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Volume 32: Issue4, April 2018
STONEY CREEK GAZETTE Circulation: 565
Annual Trivia Night
Carwoola and surrounding areas
7.30pm Saturday 26th May At the Carwoola Community Hall (off Douglas Close).
Bookings are essential.
Only $10 per person, including mid-evening supper.
Please bring your own drinks and nibbles.
To book your table (maximum of 9 per table)
email [email protected] or phone Gerlinde on 0417 306038.
Tables are limited so book early!
If you can’t raise a table of 6 - 9 people but are happy to join others, just book yourself.
This is a great opportunity to meet your neighbours, support your local community and
have some fun with trivia, competitions, raffles and auctions.
Sponsors!
If you are interested in donating a prize to sponsor this annual fund-raising event
please call Charlotte on 0427 279272 or email [email protected].
Carwoola Website: www.carwoola.org.au The Stoney Creek Gazette is a publication of the Carwoola Community Association Inc.
It is distributed to mail boxes (where possible) from the Kings Highway turnoff along the Captains Flat Road and in Wanna Wanna, Green Acres, Clydesdale, Stony Creek, Radcliffe, Molonglo River Park, Widgiewa, Carwoola, Woolcara, and Primrose Valley, with
limited distribution in Hoskinstown and Forbes Creek. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of its editors, the Carwoola Community Association, or of
the Gazette's advertisers.
April Gardening (Wanda Egan)
Get ready to spray your lawns for bindii. It will be up soon and while it doesn’t hurt our feet now it will come summer when it goes to seed. Spray with Bindii and Clover Killer™ or Kamba™ once a month or every 6 weeks depending on how bad your lawns are. Just be careful not to let any over spray get on other plants, shrubs and roses. Follow the directions for use.
Cut back your Buddleja now by 2/3 as well as your Oregano and Thyme. Also dead-head your Lamb’s Ears and also your Japanese Wind Flowers, Anemone sp. Cut back your Aster daisy and Shasta daisy low to the ground once they have finished flowering
Fertilise your bulbs as they start to emerge from the ground.
In your Vege patch; plant leeks, onions, garlic and turnips. Asian greens, beetroot and lettuce can still get you through the winter months. Spinach and silver beet also grow through winter. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, beans and broad beans too. Be sure to put down some snail bait to give them a fighting chance. If you wish to rest beds it’s a great idea to cover with mulch (I prefer Lucene mulch) or sow a winter green manure crop. Either way it will improve and feed your soil microbes through the winter and keep weeds at bay.
Orders can be placed shortly for bare-rooted Fruit trees and Roses. Prepare ground now for winter-spring delivery. Be sure to add plenty of manure and/or compost.
Divide Strawberries now by cutting off and potting new plants growing on the runners and mulch with pine needles.
Re-pot Cyclamen with fresh potting mix or plant out into the garden with the top of the bulb visibly above the soil surface.
Sprinkle Dolomite around fruit trees and water in well, then mulch.
Collect any autumn leaves and use as mulch on your gardens.
Contentious Character
Event News
The good news is we are open all Easter from Good Friday!
Good Friday night – Fish n’ Chips w’ Kids Menu, with happy hour 5-7pm, 25% off all drinks.
Easter Egg Paint & Hunt Easter Sunday April 1 for kids and big kids! - Kids (5-17rs) $35 includes the hunt,
choice of pizza or vegetarian pasta, ice cream and drink, while Mum and Dad enjoy their lunch.
From1130am Sunday April 1st
Canberra Wine Week – Weekends April 7 & 8, 14 & 15. Vintage Flights with Paired Plate
Quality vintages from 2001 to 2016 - unheard of!! Choose Shiraz or Riesling and sit back and listen to some
funky tunes in the fireside lounge or be out in the sunshine on the deck soaking up the views, while we
prepare your flight. $55 for five vintages plus delicious morsels paired to each vintage. Book through
info@contentiouscharacter and let us know which Flight takes your fancy, leave your baggage behind and
have a great Flight at Contentious Character. Limited Sittings at 11am, 130pm and 330pm
Closed Anzac Day
Gift Vouchers available for your loved ones; go to website under ORDERS, scroll to Gift cards.
Character filled special events and magical weddings - Talk to Jordan for further information.
Domestic Water – sourced directly from Canberra’s treated supply
STAINLESS STEEL TANK (14,000L)
ICON WATER inspected and approved
Servicing your local area for over 30 years!
0428 626 838
PO Box 7236 KARABAR NSW 2620
At Ridge View Equestrian we provide riding programs to your needs – be it in Side Saddle, Dressage Hunter or Show Horse equitation.
Get instruction from a fully qualified NCAS EA Level 1 Dressage & Show Horse instructor, EA Show Horse Judge, UK ‘A’ Level Side Saddle Instructor & Judge, B.A./Dip. Ed. And Cert IV in Training and Assessment.
All lessons are conducted in a fully fenced outdoor mirrored sand arena or fenced jumping/working hunter area for your safety.
Clinics/training delivered around Australia. Clinic/training information available on our Facebook Ridge View Equestrian or website www.ridgeviewequestrian.com
Side saddles available for lesson/clinic hire at reasonable rates.
All ages and standards welcome (based on horse suitability).
We have schooled horses available for lesson hire.
Plenty of parking and yards available if bringing your own horse.
Located at Carwoola, NSW 2620. 20 minutes from Canberra airport.
FREE horse manure available for pick-up all year around.
Permaculture Festival
Join us at Canberra's inaugural ACT Permaculture Festival, 10am - 4pm on Sunday 15 April at the Canberra City Farm site, 2 Dairy Road, Fyshwick.
With us and presenting are:
Costa from the ABC’s Gardening Australia.
Grubby the Garden Gnome (entertaining us at 10:15am)
David Holmgren, one of the permaculture co-originators will be launching his new book 'RetroSuburbia' and doing book signings (https://www.holmgren.com.au RetroSuburbia) . And really, who doesn’t want a book signed by David
Holmgren himself?
And others.
Theme is connectivity. There'll be lots of stalls, info sessions, demonstrations and talks through the day. Check the link for posts on what’s on (including wicking bed making & growing; beeswax cloth making; waste reduction; veggie
growing; use of animals; trees; bee keeping; soil building; food harvesting and storage; ... lots and lots more.
Please bring your reusable coffee cups, shopping bags and water bottles to the ACT Permaculture Festival and help continue our war on waste!
Southern Harvest will have a stall so members please get in touch with [email protected] if you would like them to sell your produce on the day through their Community Stall system.
MATT O’BRIEN SOLICITOR
2/28 Malbon Street Bungendore
Matt O’Brien Solicitor services the greater
Bungendore area, offering legal advice and
representation for:
Criminal law
Conveyancing
Wills and Probate
Estate planning
General law
Available by appointment in our Bungendore
office or for home visits.
www.mattobriensolicitor.com
02 6238 1097 0459 020 635
Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm or by appointment
CARWOOLA PEST CONTROL
Providing general pest
control services, termite
inspections and treatments
and pre-purchase
inspections.
We are located in Carwoola and service
the ACT, Palerang region and south
coast.
For further information and to arrange an
appointment:
Contact Pete on 0458 053 444
Website:
www.carwoolapestcontrol.com.au
Email:
NSW Licence: 5077997
ACT Licence : EA1066.
classifieds classifieds classifieds classifieds classifieds classifieds classifieds classif
For Sale: Fat Lambs, Crossbred, 7/8 months old, $85 each. Free local delivery. Wooltable, round, rotating, excellent condition $250 ONO. Phone 62975371
ieds classifieds classifieds classifieds classifieds classifieds classifieds classifieds
Hot Spots Cafe
The Stoney Creek RFS cafe will be on Sunday 15 April, 9:30-11:30 at the fire station/ community hall, Gathering Place, Carwoola.
The theme for April is fire safety within the home.
We will focus on
- wood fire heaters, management of ash heaps, chimney maintenance to prevent flue fires
- safe charging if multiple mobile devices - risks associated with over heated mobile phone etc batteries
- what to do if faces
- what to do if you are confronted with a house fire.
