This week staff began our chemical spraying of Giant Hogweed along the banks of the river to prevent the spread of this invasive species.
After several months of hand digging saplings, plants have reached the point where it is no longer practical due to the size and amount of the plants. Thus you’ll see staff with knapsack sprayers along the length of the river over the course of summer spraying with a herbicide which contains a blue dye.
We use a product called Roundup Provantage which within an hour of spraying is rainfast. The herbicide is sprayed on to green leaves where it is absorbed and drawn into the plant’s vascular system. It then stops the production of the amino acids which build the protein the plant needs to grow and survive. The plant effectively starves to death.
We have begun the process at Murrayfield which is a hot spot and between the Ice Rink and Saughton Park treated 850 plants with many next to the lower path.
If you see our staff spraying please give them space and as is good practise avoid Giant Hogweed plants on the banks, if you’re not sure then keep your eyes open for blue plants.
More details on Giant Hogweed can be found here – https://www.invasivespecies.scot/giant-hogweed
