Himalayan Balsam Control Tips On Managing Himalayan Balsam Plants

The most effective method of controlling Himalayan balsam is cutting and hand pulling. If you're getting rid of Himalayan balsam plants by hand, let the cut plants lie on the ground in the sun for a few days to dry out and die before composting them. Herbicides also work but only as a last resort.

How can I control Himalayan Balsam?

Himalayan balsam can be controlled by spraying the foliage with glyphosate. The plants should be sprayed in the spring before flowering but late enough to ensure that germinating seedlings have grown up sufficiently to be adequately covered by the spray. Glyphosate is sold under a number of brand names.

How do you take care of a balsam plant?

The plants will need supplemental watering once a week in the summer. Frequent watering is necessary for balsam in containers and hanging baskets. Collect the seed pods carefully at the end of the season. Let the pod dry and keep in an airtight jar in a dark, cool area of the home until spring.

Can you strim Himalayan balsam?

Strimming. Strimming is a good option where stands are dense, and where the ground is reasonably level. Care should be taken to strim the plant below the first node, as it will otherwise re-grow and flower later in the season. Strimmed plants can be left on site to compost, but only if the seed pods have not yet formed ...

Does Balsam need sunlight?

Planting, sowing balsam

Prefer shade or part shade. One variety, Impatiens hawkeri or New Guinea impatiens tolerates sun. The soil must contain a lot of humus. Plant at least 8 to 10 specimens to a square yard (1 m²) to create amazing ground cover.

What kills Himalayan balsam?

Small infestations and individual plants can be controlled by using glyphosate in a weed wiper. This has the advantage of minimising herbicide effects on non-target species. The herbicide 2,4-D amine controls many broadleaved annual weeds and can be used on Himalayan balsam.

Is it illegal to grow Himalayan balsam?

It is illegal to plant or allow Himalayan Balsam to grow in the wild and is listed under Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. If you have Himalayan Balsam growing in your garden, you must control it in order that it does not spread.

Is Balsam plant poisonous?

This plant has low severity poison characteristics. A frost-tender annual, Garden Balsam is a sparsely branched that can grow up to 30" tall but frequently exceeds this height in the wild.

Is Balsam plant edible?

It is most commonly found along waterways and very damp areas, but can grow in drier areas, too. Use as a food The seedings, young shoots, leaves, flowers are all edible with caution - see Hazards. They can be eaten raw or cooked. The seeds have a lovely nutty texture and give a nice texture and crunch to salads.

Is Balsam a perennial?

Balsam Flower Planting Pros

(Mary's viewpoint) Balsam flower is an annual plant that hales from Southeast Asia. Compact, double forms are the most common and available in a stunning array of colors that white and shades of red, salmon, lilac, orange, purple, rose or pink, either solid colored or variegated.

When should I pull Himalayan balsam?

The best time is early to mid-summer, before the seeds have matured. The most effective method of controlling Himalayan balsam is cutting and hand pulling.

How can you tell Himalayan balsam?

How to Identify Himalayan Balsam.

The Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an upright, annual plant.
It has long, pointed leaves which have serrated edges and grow in pairs or whorls of three along the stems.
The stems may be green or a striking red, often a mixture of the two.

How long are Himalayan balsam seeds viable?

Once established in the catchment of a river the seeds, which can remain viable for two years, are transported further afield by water.

Is Balsam a herbaceous plant?

Since Balsam is a herbaceous plant, it wilts during mid-day even if the soil is well-watered.

What does Himalayan balsam look like?

Himalayan balsam grows up to 3 metres high with a hollow and bamboo-like stem, pink-red to green in colour with green vertical grooves. ... Leaves are long, slender and shiny, with serrated edges and are dark green in colour.

How do Himalayan balsam disperse their seeds?

As you can see, himalayan balsam can achieve quite a height (3 m) allowing it to disperse its seed by exploding seed pods. By growing to such a height and exploding it can disperse its seeds maybe 3-5 m from the original plant, which can cast into the river and carried on by the flow.

Does Himalayan balsam smell?

Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is known to many people as an attractive plant with a familiar sweet scent, and a reputation for being a good nectar source for bees.

Why is Himalayan balsam a problem?

But Himalayan balsam is a problematic plant. It competes with native plants for light, nutrients, pollinators and space, excluding other plants and reducing biodiversity. It dies back in the winter, leaving river banks bare and open to erosion.

Can you compost Himalayan balsam?

Himalayan balsam

Small infestations in gardens can be controlled by hand pulling other than when seedpods are visible. It is recommended that the pulled plants are left dry out on-site to kill the plant before composting. ... The dead plants can be hot composted.

Is Japanese knotweed the same as Himalayan balsam?

How Himalayan Balsam looks similar to Japanese Knotweed. Just like Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam is a fast grower; it can quickly cover a large area and grow as tall as 2.5 metres. And like Japanese Knotweed, it also has a hollow stem.

Why is seed dispersal useful to Himalayan balsam plants?

The aggressive seed dispersal, coupled with high nectar production which attracts pollinators, often allows the Himalayan Balsam to outcompete native plants. ... The higher nectar production in the flowers also makes the plant more attractive to bees resulting in less pollination of our native species.

Do goats eat Himalayan balsam?

Our Goats love eating Himalayan Balsam which is good as there is plenty about.