- smoke alarms
For Sale
Prime Lucerne Hay - Small Bales
$18.00 per Bale
Soft and Leafy
Top Quality for all livestock
Oaten Hay - Small Bales
$15.00 per Bale
Minimum of 10 Bales
Free local delivery on orders over 20 Bales
Discounts apply on bulk orders
Bungendore/Bywong Area
Phone - 0402 325 610
DEADLINE for the May 2018 STONEY CREEK GAZETTE
***5pm last day of April***
Please send CONTRIBUTIONS, ADVERTISEMENTS, CLASSIFIEDS to the Gazette Editor
email: [email protected] (phone 0417 488 723)
All emails get a response confirming they were received.
Inclusion of items is dependent on space available
Carwoola Community Association and Stoney Creek Gazette are not registered for GST
Advertising in the Gazette Business:
Full page $75.00
Half page $40.00
Quarter page $20.00
Local part-time business:
Quarter page $15.00
Classifieds (non-business) are free
Carwoola Weather for March, 2018 (Martin Butterfield)
Temperatures oC (Jan 1993 to date)
Current year Max Min Average
March 2018 32.6 1.2 16.9
Past years Max Date Min Date
March 39 1 /3/2005 -4 31/3/1995
All Months 45 24 Jan 2001 -10 02 Aug 1997
Rainfall (mm) (May 1984 to date)
Current year Past years
Total Average Max Min
March 5.8 83 198.3 0.5
Annual total 349 (pro rata) 672.2 1004.5 409.7
A detailed report on the weather in March will be posted to my blog
http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/ early in April.
Locally owned and operated, National Drones Canberra (Carwoola based), is a fully licensed and CASA certified business, commercially operating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) in the ACT and surrounding districts. At National Drones Canberra, we are;
CASA Certified (CASA.UOC.0458) Hold $20m Public Liability Insurance. Provide experience in
- Thermal imaging - Building and construction - Insurance Assessment - Asset inspection and Facility Management - Aerial imagery of farm and properties - Aerial mapping and surveying - Create Real Estate imagery
Contact David M: 0409 DRONES (0409 376 637) E: [email protected]
Pindone Baiting of Rabbits in Knox Close, Carwoola (written by Toni Fairbairn)
Over the last two weeks residents of Knox Close joined together in an effort to reduce the rabbit population. Knox Close baited with Pindone some time ago. Reduction in rabbit numbers was more than we had hoped for. It was six months before anybody saw a rabbit and numbers were down for around eighteen months to two years.
Feelers were put out to see if residents would be interested in doing another baiting. A strong response was received and fifteen households participated in baiting. A combined effort of properties close together will increase the success rate and really knock the problem on the head. Baiting wraps up this Saturday, 10 March with a clean-up and disposal.
The steps that need to be followed are not onerous. Firstly, someone must have completed the accredited course for handling Pindone, which is mixed by the Government Authority. We had several people in our street that were already accredited. Courses are held by NSW Government, Local Land Services (LLS) who are based in Braidwood. If there is enough interest courses can be held locally. Courses have been run at the local Carwoola Community Centre in the past.
So a layman’s guide to how it works:
Start a conversation with neighbours to gauge interest
Contact LLS
If no-one is accredited in the group, nominate a person to complete the course with LLS
Leaflet notification delivered to all neighbours to the properties that are baiting
Signage must be put on gates of those undertaking the baiting
Set a schedule for laying the first two unbaited carrot drops
Set a schedule for laying approximately three baited carrot drops and coordinate with LLS. LLS will
mix Pindone in with your carrots at a designated meeting point at a designated time
After every baited carrot drop, look for rabbit carcases the next morning. If any are found, they
must be disposed of in a body bag for incineration or burial.
Because you are using a poison there are guidelines on how it should be handled including disposal of carcasses. Admittedly, we didn’t find any carcases. The rabbits usually go to their burrows and die.
During the time of the Pindone baiting and for a period after it you should be careful to keep animals away from the poisoned carrots and carcasses.
After purchasing plants that were immediately eaten by rabbits, I joked to my husband that I wouldn’t serve $1000 a kilogram lettuce, so why should I be feeding the rabbits food at roughly this cost. If you work out the cost of your plants that rabbits have eaten, it is staggering.
LLS were easy to deal with and are keen to have groups involved.
