Useful Weed Resources
- War on Weeds brochure - contains information on some of the more harmful weeds to be found in Melville. Hard copies are available from most City of Melville centres.
- Grow me instead website - contains information on weeds and alternatives to them for the gardening and nursery industry.
- Weeds of National Significance list.
Weed Management Practices
The City of Melville uses a number of techniques and strategies to control weeds for practical and effective long term outcomes, usually in combination, these include:
- Hand weeding
- Slashing/Brush cutting
- Herbicide application
- Injection of tree stumps.
Varying levels of weed control are carried out in bushland and foreshore reserves depending on their priority rating in the City's Natural Area Asset Management Plan.
For more information view or download the City's Weed Management Guidelines.
Annual Weed Control Program
Bushlands - Annual Weed Control Program
The City of Melville Bushland staff, with the assistance of qualified bushland contractors, undertakes herbicide control to manage annual and perennial weeds in the City’s natural area reserves.
- Appropriate signage will be displayed on vehicles and in strategic locations while works are in progress
- Staff and contractors will be using current Best Management Practices to avoid any off-target damage
- The inclusion of dyes with herbicides will be used to identify areas that have been treated.
Spraying Times and Locations
- Week of the 29th September 2020 - Non-selective treatment at Bull Creek Reserve, Ron Carroll Busland, George Welby Reserve, Ern Stapleton Reserve, Heathcote Bushland, Al Richardson Reserve, Bob Crawford Reserve, Blue Wren, Dudley Hartree, Len Shearer, Piney Lakes Bushland and Booragoon Lake.
Reserves - Annual Weed Control Program
The City's reserves team, with the assistance of registered spray contractors, undertake selective herbicide control to manage weeds in the City’s Active and Passive reserves.
During the course of our winter weed control program aimed at, but not limited to the management of bindii, clover and cape weed (beginning of July to the end of September each year, dependant on weather conditions), the following precautions are taken;
- Appropriate signage is displayed on vehicles and in strategic locations while works are in progress, stating the chemical name being used
- Signage will display information linked to requirements for public access to the areas being sprayed
- Staff and contractors use current Best Management Practice to avoid any off-target damage
- Spraying may take place outside of July to September, dependent on weed infestation and weather conditions.
During the course of our summer weed control program aimed at, but not limited to the management of medic clover and spurge (beginning of October to the end of February each year, dependant on weather conditions), the following precautions are taken;
- Appropriate signage is displayed on vehicles and in strategic locations while works are in progress, stating the chemical name being used
- Signage will display information linked to requirements for public access to the areas being sprayed
- Staff and contractors use current Best Management Practice to avoid any off-target damage
- Spraying may take place outside of July to September, dependent on weed infestation and weather conditions.
Spraying Times and Locations
Broadacre herbicide spraying at our reserves will commence 29 June through to August 2020, weather dependent.
Streetscapes - Annual Weed Control Program
The City’s road reserves are treated with a non-selective herbicide; this includes kerb lines, footpaths, medians, round-abouts and buffer zones, during the course of our streetscapes weed control program (throughout the year dependant on weather conditions);
- Appropriate signage is displayed on vehicles while works are in progress, stating the chemical name being used
- Staff and contractors use current Best Management Practices to avoid any off-target damage
Spraying Times and Locations
The City’s road reserve weed spraying contractor has completed the current programme. The next programme will commence the start of November 2020.
Specific Herbicide Information
Specific herbicides used include:
- Fusilade Forte, a grass specific herbicide, is used to target grass weeds such as Perennial Veldt Grass in bushlands
- Round Up® Biactive and Metsulfuron is used to target bulbous and spring growing weeds in bushlands
- Destiny is a selective turf herbicide that offers selective grass and broadleaf weed control. Provides control of hard to kill weeds
- Spearhead/Barricade, are broadleaf weed specific herbicides, used to target grass weeds such as Bindii, Clover, Capeweed in parks and reserves
- A glyphosate based herbicide is used to target annual and perennial weeds within streetscapes (kerb lines & footpaths etc..) and reserves
- Fusilade is a selective herbicide that controls perennial and annual grass weeds in landscaped areas
Before applying herbicide treatments, the City of Melville has considered the impact of control options on co-occurring native flora including trees, shrubs, geophytes, grasses and other native herbs and on fauna. The methods and chemical concentrations that we employ are considered Best Practice Management and are only applied when required and done in a safe and responsible manner.
Glyphosate
The City of Melville is guided by regulatory advice from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) in relation to the use of glyphosate. The DOH advises that a recent review by the APVMA is that products containing glyphosate are safe to use, when used in accordance with the label instructions. The APVMA review considered the 2015 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) assessment and concluded that the scientific weight of evidence indicates that exposure to glyphosate does not pose a carcinogenic or genotoxic risk to humans.
Guided by the APVMA and the DOH on the use of glyphosate, the City will continue to use glyphosate for weed control in selected areas in accordance with best practice procedures and in a safe and careful manner. All pesticides used by the City and its contractors are approved by the APVMA and are applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions by staff who are trained in safe and proper application.
A fact sheet on Glyphosate Safety and Use is available should you wish to refer to it and details regarding the registration of products, registration and assessment of glyphosate are also available from the APVMA.
Please note that if requested by a resident, the City will avoid spraying adjacent to their property.
What Can You Do?
- Avoid planting weeds in your garden - use native plants instead
- Adhere to signage placed indicating weed control works
- Join an Environmental Friends Group in your local bushland reserves to remove weeds.