BALSAM BASHING

Pulling up Himalayan Balsam, aka ‘balsam bashing’ has become an annual event for this group. The team started pulling up balsam along the banks of the river Usk at the Promenade once a week from 1 June. We were forced to stop at the end of July when the seed pods started popping as soon as the stems were touched; to carry on would be to assist the plant to distribute itself ready for next year.

Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is a tall plant with a pretty pink flower, it is however, an highly invasive, fast growing invader which likes to colonise river banks, quickly smothering native plants, adversely affecting other forms of biodiversity and causing soil erosion which increases the risk of flooding. Each plant can produce 500 seeds which they fling up to 7 meters away when disturbed; this is why we have now stopped pulling them up.