Reuben's Horticultural Services

26/02/2026

Some jobs test your planning and decision-making. 🌿

About six months ago I was called to manage a severe Leucaena infestation that had been spreading unchecked for years. The front yard — roughly 50m² — was heavily established with mature trees and mixed invasive species including to***co and Gamba Grass.

Leucaena is declared invasive in parts of Queensland for good reason. Deep taproots, aggressive regrowth, and the ability to thrive in poor soils make it difficult to control once established.

Before beginning, I assessed the site and treatment options carefully. For mature growth, two primary methods are generally considered:

• Basal bark treatment

• Cut-stump application

Each method has specific timing and application requirements. Based on site conditions and risk management considerations, I selected a controlled hybrid approach — reducing the growth to manageable size before applying targeted herbicide treatment to ensure effective uptake.

Appropriate protective equipment and safe handling procedures were used throughout the process.

The result: successful treatment and strong signs of dieback on follow-up inspection.

Invasive species management isn’t about “cutting it down.” It requires correct identification, method selection, timing, and follow-up monitoring.

If you’re dealing with established invasive growth in Logan or surrounding areas, it’s worth having it assessed properly.

📍 Servicing Logan & surrounding suburbs.

17/02/2026

Massive invasive w**d removal underway in Ipswitch 🌿

Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) is one of the toughest invasive species in South East Queensland — and if left untreated, it takes over fast.

In this job I:

✔ Slashed and cleared dense growth

✔ Performed targeted cut-and-paint treatment

✔ Restored access to severely overgrown areas

✔ Made significant progress in just a few hours

Tight access. Uneven ground. Heavy infestation.

But this is what professional horticultural management looks like.

If you’ve got an overgrown block, acreage, or invasive plant problem in Logan or surrounding suburbs — send me a message for a free assessment.

📍 Servicing Logan, Marsden, Browns Plains, Beenleigh & surrounding areas.

Have you seen Leucaena taking over in your area?

16/02/2026

Lantana control. 🌿

This section had multiple established stumps surrounded by dense Gamba Grass and old slash build-up.

Treatment approach:

✔ Cut-back to expose clean stump surfaces

✔ Targeted cut-stump herbicide application

✔ Follow-up spray on regrowth

✔ Site reassessment for secondary stumps

Early signs are positive — the primary stump shows no new regrowth, while secondary growth has been treated to prevent re-establishment.

Due to unstable footing and heavy thatch build-up, I adjusted the method to ensure safe access and proper application.

Effective w**d control isn’t just about cutting — it’s about:

• Correct timing

• Proper application

• Safe site management

• Follow-up monitoring

Long-term control in areas like this also requires rehabilitation — native replanting and ongoing maintenance are essential to prevent reinfestation.

📍 Servicing Logan & surrounding areas.

15/02/2026

Most people see “a w**d.”

I see species, growth patterns, and treatment strategy. 🌿

Accurate identification is the difference between:

• Temporary removal

• And long-term control

These are some of the professional resources I use to correctly identify invasive plants across Logan and South East Queensland.

Leucaena, Groundsel, Broadleaf, Creepers — each requires a different management approach.

Tell me, have you noticed any plants taking over your area? If so comment below and I'll give you some free advice online.

📍 Servicing Logan, Marsden, Browns Plains & surrounding suburbs.

14/02/2026

Effectively controlling pest plants requires a variety of techniques known as "Integrated W**d Management." The main types of control measures are Chemical, Cultural, Mechanical, and Biological.

Reliance on chemical controls is not only insufficient to control w**ds in the long term; it actually risks w**ds becoming resistant to herbicides. While chemical control have their place in IWM, they should not be the main control measure.

Cultural controls include adjusting work processes and the environment to minimise w**d spread. This could be as simple as cleaning mower decks regularly, or mulching garden beds to prevent seeds from germinating (coarse organic mulch is best). Or it could get as complex as changing the soil to deter certain w**ds from growing, while allowing desired species to flourish.

Mechanical controls are effective for small infestations of w**ds; hand pulling, or mowing regularly (with a clean mower) to prevent them from going to seed.

Lastly; biological control agents are an effective way of getting rid of w**ds. A popular option here are goats to eat the w**ds and keep them down (minimising the seed they spread in so doing). I've personally been wanting to try using chickens to eat seeds out of the ground. Chickens only pass out 0.2% of the seeds they eat as viable, meaning they should help deplete seed beds in established infestations.

