In dry livestock-farming regions, the encroachments of unpalatable woody plants can significantly reduce grazing capacity on farms.
By Roelof Bezuidenhout
Two of the worst culprits are indigenous species: kriedoring (sand honey-thorn, Lycium arenicola Miers) and katdoring (wild asparagus, Asparagus capensis L. var. capensis). These hardy shrubs are thriving in dry areas thanks to deep, extensive root systems that give them a competitive edge during droughts. Unlike palatable grasses that need significant rainfall to recover, these woody invaders can respond to even light showers, gradually outcompeting more valuable forage plants.
Limited value to livestock
Both kriedoring and katdoring are only grazed under severe pressure. Katdoring does offer some nutritional value, but its sharp, hooked thorns make it a nuisance – especially to mohair farmers, whose young Angora goats often get entangled in the thorny branches. Kriedoring, meanwhile, sheds its leaves quickly during droughts, offering little to no feed value when it’s most needed.
Despite their tough appearance, livestock and small antelope will nibble on young shoots and leaves, but they remain undesirable plants. In parts of the Karoo, these bushes are among the only green growth visible during dry periods – a legacy of continuous grazing, especially in the early 20th century before rotational grazing systems were widely adopted.
When these plants form dense stands, one common control method is to cut them manually and use the branches to bush-pack erosion rills and dongas. While this can help stabilise degraded areas, it is hard physical work and only a temporary fix, as both species readily regrow from their roots.
A creative solution
Kriedoring may have an unexpected benefit: It can act as a natural shelter for spekboom (Portulacaria afra), a succulent that’s the focus of several carbon sequestration projects in the Eastern Cape.
The method involves planting spekboom cuttings – about 50cm tall – beneath the canopy of the thorny bush, using a crowbar to make a planting hole. The dense foliage shields the young cuttings from harsh sun, drying winds, frost and hungry grazers, giving the spekboom a better chance of establishing itself. (This approach may not work with katdoring – its hooked thorns, which resemble a cat’s claws, make planting beneath it much trickier.)
Planting should take place after light rain when the soil is moist and soft enough for the crowbar, and conditions are favourable for rooting. The operation requires some planning – ideally a full bakkie-load of cuttings to make the effort worthwhile – but once established, the spekboom can eventually survive on its own.
It may also be worth sowing local grass seeds beneath these shrubs. The protection they offer could help grasses establish themselves in the same way they assist spekboom cuttings.
It’s a way of turning a problem species into a partner in veld restoration.
 | Roelof Bezuidenhout is a fourth-generation wool, mohair, mutton and game farmer and freelance journalist. Attended Free State University, majoring in animal husbandry and pasture science. Other interests include agricultural extension and rural development. |
