Help us address the threat of weeds to the Jirdarup bushland. It is also an opportunity to spend an hour or two and know you have actually made a difference in that short space of time.
Weeding is over for this year and we will start again in June 2025. Watch our Facebook and Noticeboards for updates.
In 2022, we weeded for just of 680 hours, in 2023 we managed 760 hours and in 2024, 950 hours!
Results for 2024
Weeds, weeds, weeds! After 950 hours* of hand weeding, our Jirdarup weeding project has wrapped up for another year.
Big hugs and thank you to all involved, especially our 15-20 regular weeders and the students from Curtin Volunteers! who brought much youthful energy to the project. Along with SERCUL’s professional team, we blitzed the weed load while soaking up the healing powers of the bushland.
During the year we also stretched our knowledge base in a special workshop with Una Bell, author of ‘Native Grasses of Perth hills: a field guide to identification.’ Thanks Una!!
And the results? In the largest hand weeding zone, priority weeds like perennial veldt grass, fumaria and gladioli have been crushed, allowing the native orchids and grasses to thrive. As well as a healthy bushland and happy humans, our volunteer hand weeding has also saved the Town’s budget around $12,500 in maintenance costs. What a bonus!
This almost concludes our three-year hand weeding project supported by a State NRM grant, SERCUL and the Town of Victoria Park. With another two-year SNRM grant in the bag, we can’t wait to get going again in 2025.
*Almost 700 FoJB volunteer hours, 100 Curtin Volunteers! hours, and 150 hours from SERCUL’s professional weeding team.
Results for 2023
During 2023, we clocked up 760 hours, 77 more than last year. We usually stay for 1-2 hours commencing at 9am, two mornings a week, Tuesday and Saturday, so if you are planning on getting involved next year, start marking out that diary now. It is certainly rewarding to compare a haul of pink gladioli now to the massive amounts found in a “Gladdie Grab” 20 years earlier.
A common question among weeders is: Is that a weed?
Please get in touch if you are keen to give it a go. Sing out if you see us down there with our “Flag” out or contact us. Bring a water bottle and gardening gloves and wear sensible clothing – long pants, enclosed shoes, hat, sunnies. Training and weeding tools supplied.
Feel free to phone us if you have any queries:
- Helen – 0400 239 740
- Vicki – 0416 049 550
Email our Landcare team directly: landcare@friendsofjirdarupbushland.org.au
Background to the project
This is a new three-year project commenced in 2022 designed to test the efficacy of chemical-free hand weeding in a designated section of Kensington Bushland. Twice a week since early July 2022, our diligent weeding team has managed to reduce the weed load while getting close to nature.
The Jirdarup biodiversity continues to amaze and inspire – from orange ‘slime mould’ to jug orchids and self-sown jarrah seedlings.
Working alongside the expert SERCUL team, the Friends’ weeding group is learning how to target the worst weeds while protecting the native species at the same time. To help develop these skills, a ‘Beating the Weeds’ Training Session was held in August 2022. The Town of Victoria Park’s Urban Ecosystems Supervisor (Stephen Szydlowski) spoke about the Council’s Integrated Weed Management program, and Jayson Sekhon from SERCUL gave a masterclass in weed identification and weeding techniques.
We did over 500 volunteer hours of weeding in 2022. It was certainly rewarding to compare a haul of pink gladioli now to the massive amounts found in a “Gladdie Grab” 20 years earlier.
The three rules of weeding are:
- Minimise soil disturbance.
- When in doubt, don’t pull it out!
- Tread carefully.
Recognising weeds is one of the first tasks for weeders. See our guide for new weeders which includes some of the common weeds in Jirdarup. For a more comprehensive guide to weeding in bushland, see the information provided by the WA Local Government Association.
This project is sponsored by the WA Government through a StateNRM grant. We also acknowledge support from SERCUL and the Town of Victoria Park.
