[Pil-pc-oceania] Jerusalem artichokes medicinal properties, weeds and wind factors

[jedd]

On Tue, 12 Jun 2007, Robyn Williamson wrote:
> The only way I know how to get rid
> of couch and kikuyu is by covering it with black plastic for up to 12
> months then planting trees, which will eventually overcome grasses that
> inevitably return.  We did have some limited success suppressing the
> grasses with lablab beans along a fence line.

 Couch this last year has finally started to irritate me.  I'm thinking
 guinea pigs may be a good approach, but I can't bring myself to
 eat the things ... yet.

 I gather they're easier to manage than chooks, for small holdings,
 and are smarter about getting out of the way (if you provide them
 safe nooks) of hawks, eagles, goannas, etc.

 Anyone with any experience running guinea pigs in a semi-orchard
 environment?

 As to lab labs -- I could see how these things could get out of
 control pretty easily in the right climate.  Last summer was the
 first year I'd tried them, and they were pretty slow to crank up in
 spring and summer, but come autumn they went wild.

 ObPic:
 http://dingogully.com.au/temp/20070608pc/LL-20070322-midautumn.jpg

 A month later they'd (two plants in that bay, mind, and on on the
 right)  covered that 2m tall x 3m wide bay and intruded onto the
 next one.  Surprisingly the macropods weren't touching them (these
 are the same animals that stripped my citrus trees, including a lemon,
 bare of leaves).  Not sure if that was a taste thing, or the lack of
 visibility through the hedge.

 I remember seeing your lablabs at Galston weaving through a
 shrub, and they were looking pretty lethargic, but again I think that
 was mid-summer.  Opportunistic little things by the looks of them.

> Jeez, I was under the impression horseradish was a great weed
> suppressant with the potential to run amok.  They look so healthy Jedd,
> what happened?  Do you think the sunchokes suppressed them or shaded
> them out?  Maybe they like a cooler climate, mine carked it when I
> moved them so I think they resent disturbance too.

 JA's were to the south, so wouldn't have been sun .. and they did
 have a bit of a decent root system through there.  Lack of water
 probably - which gives an indication to the OP (Dan) of how rampant
 they can get.  If horseradish (english) is struggling, and JA's are
 2m tall with less irrigation per plant, you'd certainly want an
 exit strategy for them once they look like they're getting out of
 control.

 As for disturbance, I thought the big sell with them was that you
 can never actually get rid of them -- you're meant to be able to
 take micro-cuttings of roots and still get them coming up.  I'm
 happy to blame the climate .. around my way even chokoes get
 knocked back and die in summer.

 Jedd.