Buffel grass - Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management ...

THE EYRE
PENINSULA
REGION:
Incorporating the 11
local council areas of
the Eyre Peninsula,
including Whyalla,
Ceduna and Port
Lincoln
For more information
on EPNRM, go to
www.epnrm.sa.gov.au
“Buffel grass
is extremely
drought
tolerant and
aggressively
invades native
vegetation.”
Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris)
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BUFFEL GRASS
What do the plants look like Management Board is aiming to
completely eradicate buffel grass from
Buffel grass is a summer-growing
the region. Buffel grass is regarded as
perennial grass that is supported by a
one of Australia’s worst environmental
deep root system and large amount of
weeds due to its ability to grow rapidly
biomass or living material. Plants have
and establish quickly because it has a
green blades of grass, with fluffy seed
high rate of seed production and
heads that can range in colour from
dispersal. The plant is tolerant to
white to dark purple and can grow up to
drought, fire and heavy grazing, all
15 cm long. The flower heads form from
traits that make it such a successful
November to May then bloom after
weed. It can invade native vegetation
summer rains. Buffel grass reproduces
and completely dominate the
from seed, germinating and setting seed
understory. Because buffel grass
within 6 weeks of a rainfall event making
produces up to two to three times
it an extremely invasive plant. The seed
more flammable material than native
is thought to remain viable in the soil for
grasses, it creates an increased fire
four years.
risk. This means a hotter and more
intense burn, which ultimately leads to
a greater amount of fire damage, not
only to native vegetation, but to any
associated infrastructure.
Buffel grass with flowering seed heads.
Why should Buffel grass be
controlled
Buffel grass is found in isolated patches
on Eyre Peninsula so it is important that
the spread is prevented. The Eyre
Peninsula Natural Resources
Buffel grass growing along side a track
and beginning to escape into the native
vegetation.
1
Continued over page…

CONTACT EPNRM
Whyalla
Whyalla City Council Office
Darling Tce.
WHYALLA SA 5600
Tel: 8640 3481
Cleve
25 Fourth Street
CLEVE SA 5640
Tel: 8628 2077
Port Lincoln
23 Napoleon Street
PORT LINCOLN SA 5606
Tel: 8682 7555
Elliston
Elliston Information Centre
ELLISTON SA 5670
Tel: 8687 9275
Ceduna
Shop 7 - Surprys Mall
35 Poynton St
CEDUNA SA 5690
Tel: 8625 3060
Wudinna
Telecentre
44 Eyre Highway
WUDINNA SA 5652
Tel: 8680 2901
What are my responsibilities
While buffel grass is not yet a
proclaimed plant, its status will be
reviewed by State authorities shortly. It
is likely to be declared a noxious weed
in the near future meaning that all
property owners would have a legal
responsibility to control buffel grass on
their property. This also includes
anyone who is leasing property, unless
other arrangements have been made. If
you think you have seen buffel grass or
know where an infestation is, please
make sure that you contact your local
NRM office so the locations can be
recorded.
What are the best ways to
control Buffel grass
Once Buffel grass is established there is
no single control method to successfully
remove infestations.
Buffel grass being burnt on the Lincoln
highway.
Manual removal of buffel grass can be
used for areas were the infestation is
small. Hand pulling or digging out each
clump of grass are the most common
methods. Like many plants, any
disturbance of the soil is likely to
stimulate new seedling growth, so care
should be taken when removing plants.
Removed plants may be disposed of by
burning or placing into garbage bags and
disposed of into the normal red lidded
rubbish bin for deep burial at the dump,
to avoid accidental spread of the seed.
Plants may be burnt or slashed to reduce
the biomass and encourage new growth.
This should then be sprayed with a
glyphosate-based herbicide. Local
nurseries can advise you of the
appropriate sprays to use. When using
burning as your control method, contact
the local council first to check on fire
bans.
Using herbicide is a good option for the
control of seedlings rather than mature
plants, which tend to be too large for
spraying to be effective. Always use
herbicide on plants that are green and
actively growing, such as two to three
weeks after a summer rain, which is often
an excellent opportunity to spray targeted
plants. Make sure herbicides are always
used according to the label directions.
The control area should be monitored
during the summer months, so any
emerging seedlings can be controlled
before they produce seed.
For more information on Buffel grass, contact your local
EPNRM office (see contact details this page).
2