Friend or foe? Plant identification tips

Local Land Services Agriculture Advisor Helen Smith demonstrated how land managers can identify plants and weeds on their properties.

Key Points:

• Plant ID is a very practical skill and it can take a long time to get good at it as there are just so many plants out there.
• Good to get an idea and be able to recognise what some of the common plants on your property are, this will help you be able to notice when there is something new or different, this will likely be a weed so good to spot them early.
• Need to look for identifying features, although these are not always what you think they might be. Obvious ones include seed heads or fruits or flowers. Other identifying features include leaves, stems and identifying bits of anatomy around their stems. If you are looking at a weed and it is already setting seed or flowering then you may have missed a key control window.
• There are lots of useful links to information regarding plant identification. The NSW DPI Weedwise app is very good.
• You can also contact your Local Land Services Agriculture Advisor if you have any questions. We encourage you to get out and have a look at the plants on your property, make some observations and get some practice.
• Have some fun with it and keep an eye on what is growing in your paddocks.