Weed management in the City of Campbelltown is an ongoing effort.

Weeds, like any plant, are either annuals or perennials. By learning to recognise which group your weeds fall into, you can learn to deal with them effectively

Annual weeds complete their lifecycle within a year and rely on setting seed to establish the next generation, so if you can stop them seeding, eventually you can get rid of the weeds.

Examples of annual weeds include mallows, (Malva sp.) stinging nettles (Urtica dioica), capeweed (Arctotheca calendula), and winter grass (Poa annua).

Perennial weeds are more of a challenge because they keep growing year after year, flowering and seeding as they go. Examples of perennial weeds include couch grass (Cynodon dactylon), kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum), field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), dock (Rumex sp.) and the perennial grasses, phalaris (Phalaris sp.).

Many perennial weeds have an underground storage organ - a bulb, rhizome, stolon, or even just a long, fleshy taproot - and if you don't get it all out, the plant will come back.

For more information on garden weeds, their potential to become bushland invaders and measures to control them see Council's Weeds booklet.

Caltrop

Caltrop (Tribulus terrestris) is an annual weed that usually grows at any time from late October through to late April. It is a flat, sprawling ground cover that can be found on footpaths, verges, parks and gardens throughout the council area..

Caltrop is a declared weed under the NRM Act 2004 which means landowners are obliged to control and keep controlled any Caltrop plant on their land. Caltrop seeds can remain dormant in the soil for up to 5 years so known areas of infestation must be reinspected during and in following seasons. Once the location has been reported to Council, it will be on our yearly monitor.

Council takes this responsibility very seriously and if you see an occurrence on a road verge or in a park please report it to council at your earliest convenience on 8366 9222 or at mail@campbelltown.sa.gov.au so we can eradicate it as soon as practicable.

If Caltrop is found on private property it should still be reported to council however it is the owners responsibility to eradicate.

For more information on Caltrop, visit the Green Adelaide website.