Lee Mead, President, Tarrangower Cactus Control Group Inc., Tarrangower Times

The Cactus Warriors invite you to join us on Sunday 31 October at 10.30am along Mount Back Road where we will be assisting Parks Victoria to remove Wheel Cactus plants from our sensational Maldon Historic Reserve.

We’ll be armed with digging hoes and buckets and will concentrate on digging up small wheel cactus plants in an area along Mount Back Road. If you already have a digging hoe and/or buckets at home, please bring these along to use on the day.

Small Wheel Cactus plants are really easy to dig up because they’re very shallow rooted and it doesn’t matter if you leave roots behind in the ground (this cactus does not re-grow from roots). Digging up small plants before they grow large and need injecting with herbicides also means using less chemicals, which is great for the environment and reduces costs. 

Come along and learn how to deal with Wheel Cactus infestations, or just to help combat the problem in our local park. 

All equipment is provided, just wear protective clothing and sturdy boots. The mornings activities start at 10.30am, and finish with a BBQ lunch and friendly chat. 

The route will be well signposted from South Parkins Reef Rd, Maldon. Please check our website at www.cactuswarriors.org for a location map.

Landcare Victoria and Parks Victoria strongly recommend providing a COVID-Safe workplace for volunteers. As Tarrangower Cactus Control Group is part of Landcare Victoria we will be following COVID-Safe guidelines for this field day and also recommend all volunteers to be COVID vaccinated. 

All children must be accompanied by a parent at all times.

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 29 October 2021.