Expert Details
Does your coastline have a major weed problem? Ask John what to do.
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Name: John Moore |
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Description:
John is a Senior Research Officer with the WA Dept of Agriculture and Food, based in Albany, and has a long and successful record leading community groups and providing expert advice in weed control in south-west WA.
| Not only is he an expert weed botanist, John also has an extensive knowledge of herbicide types and application techniques for weed control. Many of the weeds in this coastal part of Australia are found in southern and east coast regions as well, so John's experience is widely applicable. |
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| John in the field, holding his 'Southern Weeds' guide and the CAWS Medal awarded to him for distinguished service by the Council of Australasian Weed Societies. | |
| Questions and Answers |
Questions Posted by: Overgrown |
| Qn: Hi John, What's the best way to control a Purple Morning Glory outbreak? A park near my local beach has been taken over by it, and it is rapidly taking over fences and trees. Ans: Purple Morning Glory (Ipomoea indica) is quite easy to control with herbicides. 2,4-DB (sold as Butoxone, Butress, Buticide or Trifolamine) is quite selective and usually doesn't affect the various plants that the Morning glory is growing on. Try a small area using a mixture of 4 mL of 2,4-DB (400g/L formulation) in 1 litre of water and spray the vine until it is just wet. If there are no adverse effects on compnaion plants then continue to spray the rest of the infestation. Best results are achieved when the Morning Glory is actively growing (usually in autumn and spring) in fine weather. You will normally see distortion of the Morning Glory within a week of spraying and death within a month. There is often some minor regrowth or some growth from missed bits. Spray this in the following autumn or spring. Very high levels of control may be achieved. The last few remnants can be removed manually if necessary and burn any stems removed manually as these may take root and form new plants if they are left on the ground. |
Questions Posted by: Melissa |
| Qn: In what ways could the general public, coastcare groups etc be making a real positive impact, in your field of work/expertise? Ans: There are many things that the general public can do to reduce the impact of invasive weeds or species. I think the most important revolve around surveilance and awareness. To eradicate new infestations early detection is very important so having the public reporting new or changing infestaions is essential and having groups or paid employees to investigate these reports and suggest appropriate action is also a key element of protection. Awareness is also very important because if people are aware of the impact of invasive species they can routinely practice simple hygeine measures to reduce the risk of introducing or spreading these species to very low levels. This revolves around general education at both the school and community level. |
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