The four year study in Tall Grass and Weed Management in Public Open Space involved two components: Section One in which research was undertaken in turf improvement via the control of undesirable species and the incorporation of desirable species. Section Two involved a survey of rural/semi rural roads within the greater Brisbane area to determine the magnitude of environmental weed infestation along roadsides. This paper primarily discusses the findings of Section One.
Section One of the study has found that the method outlined below is a cost effective means to reduce undesirable tall grasses within parklands whilst simultaneously increasing the proliferation of desirable grasses. This has the capacity to not only improve turf quality but also reduce mowing costs.
The techniques available to assist in such a transition are:
- The discerning use of wick wipers to reduce tall and undesirable grass incidence;
- Selection of desirable turf species that have the capacity to resist reinvasion of undesirable grasses (overall results indicate that “Aussiblue” has this capacity in a range of diverse conditions in South East Queensland); and
- Low cost means of turf introduction into sites that do not contain desirable grasses.
However, in the course of the study it was apparent that the success of these techniques greatly relied upon the parkland supervisors’ knowledge of the capacity of the technologies in order to ensure their correct implementation.