Declared plants
Pest plants are generally characterised by their ability to rapidly colonise areas after disturbances. They mostly prefer moist sites and disturbed margins.
Most bushland soils in the Redlands are poor. Enrichment comes with nutrient runoff from agricultural land and urban gardens which encourages weed growth over native plants.
The dumping of garden waste also accounts for the introduction of many species of weeds into bushland. Usually the species remain confined to the dumping site but wind, water and birds contribute to further dispersal. How weeds spread
Weed seeds are normally dispersed by wind, water or animals. Weeds tend to be vigorous plants and can also grow from a root section or cutting.
Can I leave bushland weeds in my garden?
If you have plants in your garden that are potential bushland weeds and don't want to remove them, here's how to prevent them getting into bushland:
- avoid planting where seeds can fall into run-off areas
- never dispose of lawn clippings or garden prunings into bush
- contain plant growth in your yard if you live next to bushland
- avoid plants spread by birds or wind or remove flower heads before it goes to fruit or seed (e.g. Umbrella Tree).
If you would still like to keep the plant because it attracts birds, cut off the flower spikes before it fruits.
Declared weeds
"Pest plants targeted for legislative control are species which have, or could have, serious economic, environmental or social impact. Declaration is used as a preventative measure and there is no point declaring a plant that has spread to the limit of its potential distribution. All the current declared plant species were originally introduced from overseas."
We have listed our declared plant pest in order of priority: