Controlling some weeds in a yard is as simple as putting in the time and effort to pull them out. However, other weeds are far more stubborn and hot discussion topics on Reddit.
In a post on r/landscaping, one homeowner shared a photo of knotweed and expressed extreme frustration.
"What on earth is this?" the original poster asked. "Tried pulling a couple and they just snapped off. My lawn is an absolute nightmare right now."
The OP explained that they bought the house in Michigan in the winter and that once the weather warmed up, their yard was 50% weeds, 30% grass, and 10% dirt.
"I don't even know where to start," they wrote.
Fortunately, many people answered the OP's question and provided tips for handling knotweed.
Japanese knotweed is an invasive plant that grows in North America. It forms dense, aggressive, bamboo-like vegetation that outcompetes native plants. It is among the most challenging weeds to eliminate and a cause of major headaches for homeowners.
Beyond the labor and frustration involved, invasive plants such as knotweed are problematic because they damage local ecosystems.
They take sunlight and nutrients away from native plants that support local pollinators and can damage the soil that future plants need to thrive. Invasive plants can also affect local animals because various species rely on balanced ecosystems for their livelihoods.
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Mowing the lawn 🏡 Some foragers have promoted Japanese knotweed as an edible and delicious plant that you can eat rather than kill. But if you have more to get rid of than you can eat, manual control requires pulling out the entire root system by hand and disposing of plant matter in a secure location to prevent respreading.
Reddit users had many other pieces of advice for the OP, including that mowing or clipping it will only create regrowth and that tarping or covering it doesn't help.
"Not an invasive you want to ignore, if you value your property at all," a Reddit user warned.
Another Redditor shared, "Our trick since has been to dig the root out as deep as possible, as early as possible so it doesn't get any energy."
"I hope I never get this devil weed in my yard," someone else wrote.
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