One of the reasons that Himalayan balsam removal UK should be done is that it is colonizing river and rail banks, woodlands, and wastelands. It is competing with the native plants for nutrients, space, light, and pollinators. By doing this, it is reducing biodiversity. It also dies back in the winter so it will leave the riverbanks are left bare and open to erosion. The plant debris and dead leaves can lead to flooding by blocking waterways.

1. Removal of Himalayan Balsam
The Himalayan balsam is one of the most invasive weeds in the UK. In 1839, it was introduced
to the British Isles by Victorian plant hunters. They loved the exploding seed pods and beautiful
pink flowers. Over the last 50 years, it has spread rapidly in the UK. When it was brought to the
UK, it had no natural enemies to keep it in check in its native range, which was the foothills of
the Himalayans. Without any natural enemies, it has had an advantage over the native species.
This is why it grows more aggressive than it would do normally.
Identifying the Himalayan balsam
This weed has beautiful pink flowers that appear between June and September. It has reddish-
colored stems and is commonly found on riverbanks. The leaves are lance-shaped and dark
green with jagged edges. It can grow up to 2m in height and can produce 2500 seeds each year.
When the seedpods open or explode, they can throw the seeds several meters away. The seeds
can also be transported by water and moving contaminated soil.
Why it should be removed
One of the reasons that Himalayan balsam removal UK should be done is that it is colonizing
river and rail banks, woodlands, and wastelands. It is competing with the native plants for
nutrients, space, light, and pollinators. By doing this, it is reducing biodiversity. It also dies
back in the winter so it will leave the riverbanks are left bare and open to erosion. The plant
debris and dead leaves can lead to flooding by blocking waterways.
How to remove it
The traditional way to control and do Himalayan balsam removal is to control the plant by
spraying it with chemicals or pulling it up by hand. Sometimes this does not work because the
plant is often growing in places that are difficult to reach or on river sites that are delicate. It
also spreads quickly.
When using chemicals to eradicate the invasive weed, make sure that you are checking with the
Environment Agency because many times it is growing near water. You want to make sure that
the herbicide is not poisoning the water or the fish in the water. With herbicides, they are
generally sprayed but you can also apply them directly to target plants.
Conclusion
One thing to note is that removing Himalayan balsam, it is expensive. It was estimated in 2003,
that it would cost at least £300 million to eradicate this invasive weed from the UK entirely.
When using a chemical herbicide, it may take many treatments over several years to completely
control it. You should also make sure that you are monitoring the area to make sure that no new
shoots are appearing. When you use physical removal, this is good for short time control but is
not a long-time solution.

2. Most of these plants do not flower and produce seeds until they are 10-12 years of age. This
gives you time to make sure that you are weeding out some of the younger plants so that they do
not flower and spread seeds and become environmentally threatening to the land and other
plants.