A young homeowner's excitement after buying an older home built in 1910 is being overshadowed by an invasive plant. This Reddit post shows the abundant presence of knotweed in one of several spots on the five-acre property.
Unfortunately, the OP stated, "it feels insurmountable" working solo trying to eliminate the plant.
Despite their disappointment, the Redditor has been tackling the problem head-on by researching and using elimination techniques like cutting back the plant. However, they plan to eventually use foliar glyphosate, which can be toxic to humans and the environment.
When it comes to non-native plants, knotweed is one of the worst to deal with at your home, as it can break through concrete and damage underground structures.
According to Knotweed Help, it can create a 15% devaluation on property. The growth speed helps its ability to take over spaces as it can grow over three feet in three weeks, reach up to 10 feet high, and have roots that spread up to 32 feet from the source plant, according to Invasive Species Centre.
Dealing with removing an invasive species like Japanese knotweed can be frustrating, but it's worth the effort to save your home garden or lawn. When you have vegetation filled with native plants, you're doing your part to help the environment. With bees becoming endangered from changes in land use and pesticides, every invasive plant you remove helps.
Instead of risking the health of your lawn (and yourself) with pesticides, you can cut the knotweed as close as possible and smother it with mulch. Digging out the roots manually can ensure you remove the rhizomes without contaminating the soil.
Bees and other pollinators are vital to the food chain, and every native garden is part of that since your native plants can become home to rare butterfly species, hummingbirds, or bluejays. After switching to a natural lawn, you will have less work as plants grow strong in the soil and use less water — a vital point when as much as 50% of outdoor water people use goes to waste, according to the EPA.
In addition to fishing for compliments, the OP admitted that "advice is welcome too," and the comments didn't disappoint.
🗣️ Should we be actively working to kill invasive species?
🔘 Absolutely 💯
🔘 It depends on the species 🤔
🔘 I don't know 🤷
🔘 No — leave nature alone 🙅
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
One person reminded the poster that they can "hire a little help or even reach out to DNR [Department of Natural Resources] for advice."
Someone else also said, "Look at it this way: after the knotweed is gone (more or less) YOU HAVE FIVE ACRES!!!"
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