Himalayan balsam

[grey duster]

Cap
Just wondering what your thoughts are on the first meeting.
As far as i know there are 6 active clubs on the Teifi representing god knows how many hundreds of anglers.At the meeting there were 8 volunteers,all, apart from a welcome third party lady,Llandysul anglers.All 6 clubs must have looked at your appeal.
Balsam affects the whole of the river.It is beyond me.Perhaps as ever Llandysul leads and the rest eventually follow,kicking and screaming.

[steelheadnut]

Just got back and I know it's a bit short notice but if any of you want to come up in the morning I will be leaving from the rugby club car park at 9:00am to do some work on the balsam

Cap.

[grey duster]

Sorry Cap,but i have only just seen this.

[steelheadnut]

A couple of us went out yesterday (Saturday) to the same place as before and put in a few hours, we then did a small piece on one of our beats before calling it a day.
I will have to organise this a bit better in future, so that we have more hands involved on every outing.
Sorry GD, it was so short notice I didn't hold out much hope of anyone coming up to be honest but I must thank Mal who comes up from kidwelly to give a hand.

Cap

[grey duster]

Cap ...you must do better:>I was forced to shuffle round the Lampeter food festival for the umpteenth time.Thought i had got out of it this year.Why do women have to scrutinise every stall::

[grey duster]

Cap.Is anything happening on the balsam this weekend.I need to know before the dragon makes other plans

[steelheadnut]

I would like to go out next Saturday, the 8th of August. Hope a few of you can make it.
Let me know.

Cap

[davo]

I sorry I can't make this one Cap - work prevents me doing so. Please keep advertising when you will be out, I'll get there when I can. It was good to hear the strategy from NRW on this at our first meeting - and how individuals can best contribute to tackling this problem - through joining in with efforts such as yours for example. It's clear it won't be a quick fix but if we do nothing we'll see access and habitat quality gradually decline and we'll have none but ourselves to blame.

[grey duster]

Cap,condolences for a death in the family.I apologise.
Where and what time on the 8th.
I suppose the further upstream the better.I have seen that some has been done
behind the club car park down from Roberts garden centre at Lampeter.There is a hell of lot where the river forms a horeshoe.As for stuffing my face Mal at the food festival,i would much rather have been cutting balsam.

[steelheadnut]

No balsam cutting/pulling tomorrow I'm afraid due to the death I was expecting which happened night before last.

Cap

[grey duster]

balsam

I have got this totally wrong and i am sorry.I will be at the car park down from Roberts garden centre on Sunday morning at 9.30am with 2 strimmers.if anyone wants to join me please respond.

[fiskeking]

just wondered?

Does the balsam re-grow from the root or is it a one off? If you strim the top off ,ie the seeds, does the plant re-grow the next year or is it the seeds that grow the following year? Only asking because I have asked a few people who have differing opinions. Its starting to seed now and to get through it more quickly it would be easier to just take the heads of with the strimmer?
Some advice would be handy?

[Highwater]

I went to the training day a month ago back and was told it must be cut below the first node! I.e the first joint just above the ground if this isnt done it will grow new flowers on that plant and reseed, do strim as close to the floor as is possible, also if I remember correctly they flower/seed 3 or 4 times per year, hope this helps

[grey duster]

I have said this before,but if everyone who went fishing pulled out a few plants,
it would make a difference.If it is uprooted it cannot regrow.It is now getting a bit late as it is starting to form seed pods.

[steelheadnut]

Anybody interested in helping this coming Saturday please let me know via p.m.
We will be out in the morning for certain, if the fishing is OK that's what well be doing in the afternoon.

Cap