Himalayan Balsam removal with Wilder Horsham District
So, what is Himalayan Balsam (AKA Indian Balsam, Nuns, Jumping Jacks, Bobby Tops, Copper Tops, Gnome’s Hatstand, Jewelweed, Ornamental Jewelweed, Policeman’s Helmet and Kiss-me-on-the-Mountain)? The Latin name is Impatiens glandulifera - it's a relative of the Busy Lizzie - but it reaches well over head height, and it is a major weed problem. This is especially the case on on riverbanks and waste land, but it can also invade gardens. It grows rapidly and spreads quickly, smothering other vegetation as it goes. Glandulifera means to have have flowers with glands. Impatiens is Latin for impatient and refers to the seed pods of Himalayan Balsam bursting open and spreading the seed far and wide - removal of the Balsam before the plant seeds is very important.
One Friday in July I went to meet the Wilder Horsham District volunteer working party, led by Senior Land Advisor Richard Black and Land Advisor Steve Tillman, who were spending a couple of days clearing Himalayan Balsam on farmland near Pulborough.
To find them I was grateful for my wellies as I had to pick my way through muddy woods alongside a stream. Evidence of the working party's hard work was all around me - piles of the stuff. Their goal on the day I visited was to clear the little valley we were in. If I'm honest it doesn't at first sight look like the invasive beast it is - with its pretty pink flowers and slender stems and the ease with which, as I observed the 15 or so volunteers doing, you can pull it up by hand. It was a Victorian introduction to the garden - they loved it apparently.
I had a chat with the group about what they were doing and why is it so important to remove Himalayan Balsam. The answer of course, is that it's fine in the Himalayas - it doesn't overwhelm everything else. Unfortunately, here it does.
I discover that it grows very quickly, it doesn’t need much water or nutrients. It can grow above the native plants and shade them out. Thus it creates a monoculture, outcompeting other native plants. It also dies back to nothing yearly, leaving bare soil along the riverbanks that can get eroded away, leaving them prone to wash-off. Basically, it's the scourge of riverbanks.
Clearance can be tricky. The public are often aware that it’s bad news, and want to pull it up but once seed heads are ripe and ready to disperse, you can be in trouble. The seed heads explode (you can hear this apparently), shooting seed in every direction. The pollen is sticky too, so bees stick to it.
Many of the volunteer group (below) are local members of the Storrington and Arun Regional Group, who have an invasive species project which involved aiming to remove it from the River Storr and Chilt.
The plant once pulled, scythed, or slashed is just left on the ground to rot and disappear, which it does very quickly. Steve Tillman explained that you ideally remove from upstream and work your way down as the plants are easily spread by the water course flow. I spoke to Tony Cook who does a huge amount of conservation volunteering. He demonstrated his weed slasher. 'It's pain in the neck pulling by hand when it's full of nettles.'
I should point out that everyone pulling by hand was wearing gloves.
Tony explained he did some research and discovered as an annual plant if you cut hard to the ground below the lowest stem node, it won't grow back, so you don't have to pull it out. ‘We could use sickles. Last year, six weeks after we cut it like that, it hadn't grown back, but nettles did, which is a good thing for wildlife such as Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly.'
If you are interested in finding our more about the work of Wilder Horsham District, or volunteering, see here
Comments
It was a nice day out with the WHD. We did a great deal to keep this invasive under control just from this particular boggy valley.
05 Aug 2023 10:23:00
I’ve been complaining about Himalayan balsam near us for ages but can’t find anyone to take responsibility for it. I’ve contacted the council and environment agency to no avail. Broadbridge heath area.
17 Aug 2023 10:59:00
Well done
17 Aug 2023 11:31:00
Loads of this invasive species spreading in Bluntswood nature reserve in Haywards Heath. I have reported it as it is growing along the footpath but nothing has been done.
17 Aug 2023 13:09:00
Tony’s research sounds like it could be really valuable. Thank you!
Apparently beavers will eat it. Another reason to love them.
