Despite a determined summer-long effort to hunt down and remove flowering mothplant before it could turn to seed, this persistent weed has well and truly earned its title as the Master of Disguise. A surprising number of vines slipped under the radar and, with a wet, humid summer and autumn providing near-perfect growing conditions, they’ve flourished and pods are popping up everywhere.
In some cases, the scale of the problem has been overwhelming. Several vines were discovered climbing more than 30 metres high into a towering totara tree, placing their pods frustratingly out of reach. An earlier attempt to tackle these on Sunday, 27 April highlighted just how challenging the task would be.
On Sunday, 3 May, we joined forces with members of the Meek family. Len, Jo, Sarah, David and Ezekiel helped to tackle a particularly large infestation. Two and a half hours of determined effort saw us pulling vines out by the roots, combing through dense growth, and gathering pod after pod until a large weed sack was filled to the brim. With stubborn determination, gentle tugging, and some effective use of long-handled poles, we managed to dislodge some of the higher pods.
The effort didn’t stop there. On Monday, 4 May, we joined Kaye Meuller and spent another two and a half hours tracking down and removing more pods.
And just when we thought we could switch off for the week, guess what we spotted lining the borders of the Southern motorway.