So if you’ve had enough of bunnies wrecking your gardens, talk to your neighbours and do a letter box drop to gauge interest.
What have you got to lose? It’s a great reason to get to know your neighbours.
Next issue of the Stoney Creek I will give an account of the final rap up and results. This will include the amount of carrots that were distributed over 15 households and the take up rate.
Captains Flat Rural Fire Station Council has gone out to tender for the design and construction of the Captains Flat Fire Station. At the meeting of 28 March, Council resolved to work with the RFS to expedite the construction. Heritage Festival: The Queanbeyan-Palerang Heritage Festival is on from 4 April to 6 May. There are events in Jembaicumbene, Braidwood, Queanbeyan and Bungendore, with a lot of variety including an oral history workshop, museum open days, finding your Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestors, an exhibition of mechanical musical instruments and more. Some of the events require you to make bookings, find all the details on the Council website at www.qprc.nsw.gov.au/Events/2018-Heritage-Festival. Delivery Program Councillors and staff are working to develop the draft Delivery Program, which is Council's major planning document. It will list the projects that Council intends to undertake in the period from 2018-2021. The goal is to combine Council's asset management plans with feedback from the community into a project plan for the next three years. This will be put on public exhibition for the community to comment on during May. If you would like to provide comment, you can register on Council's engagement website so that you can be informed when it is open for comment. The site is: yourvoice.qprc.nsw.gov.au. We will also publicise via our weekly e-Newsletter, our Facebook page and through the Mayor’s regular column in the local newspapers. Community Meetings You are invited to community meetings in May for updates on projects and the opportunity to ask questions. We will also present the draft Delivery Program at these meetings. The meetings will run from 6-8pm and be held:
3 May - Queanbeyan Council Chambers
8 May - Bungendore Council Chambers
10 May - Braidwood Old Library If you would like to add an item to the agenda please email [email protected]
Notes on birds March 2018
The most exciting bird news has been the hearing of 2 Powerful Owls (the sexes make slightly different calls and
these were one of each) near the intersection of Wanna Wanna and Captains Flat Rds. Could anyone driving through
that area after dark keep an eye open for them and let me know.
Although the days are still warm something – possibly the “prescribed burns” - seems to be driving the migrants out
of the Brindabellas. Small flocks of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters are passing through on a daily basis . White-eared
Honeyeaters and Scarlet Robins are also being seen or heard regularly. If there should be a storm front pass
through, White-throated Needletails may be travelling on it.
A full report will be posted to http://carwoolabirds.blogspot.com.au/2018/03/march-2018.html (and links circulated
on the residents email list and Facebook pages) in early February. Please pass on interesting sightings to me by
email to [email protected].
R.F.G. MOWER SERVICES Pty Ltd. Service of all Brands of Ride-ons, Mowers, Chainsaws & Small Engines
Sales & Spares for Ride-ons, Mowers, Brushcutters, Chainsaws & more
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77 Uriarra Road Queanbeyan Ph:6297 2439 OPEN: MON - FRI - 8AM - 5.30PM SAT - 9AM - 1PM
RIDE-ON MOWERS from $2335
5
TAYLOR MADE PUMPS YOUR PUMPS NOT PUMPING?
PUMP REPAIRS TO ALL MAKES OF PUMPS
New Pumps Supplied and Installed
Home Pressure Systems
Bore and Irrigation Pumps
Bore, pump and power packages
Water Bore Drilling Rig in local area - on site surveys
Fire Fighting Pumps - Sales and Repairs
Windmill Service, Repairs and New Sales
Water Softener Repairs and Water Quality Analysis
Premium Quality Water Softener Salt at Rural Prices
Don't run out of water - call a Local Bloke for mobile Sales & Repairs
Mark Taylor ALL HOURS
0428 486 460 (Mob) 6238 2357 (Home)
6238 2351 (Fax)
FLAME TIPS April 2018 www.stoneycreek-rfs.org.au
www.facebook.com/stoneycreekruralfirebrigade
Well, the fire season (otherwise known as the statutory Bush Fire Danger Period) is now over in our area as of 31 March 2018. That means that fire permits will no longer be required for residents of the QPRC area. And the daylight savings changeover is the traditional time we ask you to replace the batteries in your smoke alarms – so pop a 9V battery on your shopping list and just swap it out.
