INVASIVE ALIENS
Replace aliens with indigenous lookalikes
Y
ou might not wish to
cut down an estab-
lished tree on your
property just because it is an
alien unless ordered to do so
by an authority because such
an action may leave an
unsightly gap in your garden.
However, there is good news:
in many cases you can go
ahead and remove alien
trees, replacing them with
indigenous alternatives which
perform in much the same
way in terms of shade, height
From page 33
way that they each grip the
wire to be tensioned, and the
harder you pull the handles
together the harder they grip
the wires, so there is no
danger of them loosening,
even on smooth wires.
Because of the length of the
handles,(which can be made
as long as you like by slipping
a piece of pipe over each
and spread, and which are
less damaging to the environ-
ment.
The Gauteng Smallholde r has
written extensively over the
years about the challenges we
face in dealing with invasive
alien plants (IAPs). And, of
course, winter is a good time
to cut down exotic trees or
remove dead ones and to
replace them with a suitable
indigenous tree.
Our focus would be on
eliminating invasive aliens, which are a threat to our
natural biodiversity. What
makes an alien plant become
an invader?
K Absence of natural
enemies.
K Similar conditions to
native country.
K Vegetative reproduction.
K Prolific seed production,
long-lived seeds.
K Effective seed dispersal
mechanisms, such as water,
wind and birds.
However, just because a tree is indigenous doesn't mean
that it will grow well on a
Gauteng plot. Trees from the
Western Cape with its wet
winters or from some areas in
Kwa Zulu Natal will find our
frosty winters too hard to
handle.
A common alien tree that
should be replaced is Acacia
mearnsii or Black Wattle. This
tree competes with and
replaces indigenous grassland
and riverine species. Your
handle end) you are able to
achieve a good strong
tension with the force
building up on much the
same fulcrum principle that a
nut-cracker works on.
When you have the wires as
taut as a guitar string, a chain
is hooked between the
handles to hold them firmly
together.
A piece of flexible binder
wire is then twisted around
the wire to be tensioned
outside each of the handles
and, using a screwdriver, the
handle of your fencing pliers
or a fencing tool, you twist
the wire around and around
the wire to be tightened,
each twist drawing in the
slack and making the fence
taut.
This is achievable, without
becoming entangled with the
tool, because the fulcrum of the two arms is kept well
away from the work area by
the length of the arms, and a
short piece of steel that joins
them.
Once you have achieved the
desired tautness, the securing
chain is detached from one
arm and the tool removed to reveal a perfectly-tensioned
wire, as taut as it was when
you were working on it.
The fence tool may be
ordered from Backsaver and
can be delivered by mail.
For more information:
Michris Janse van Rensburg,
tel 073 454 -111
35
www.sasmallholder.co.za
Continued on page 36
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