Himalayan Balsam is a very invasive species. Although when the flowers have bloomed they may look very pretty, they should be treated and removed from your property.
Himalayan Balsam is a close relative to the ‘busy lizzie’ plant but grows to astronomical heights. It is a major weed problem. Also, this species is usually found on riverbanks and waste land but is also known to grow on people’s property. Alongside this, Himalayan Balsam typically shades out other plants. Therefore, gradually becoming a monoculture reduces flora and fauna biodiversity.
This particular species grows up to 2 meters max and, during the summer months, produces pink toned flowers in a cluster form. Also, these flowers sometimes produce an apple-like fragrance. Furthermore, they have green leaves and slightly serrated in an oval shape and have a red hue on the outline.
As previously mentioned, this plant dominates the wildlife areas by shading out all the nearby competition, making it impossible for other vegetation to grow. As well as this, balsam produces a lot of nectar which attracts pollinators such as bees. Whilst this sounds beneficial, it means that all other flowering plants are less likely to be pollinated.
Each plant is responsible for producing up to 800 seeds that are dispersed up to 7 meters away, once again meaning that it can spread very easily and take over habitats.
Unlike Japanese knotweed, the roots of Himalayan balsam are short so you can pull them out of the soil very easily by hand. Also, it has been found that the best times to effectively remove balsam is in the months of May/August as the new seeds generally do not form until September.
In summary, if you have a suspicious species in your garden and want help to identify and remove it, then please contact us today!
