Wheel Cactus plants are spreading quickly around our local region, some being found recently just outside Castlemaine. But this invasion can be stopped, with surprisingly little time and effort if the cactus plants are killed while still young and small, especially if they have not been left to grow dense.
The accompanying photos show a patch of Wheel Cactus on a property in nearby Treloars Road, which was injected with herbicide last September. The second photo shows the same patch 3 months later when most of the plants were already nearly dead, and the final photo is again the same patch 7 months after injection. The time taken to inject these plants was only about ½ hour and these photos demonstrate how quickly the Wheel Cactus plants die. Please don’t leave this noxious weed to grow on your property. If you end up with a dense infestation of Wheel Cactus your land will become unusable and worthless.
Day Zero
After 3 months
After 7 months
If you have a Wheel Cactus infestation and need any help and/or advice, please don’t hesitate to contact the Tarrangower Cactus Control Group (Ian on 0412 015 807). We are well equipped with digging tools, buckets, injector guns, etc. that are available to be borrowed for free.
A reminder that our next Wheel Cactus Community Field Day will be on Sunday 25th August on a property just south of Maldon, in Greenhill Bridge Road near the corner of Whitlocks Road, and will be well signposted along South Parkins Reef Road. The morning’s activities will begin at 10:30 am and end at about 12:30 pm with an enjoyable BBQ and friendly chat.
