Sugar will be used to tackle weed control in St George in a trial that aims to minimise the amount of herbicide being used on ground.
Total Earth Care is working with Georges River Council to conduct the trials across areas of about 800 square metres.
Sugar can provide a good, short-term, non-herbicide and ecologically friendly method of weed control.
It can minimise the germination of taller plants including Bidens and Conyza, and can reduce the amount of work needed to maintain the ground.
Sugar is a carbon nutrient that contains zero nitrogen and is one of the fastest ways of reducing soil nitrate levels.
When sugar is spread on the soil, it feeds soil microorganisms, which then absorb lots of soil nutrients as they grow. Microorganisms hold these nutrients so they are less available for weed species.
This in turn helps native plants that are accustomed to growing in nutrient-poor soils, grow with a reduced hindrance of exotic weed populations.
Follow up planting on these areas using plants such as Themeda triandra will be used to help to lock up nutrients in the root system. This can suppress weed growth.