Each w**d is different, and requires a different approach to IWM. Woody w**ds generally are not responsive to foliar spray applications of herbicide, bulbous root system (like nutgrass) tend to push through mulch because they store so much energy in their roots. Lawn w**ds sometimes thrive in areas with part shade, meaning they are best addressed by opening up the area to the sun. Each infestation is different, and its worth hiring a skilled tradesman like me to control the w**ds in the long term.

14/02/2026

Alot of knowledge goes into accurately identifying a new w**d. This diagram is but some of the aspects that go into the process. Just describing the leaf includes things like it margin, shape, arragement, size, and even smell. On of my guides to w**ds exclusively works based on a plants flower, of which there are thousands of types. And even once you think you've identified it by putting together the features of the leaves, flowers, bark, and its growing habit still there are likely thousands of other w**ds with similar features.

It used to be that botanists would photo-memorise thousands of species, but as new invasive species have moved in that technique found its limits. These days it takes a team of tradespeople and university educated professionals to accurately identify a w**d.

14/02/2026

Theres been alot of talk lately about sluggish productivity growth. As a Tradesman I see it every day; but its something that takes a bit of explaining to understand the dynamics of. Productivity measures output per hour, and is impacted by the outputs quality and quantity. So many people confuse it with timeframes; thinking that riasing overtime increases productivity. But in actual fact; working long tiring hours reduces the rate as which we can work, and our ability to concentrate on the task at hand (lowering output quality). This means simply increasing hours worked does not increase productivity.

What does increase productivity is a workers skill, knowledge, and experience. I've seen first hand how unskilled cowboys simply create more work in the process of doing their job. They might be cheap, but fixing the problems they cause is several times more expensive than hiring a skilled tradesman in the first place. I've discussed with other gardeners their attitudes to skill and quality; most admit they are cowboys, and think spreading w**ds is good thing as it creates more work for them. This is the peak of unproductive attitudes; literally creating more work just so they can charge more.

The purpose of work is to get the job done; thats why people hire us. Nobody would willingly hire someone who says their unprofessionalism will just create more work by its own virtue. This is where it becomes important for society to value skilled tradespeole; we might be more expensive per hour, but we get the job done right the first go. I make a point of cleaning my mowers and setting out appropriate Integrated W**d Management Plans for severe w**d infestations; this is the point about output per hour as opposed to total hours worked. A cowboy might promise to get it done in one visit by just spraying the w**ds; negleting to mention that they eventually will grow back. I on the other hand; set out long term plans to reduce the regrowth and get the w**ds under control. This might only take a few hours after the initial treatment, but it has to take place over months to get right. The output I produce is significant; for a few days work over a few months I can almost eradicate the problem, but I have to take that time to assess the control measures and get each stage right; this requires observing the w**ds over a long period of time. It might not have all the gloss of fixing your problem instantly; but its the only way to actually fix the problem.

Returning to productivity growth; the economy needs to recognise these two truths; that quality work costs more, and quality takes time to get right. Quick fixes only create more work that needs to be done; often at much greater expense than simply getting the job done right in the first place. Valuing skill (and paying for it) is the only way to lift Australia's sluggish productivity growth.

Send a message to learn more

09/02/2026

I'm currently in the middle of a massive w**d eradication job. This property has pretty much every w**d under the sun. One of which I have experience dealing with, Leucaena leucocephala. The following video is of me slashing it down to heigh with my cane knife (what I could get to with my cane knife, I had to buy an electric pruning saw for some of it), then painting it with a mixture of Triclopyr, Picloram, and Diesel (a very dangerous combination of chemicals). This is perhaps one of the most intense jobs I've done, as there was not much space to move around in and the ground was uneven. I've made great progress on it in only a few hours dispute these challenges. Anyway, enjoy the video as an example of what I can do.

01/12/2025

Some of the resources I have for identifying w**ds.

26/11/2025

Footage of me cutting up a fall tree in Elliot Heads this morning. A storm ripped through the area a few days ago, so I thought I'd volunteer to help out with the clean up effort.

26/11/2025

This morning I helped out the Bundaberg community by blocking up this fallen tree. I managed to cut up this little tree, and an offshoot of the larger tree next to it.

Upon inspection of the larger of the two trees, it was evident that it was hung up in a neighboring tree, making it a "widowmaker.". Thus it will require an arborist to dismantle safely.

05/11/2025