July's pest plant of the month
Difficult to get rid of, spreads easily, and stops our precious native plants from establishing is why agapanthus is a real pain. So why is it so bad? Is it a problem if people still grow it? Unfortunately, the plants prevent native bush regeneration, which in turn hurts our native birds and other wildlife. Get rid of agapanthus if you want to support our native birds.
Do you have kids or pets running around your backyard agapanthus? The sticky sap can be an irritant for skin or eyes and parts of it are toxic if eaten! So help your native plants and birds, protect yourself, and get rid of that agapanthus as soon as possible. The good thing is, New Zealand has some beautiful native plants which can be planted in place of agapanthus, and these will be long-lived and help native wildlife at the same time. Read on to find out more.
What does it look like?
Umbrella-like clusters of large, tubular white/blue/purple flowers - typically flowers December-February
Thin, papery black seeds
Long, dark green leathery leaves curve away and down from center of the plant
Form dense masses or clusters of foliage and roots (rhizomes)
Long, thick, white rhizomes (roots) forming dense mats
Why is it weedy?
Dense clusters prevent any other species growing
Loss of biodiversity where it grows, outcompetes native species and other garden plants
Will eventually take over and becomes the dominant species where ever it grows
More difficult to remove once established
Spreads through root/rhizome fragments, especially from dumped garden waste
Also spreads through wind-dispersed seeds
Not a food source for native species and some parts are toxic
How you can help:
Recognise - Learn what it looks like
Report - Use our new EcoNet CAMS Weed App to report locations
Remove - Find out how to control the plant and get supplies from our Community Tool Shed
Restore - Plant natives in its place, to stop it coming back, and to support our native wildlife.
Links:
Agapanthus - Pests in Auckland (Auckland Council)
See page 7 of the Plant me instead booklet
Check out the Weedbusters: agapanthus page for lots more photos.
What can I plant instead?
Renga renga lily - Arthropodium cirratum
Turutu - Dianella nigra
Mikoikoi - Libertia ixioides
Harakeke - Flax - Phormium tenax
Tukauki - Libertia grandiflora
What can I do to get rid of it?
Dig up roots and rhizomes
Dispose of roots/rhizomes in a container of water with a lid or in a heavy duty weed bag to rot down over a number of months, dry them out, or burn them
Cut down stems and foliage and leave on site to mulch down.
The cut stems can be pasted with Metgel (Metsulfuron gel) if they are NOT close to valued plants or water, otherwise use Bamboo Buster (double strength glyphosate)* which may be less effective
Return and retreat any regrowth after 1 or 2 months, or dig up remaining clusters.
Talk to your friends, family and neighbours about how bad agapanthus is and encourage them to take action too
See all our pest plant disposal information on our website.
*always read the label before using any herbicides. Other herbicide treatments are possible.
If you have a significant area of agapanthus threatening an area of bush or a reserve, get in touch and we’ll see how we can help.
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