In a first for the NGT nursery, we are germinating weeds! Read on to learn why…

We were recently contacted by Cassie Hlava from the Limestone Coast Landscape Board to see if we could grow some weeds for them. So many things ran through my mind, but after the initial shock it sounded like something interesting that we could be involved with. They actually want us to germinate seeds in soil samples, to see what weeds are present at a site, and how deep the seeds are present. After all, experiments/research was an aspect of the community nursery when it was first established.

We set up the trays on the afternoon of Friday 13th June, now we water and watch….

Cassie has provided more information below:

“The Limestone Coast Landscape Board is planning to restore a 10-hectare area of native grassland on former cropping land near Naracoorte as part of our Australian Government NHT funded Southern Bent-wing Bat Project. To restore a native grassland, we first need to understand what weed species are present at our planting site and how deep they are in the soil profile. Soil samples were taken from four different depths at eight locations across our planting site. Each sample will be grown in the NGT community nursery for the next 6 months so that we can determine which weed species are present. The results will help us to decide which site preparation and weed control techniques will help us to successfully establish native grasses.

NGT volunteers helped to transfer the samples into seedling trays and did a fantastic job meticulously checking labels to ensure nothing was mixed up.“

Cassie Hlava – Project Coordinator, Limestone Coast Landscape Board