To summarise; during the fire season the law is that you have to ask for permission to burn (i.e. a PERMIT) and NOTIFY (your neighbours and fire authorities) when you are lighting up. But in the off-season you only need to NOTIFY.
By law residents MUST notify their neighbours and the local fire authority 24 hours before burning. Penalties still apply for failing to notify of your intention to light a fire and/or allowing fires to escape.
So how do you notify? Notify any of your neighbours that are likely to be able to see your smoke in the usual way (either a note in their letterbox or a phone call). To notify the local fire authority, please call the RFS Lake George Zone office on 6128 0600 during business hours. The point of the notifying is to intercept the 000 calls before a Brigade has to be turned out.
Before commencing a hazard reduction or pile burn, residents are reminded to ensure the following:
The ground surrounding the location of the fire is cleared of all combustible materials for a distance of at least two metres all around
A responsible adult remain in attendance at all times
A ready supply of water is available
It does not contain toxic materials, such as rubber tyres, plastics, paint, etc
It must not cause an air pollution problem by producing excessive amounts of smoke
The fire is extinguished thoroughly when complete.
If required, appropriate environmental approvals have been obtained prior to commencement (continued)
(flame tips continued) Despite the milder conditions, our area is still very dry and there is always the potential for fires to threaten life, property and the environment, if not managed correctly. Residents should not become complacent to the danger of bush fire just because the danger period is ending for 2017/18.
If you have any questions you can always call us on the number below
David Hanzl Captain, Stoney Creek Rural Fire Brigade 0423 596 583
IN AN EMERGENCY CALL TRIPLE ZERO (000) PREPARE. ACT. SURVIVE | BUSH FIRE INFORMATION LINE | 1800 679 737
REAL ESTATE SALES AND RENTALS
FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS
MELINDA McCALLUM is your local salesperson
Melinda has more than 20 years experience selling rural real estate
Melinda is Rural Manager of Hodgkinson Real Estate, specialising in sales and Property Management
Obligation-free appraisals
Available 7 days a week to assist you at your convenience
Phone 0429 122 700 or 6293 1033 B/H
From the Corner
Road Naming — Have you ever wondered how roads get their names? People will have noticed that there are roads that have been named in recognition of local features, historical or present, or in recognition of people who have been historically associated with the area being serviced by the road. But there are a few formalities that need to be addressed, if you’ll pardon the pun, before a name appears on a street sign.
This policy under which roads are named in NSW is managed by the NSW Geographic Names Board (GNB), under the Geographic Names Act 1966. Nonetheless, with the exception of State Roads, including National Routes and Highways, council is the Road Naming Authority for roads within its Local Government Area. As such, while the Board offers guidelines and advice for the selection of names, council has the formal responsibility for naming roads and enforcing the principles that support the practice of standardised addressing.
Under these guidelines, which were only formally articulated in 2014 so you may well see many, ‘historical’ and contradictory examples on existing street signs, a road is considered to be “an area that is open to and/or used by the public and is navigable by vehicle or foot and can be used for assigning addresses or allowing access between points or to a feature”.
When it comes to the selection of actual names, the guidelines largely relate to the applicable restrictions: no punctuation marks, although the good old apostrophe is permitted in names such as “O’Connor” (just nowhere near a trailing “s”!), no abbreviations, initials or acronyms, although an exception is made of “St”, which does not have to be spelled out as “Saint”, and no numerals unless spelled out in full (“Third Street”, not “3rd Street”).
Roads in new subdivisions are obviously a lot easier to name consistently, following some neat theme. Nonetheless, following a recommendation of Council some years back, made in consultation with Council’s Bungendore War Memorial Committee, new streets in Bungendore, for example, are currently being named after local residents who served in the Great War. Observers of the machinations of Council will also note a steady stream of naming proposals coming before Council as we go about ensuring that all residences in the LGA, particularly those in more remote rural areas, can be located easily in case of emergency. Each proposal will invariably include the naming options considered, with the reasons for nominating the respective options, and comments from residents impacted by or with an interest in the naming in question.
