Weeds in Australia

Weeds have a massive impact on the Australian environment. The have a big impact on primary producers, and hence effect the economy, environment and have societial implications.

Weeds are defined as any plant that requires some sort of action to reduce its effect on the economy and environment. They are usually plants that produce a lot seeds that assists in their reproduction. They can be foreign or native and in all sorts of environments.

Weeds are no good because they displace native vegetation, affecting farmland and forests. Weeds can take over in areas, meaning other plants have to compete for space, sunlight and nutrients from the soil.

The introduction of foreign animals has helped the spread of weeds. Rabbits for example are not native to Australia. They eat blackberries, meaning their seeds are spread around in rabbit droppings. This contributes to the spread of the weed. Weeds will use a variety of methods to spread their seeds, including wind, animals (rabbits for example), waterways and people.

An another example of weeds spreading is fertilisers being washed into bushland. This increased availability of nutrients creates an environment for weeds to thrive in.

There is an economic cost associated with weeds. There are massive amounts of money spent trying to control weeds, and also a huge amount of money lost to decreased productivity of land.

Weeds can impact on the environment, agriculture and human health.

Environmentally, weeds can take over in regions threatening native plants as they compete for space, nutrients and sunlight.

From an agricultural perspective, they can take over grazing land affect farm machinery. Weeds are an issue for every farmer.

Weeds can also have an impact on human health, with many weeds causing skin irritation and being posionous.

You can buy mulch and use the black bags that come with it as a membrane underneath it. You then lay the plastic on your flower bed and stab some holes in it in order to get drainage. As an alternative you can use compost from your compost heap, wet newspaper, pieces of carpet or matting, or ever grass clippings as mulch. You can also combine all these together with mulch from a shop to actually make it go further. The layer of mulch should be about 10 centimetres thick and it should cover the whole flower bed. You should leave space around the base of the plants so that they can breathe. When you want to plant new plants you can carefully push the mulch to one side. Then plant the plant and then recover it. Check the soil and the rootball of all the new plants because you don't want to get new weeds into your garden!