Gauteng Smallholder February 2018 | Page 21

From page19 plantation species. K Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) – A sparsely branching, tussock- forming perennial grass with feathery, spike-like inflores- cences. The bristles are long and detach with the spikelets. The leaves are up to 40cm long and are not rigid or ending with sharp points. Inflorescence is 10-25cm long and is usually purple or rose- coloured. It forms stands along road verges and in other disturbed sites with the potential to spread into adjacent natural veld. Category 1b invaders may not be owned, imported into South Africa, grown, moved, sold, given as a gift or dumped in a waterway. Category 1b species are major invaders that may need government assistance to remove. Other pesky Category 1b invasives are the Common INVASIVE PLANTS privet (Ligustrum vulgare Oleaceae) and the Common mulberry (Morus alba) . There are also some Category 2 weeds that we should be aware of – these are declared invaders with commercial value: Black wattle, patula pine, sisal, red eye, grey poplar, watercress, Port Jackson willow, guava, cluster pine, honey locust, and the weeping willow (not to be confused with the indigenous willow). Online veg planting diary D o you find, when you plant your vegetables, that the affairs of life often catch up with you, as a result of which you forget or neglect to plant successive batches for a continuous harvest? If this haphazard approach characterises your veg growing activities, the good news is that there's an on-line planning tool that will help you. It's to be found at www.garden ate.com, and it comprises an online calendar of vegetables and herbs, helping you to decide what to plant this month, and to plan ahead with what to plant next month. In addition, a description of Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) each species is given, including how to plant it, what to expect from it by way of harvest and even what to do with it once picked. The program covers most of the English-speaking world, and is focused on the require- ments in individual regions. Thus, when you log on you Continued on page 21 19 www.sasmallholder.co.za