainage line, combining herbicide application with physical removal, mulching, and the planting and direct seeding of indigenous species.

Majura Mountain Scouts spread mulch on top of dead CNG sprayed with herbicide several weeks earlier (W.Pix).
An experimental approach is to deep-mulch with wood chips on top of dense mono-culture infestations that have been initially sprayed with herbicide to kill the adult plants.
The idea is to hinder the germination of CNG seeds from the massive soil seed bank and reduce the growth of seedlings. Over time, when the soil seed bank reduces and the mulch decomposes, FoMM plans to direct seed indigenous plants to provide a competitive ground cover.
Visit https://canberra.naturemapr.org/sightings/4623677 to see more.