Use of vegetative cover for weed control

Use of vegetative cover is the most desirable form of weed control, from an ecological perspective.

Vegetative cover has the following advantages:

• prevents new weeds from germinating or smothers weed seedlings
• keeps the soil covered and protected from wind and water erosion
• protects the soil ecology, by insulation, temperature control and continuous addition of small quantities of organic matter
• provides an opportunity to locate native plants on the road reserve
• provides food sources or habitat for small animals, birds, insects and other organisms
• If appropriate species are selected and well grown they will require little maintenance

Factors which influence the economics of this choice include the following:

• location and seasonal variation that will influence the number of times per year that grasses need to be mown
• aesthetic requirements of the site may influence the number of times per year that grass must be mown
• slopes where machinery access is difficult
• ratio of edge to planting area (ie the length of boundary that needs to be maintained against weed infestation)
• weed resistance of the species chosen for groundcover or shrub massing
• weed species present (eg rhizomatous or stoloniferous perennial weeds such as couch or kikuyu may be very difficult to remove from groundcover or massed shrubs)
• growth rate of species used
• requirement of species used for additional inputs (fertiliser, irrigation etc)
• quality of planting stock
• longevity of groundcovers

Generally, the groundcover species used should be selected to be self-replacing, or to have a long life expectancy, for the technique to be competitive with mowing.

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