After a fair bit of negotiation with Glasgow Prestwick Airport, ART finally gained access to spray the few giant hogweed plants that had developed within the perimiter fence. The Ladykirk Burn and the Sandyford Burn meet on the east side of the airfield before being culverted under the runway. A small stand of GHW was noticed flowering and it became an urgent task to bring this under control as the rest of the catchment was sprayed as part of the INTERREG IV project.
10 minutes work was all that was involved but we also had a tour of the airfield to ensure there wasn’t more that had been overlooked.
The Red Arrows flight team were preparing to take off as we left the runway area.
Posts Tagged ‘giant hogweed’
Airport Attack
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011Giant Hogweed in Flower
Monday, June 27th, 2011A large stand of Giant Hogweed exists in a small patch of woodland opposite Dobbies Garden Centre at Ayr. Despite being some distance from the river we didn’t feel that we could allow this to develop further untreated as it is spreading from here in all directions. Last week we noticed plants on the A77 about 1/4 mile away and the gardens of cottages just across the road have recently become infested.
We decided (with permission) to spray this area although it is late in the season and seed is starting to set. At least this spraying should make it easier to tackle the woodland next spring before the plant gets too big. As can be seen in the photos below, there are increased health and safety issues when dealing with mature plants and this is not really an acceptable option for us except in extreme circumstances and with great care.
The photos illustrate the potential of the plant to reach incredible heights and also the huge seed potential. We couldn’t reach the tallest plants safely but the ones in the photo were nearly 4m high! Most plants have been sprayed and are starting to wilt. We will post a follow up once things have been completed.