If you’re interested, the NSW Addressing User Manual (a riveting read!) is available on-line from the GNB website. The actual URL is a little convoluted, but if you simply search for “NSW Addressing User Manual” in your browser, you’ll find it.
And just in case anyone was not aware of the fact, rural property numbering is based on the distance, in tens of metres, of a property from the ‘end’ (known as the ‘Datum Point’) of the road on which their access point is located. For example, the Stoney Creek Fire Shed is located at 16 Gathering Place, 160m from the beginning (the Douglas Close end) of Gathering Place—rounded to the nearest even number for addresses on the right hand side of the road, or odd number for addresses on the left. It’s probably not so difficult to find the Fire Shed on such a short road, but the numbering system comes into its own on longer, and less familiar rural roads.
Unfortunately, as logical as all this might sound, there are ways to stymie even the best of plans. The observant traveller may have noticed that road numbering along the Kings Highway suffers a minor hiatus between Bungendore and Braidwood, where the numbering that was started from the Bateman’s Bay end of the road smacks into the numbering that was started from the Queanbeyan end of the road—the identification of reasons why this might have occurred is left to the reader as an exercise. Numbers increase as you head out from Queanbeyan, as you might expect, then, about 50km out, numbers suddenly flick from 5000s to 8000s then decrease again as you head towards the coast. I kid you not...
So, next time you’re on your way to the coast with the kids, get them to look for where the change actually occurs (between Bungendore and Braidwood) and where the odd and even numbers flip sides of the road (between Bungendore and Queanbeyan). Note also that it is permissible to flip to conventional street addressing as you enter an urban area, then flip back again as you leave.
The QPR Blog—New or related entries in my Blog (http://peteharrison.id.au/blog) include:
Road Naming (Mar 2018)
Cr Pete Harrison Ph. 6238 3640 Mob. 0427 711 028 Email: [email protected] Website: www.peteharrison.id.au
[This article is provided for information purposes only and does not represent any recommendation or formal position of the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.]
STONEY CREEK COMMUNITY HALL HIRING FEES
(for the period 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018)
We do not accept bookings for 16th, 18th or 21st birthday parties, school-end-of-year functions, or youth farewell parties. No exceptions.
All fees include GST except bonds, which are GST-exempt.
Community Groups ................................................................................................................ $24
Community Groups – regular hires (12 or more hires/year, booked in advance) ................... $20
Fund-raising functions ........................................................................................................... $130
Private hiring (local residents) .......................................................................... $130 + $250 bond
Private hiring (from outside the local area) ................................................... $300 + $1,000 bond
Heating (between 1 April and 31 October) ..........................................................$6/hr or $55/day
Cleaning fee (if hall is not cleaned) ..................................................................................... $49/hr
To hire the Community Hall, email [email protected]
Need water delivered ...
Call anytime – we deliver 7 days a week
The Weed Patch
Diary of a dedicated non-poisoning weeder: Rose-Marie Johnson
What a pleasant surprise, to find that there’s very little of one of my usual major jobs at this time of year –
seedy Paspalum. It would be terrific if that was due to my past efforts, but I can recognize plenty of plants
despite their lack of seed. The probable reason is that the weather has been so dry for so long that the
Paspalum has been too heavily grazed for most plants to have a chance to produce seed. Unfortunately, the
heavy grazing also means less competition for germinating weeds. The next crop of weeds already
germinating, for example Storksbills, probably won’t flower until next Spring, so they can be left for ng
Winter work.
The other major job at present is to prevent Blackberry runners from producing daughter plants, which can
result in about a tenfold increase in Blackberry infestations in just one year. This job is most efficiently
done before the root systems develop, by standing at the centre of the plant and pulling all the runners
together into a bundle, which can be twisted together and rolled into a wreath, passing the tips through the
centre a few times to hold it together. If there’s resistance when pulling on a runner, it’s best to follow it
along and check whether there is already a daughter plant with roots, because if the runner breaks off, the
new little plant may be too inconspicuous to find until it is bigger and more difficult to eradicate. It’s best to
do the rounds and get all the runners safely well above the ground before taking the extra time to ringbark
the roots. A few months ago, before the berries ripened, my husband felled some Hawthorns because
ringbarking some years ago was only partially effective. Because some Blackberries had since grown up
amongst them, he recently dragged them away with the tractor. That revealed many Blackberry seedlings
that had sprung up under the extra protection at the moist dam edge. Thankfully they were still small
enough to easily dig out.