17 Aug 2023 15:05:00
Well done, all ! :) I try and pull it up if I encounter it on a walk (tho obviously can only manage a small amount!) and try to spread the Word amongst those I’m with at the time and friends/family in general ….. :} There definitely needs to be more done to raise awareness and to tackle the problem practically, so thanks for this Post/Article :)
17 Aug 2023 15:52:00
A small patch of balsam is starting along the water course at Salehurst, East Sussex. somebody needs to know before it gets going.
17 Aug 2023 17:35:00
There is at present Balsom growing behind my property 85 Pondtail Road. Horsham ,on the land in Gorranges Brook, next to the river.
17 Aug 2023 19:57:00
I live in Robertsbridge and the river and stream banks are full of Himalayan Balsam. We back onto a stream and every year I pull out dozens of plants that have seeded in my garden. It is a dreadful menace, but nobody seems interested in clearing it here.
17 Aug 2023 20:26:00
Hi,
I live in West Chiltington area. I am interested in helping to remove Himalayan balsam from the Chilt and surrounding rivers and learning more about dealing with invasive species. Are there any opportunities for working party days? I do work full time but would love to take some time out to help our choking waterways and restore some biodiversity. Please let me know how I might get involved with a local working group. Best wishes, Clare
17 Aug 2023 22:04:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
Hi Clare
It's always good to add to our volunteer team, however our days of work tend to be Monday to Friday.
The Storrington Conservation Society and the Storrington & Arun Valley Regional Group offer a wider range of local work parties carrying out a range of activity across the year including the control of Himalayan Balsam
https://www.storringtonconservation.org.uk/
Storrington & Arun Valley Regional Group: https://dnu7gk7p9afoo.cloudfront.net/Files/swt-reg-gpleafletlow-res.pdf
Thanks,
Steve Tillman
I was walking along the river Brede, last weekend between Winchelsea and Icklesham. I wondered what the abundant pink flower was along the river bank.
Are the authorities or responsible organisation aware, or is it possible that you could alert them please.
18 Aug 2023 09:16:00
I wasn’t aware of this plant, so thank you for highlighting it. I shall look out for it on my walks. I would however be interested in joining a local working party should be one. I’m in Rustington (Arun district) should there a problem in this area.
19 Aug 2023 07:21:00
Thankyou all for all your hard work!
19 Aug 2023 12:32:00
Not familiar with this. Could we have some close up photos and how to identify it please?
22 Aug 2023 17:58:00
Well done team Wilder Horsham District! This compliments the same work that the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership volunteers do each Summer in the GGP project area, which includes sites in north Horsham, Crawley, Horley and around Gatwick airport. We have noticed much less of it in our area this year…probably a combination of 2 very dry Springs/Summers and the fact that we return to the same sites each year to control it where we have access.
03 Oct 2023 08:12:00
Hello, just in case you weren’t aware, Himalayan Balsam is edible and I wondered if there was some way of taking advantage of this?
28 Feb 2024 21:17:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
It is true, Himalayan Balsam is edible and can be eaten raw or cooked.. In India the young leaves are used in salads and older leaves (which have a bitter taste) in stews and soups. The flowers are also eaten and used to give colour to drinks. The seeds can also be eaten (better when still young and pale) and have a pleasant nutty flavour. Consumption should only be in moderation even when cooked because the plant contains high amounts of minerals. Greater care should be taken with the raw plant because it also contains calcium oxylate which is harmful in large quantities (cooking breaks this down). It should be avoided by people with certain medical conditions (arthritis, gout, hyperacidity, rheumatism, kidney stones and bladder stones).
However, the risk of foraging is that it might, by moving the plant around, cause further spread. So great care should be taken if harvesting Himalayan Balsam not to allow the seeds to escape back into the wild. Ideally, plants should be harvested before the seed pods are ripe. The seed pods explode when touched and can shoot seeds up to 7 metres (!) so when harvesting a ripe seed pod, a plastic bag should be carefully placed over the top and sealed so the seeds don’t escape. Richard Black, Wilder Horsham District