ERADICATION OF RUSHES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXII, Issue 4641, 18 May 1938, Page 3

ERADICATION OF RUSHES.

Rushes are a common weed on wet pasture land, and occupy space that should be growing grass, writes E. A. Arnold, of Dargaville, in the Journal of Agriculture. Rush clumps extend outwards by short rhizomes which spread vigorously in a weak, open sward or where a pasture is constantly grazed bare. Practical control can be obtained by making the soil conditions more favourable for vigorous pasture-growth and less favourable for rush-growth. Drainage should be improved, and if necessary, a number of underground drains constructed to tap water from low-lying places. The removal of the rush-growth in the summer then follows, either by spading or by frequent mowing. In spading a slightly larger sod than is covered by the rush plant is chipped off to a depth of 1 in. to 2 in. The sods are then turned to the sun to dry out. They may be subsequently burned or carted away. Bare spaces and small hollows which fill with water result from this practice. Weeds, and even rushes, again occupy the bare ground before pasture-plants can spread and establish. Frequent mowing particularly after mid-summer, has a weakening effect on rushes. Top-dressing and liming then should follow to obtain a vigorous growth of pasture plants and to encourage Lotus major, which will do well on land where rushes are troublesome. The area should then be spelled to obtain a long growth both around and in the rush clumps, and then be eaten down rapidly by cattle. The long grass prevents the spread, and the cattle in grazing among the weakened rush clumps will break down and eat much of the rush growth along with the pasture. This combination of mowing, top-dressing and grazing will control the rushes until there remains only a few weakened plants, which make no material difference to the production of the pasture.