St John’s Wort is a top priority weed that spreads aggressively and always needs attention. Any seeds not
already removed would be well ripened by now and probably scattering, so it’s an urgent priority to at least
do emergency surgery and carefully bag as many seed heads as possible. Plants already cut a while ago may
be flowering again and need recutting. Smothered plants may have sprung up again beyond the smothered
area, requiring more smothering. When chipping out Serrated Tussock, it’s still necessary to check for
seeds and bag up the plants if there are any.
By now most weeds are already going to seed, but if there is still some seed left it’s a case of better late than
never. Unfortunately, handling weeds with ripe seeds at this late stage can cause more of their seeds to
scatter, so they must be handled gently and carefully. Tall seed heads (especially fluffy ones), for example
thistles, Prickly Lettuce (which is related to cultivated lettuce and edible but bitter), Skeleton Weed,
Fleabane, Salsify, Goatsbeard, Willowherb, Hawksbeard, Senecio, Wild Turnip, Mustard Weed,
Aaron’s Rod, Green Mullein and Umbrella Sedge, can be bent down into your bag, so any dislodged
seeds are contained, before being snipped off. For tall weeds with seeds low down, like Wild Sage, Dock,
Fat Hen, Narrow-leaf Clover, Peppercress, Sheep’s Burr and Amaranth, it’s best to cut and bag the
seedy tops first, so seeds aren’t dislodged whilst the roots are being dug out. When tackling seedy
infestations of intertwined weeds such as Wireweed, Mallows and Scarlet Pimpernel, it’s best to dig the
whole group free of the ground first and lift them as a unit. If that’s wider than the bag opening, scattering
of seed can be minimized by keeping as much as possible, particularly the part you’re handling, over the bag
as you compress it together and push it in. Other weeds still going to seed at present include Horehound,
Centaury (Pink Stars), Scarlet Pimpernel, Yorkshire Fog Grass, Sandspurry and Goosefoot.
It was a worry to see Magpies eating toxic berries from Blackberry Nightshade before they were all
weeded out and, sadly, it was probably no coincidence that I found Magpie remains nearby during the
following month’s weeding rounds. In future it would be best during Spring and Summer to more
frequently patrol the areas where it grows, in the hope of preventing any berries from ripening.
Unfortunately, when out riding I’ve seen Blackberry Nightshade growing along the roadside, but it’s not one
of the weeds the council targets and Magpies are probably not the only wildlife at risk.
Here’s hoping for sufficient rain while the weather is still warm enough for good growth, so the pastures last
well through the Winter, maintaining competition to help suppress germinating weeds during Winter and
early Spring.
CLEAN WATER
TANK SERVICES
Tanks cleaned with minimal water loss
Crack repairs - flexible reinforced
membrane
Metal covers supplied and fitted
Water treatment - tank & house lines
Filters supplied and fitted
RING JOHN on 0428 489 291
FIREWOOD For Sale CARWOOLA
** Free Delivery **
RED GUM & YELLOW BOX $140 Cu Mtr ( 2 Cu mtr = App 1 Tonne )
MIXED EUCALYPT HARDWOOD $125 Cu Mtr
Minimum order 2 Cu Mtr
ALL FIREWOOD SPLIT & WELL SEASONED
I also do tree felling and blocking / splitting firewood – nothing too large.
Contact Laurie 0413 392960
CHAINSAW SERVICING, NEW CHAINS & BARS, CHAIN SHARPENING.
Chainsaw servicing, chainsaw chain – all sizes, bars, sprockets, files etc supplied
chain sharpening service, guaranteed best sharpening job locally, bars dressed.
Bulk bar oil 10ltr & 20ltr
chain & bars are the very best available, Carlton USA, GB Australia & Trilink
Bar & chain prices 30 ~ 50% below retail price.
SAWCHAIN SUPPLY
6 Agnes Ave, Queanbeyan
Call prior to coming over ph 0413 392960 or 6299 3328 7 days
