Our approach

We believe that there is no such thing as a standard approach to invasive weed management. Every site should be considered as an individual project in its own right, with parameters being set by the client’s expectation. When you deal with Invasive Weed Solutions, you can expect the following as standard:

• We will give clear concise information regarding budgets and how the project will be broken down in terms of payment.
• We will not use scaremonger tactics and give false information regarding your legal obligations.
• We will never advise you to do anything which is going to be harmful to the environment.
• We will not give false expectations of results or timescales involved.

After the invasive species…

Whether it’s a riverbank, in grasslands, or in urban areas, once invasive plant species have been successfully treated you are often left with bare ground, this is especially true where infestations were dense.

Bare ground is susceptible to erosion and also makes perfect conditions for colonisation of other less desirable weed species such as Thistles, Common ragwort and Rosebay willowherb.  Repeated mowing, especially in the first year, can be effective at reducing the cover of these species whilst allowing other species to naturally regenerate, however this can be a slow process.

In some situations, good ground cover is required more quickly, these areas lend themselves to re-sowing with a suitable mix of grasses and forbs. Deciding the on the right species mix is important and a suitable mix of species will be determined by a number of factors including the location and aspect of the site, soil chemistry, end use and on-going management.

The addition of native wild flowers to a mix of fine grasses can diversify the sward and improve the habitat for wildlife, providing pollen and nectar to a range of insects including butterflies and bees. Species like Bird’s-foot trefoil, Red clover, Common knapweed, Lady’s bedstraw, Ox-eye daisy, Selfheal and Yarrow provide valuable pollen and nectar source throughout the summer.

Some areas do not lend themselves to the inclusion of wildflowers, for example where areas are heavily used and regularly mown. In these situations, a harder wearing amenity grassland mix may be more suitable.

Habitat restoration and re-sowing is not a one size fits all approach, if you would like to discuss your site with one of our specialist surveyors please contact us.