Buying a new home can be an exciting experience filled with possibilities. Unfortunately, one of those possibilities is finding out your property is covered in a notoriously difficult-to-eradicate invasive species. That's exactly what happened to one new homeowner, and they turned to the r/invasivespecies subreddit for advice.
"We noticed what we thought was bamboo but turns out it's Japanese knotweed that I think was hidden under the mulch from the old home owners. I wouldn't say this case is horrible but we have at least 20 [knotweeds] popping up," the poster wrote in a post titled "Japanese knotweed nightmare."
Some of the subreddit's avid gardeners leaped into action to commiserate with the new homeowner and offer advice on dealing with the situation. While most recommended their preferred brand of toxic chemical herbicide, some seemed to think that the knotweed could be eradicated with elbow grease (and… a minimal amount of toxic herbicide).
"Chemicals spraying is likely a waste of money in such a small space. These plant can have their storage of energy depleted. Digging out some roots is also possible. Then use herbicide at at of season," one commenter wrote.
"I've had success with digging them out and pulling up as much roots as possible. I went down about 10 inches/25 cms. I've also sifted some of the soil to remove the tiny roots that get left behind. It's a lot of work, but it's effective, particularly if you can get some other plants in there. You'll need to pull the new shoots as they pop up every year, but it should be somewhat manageable," another chimed in.
The entire saga is a great example of why you should do your research before planting anything new in your garden — and to make sure you're going with something that will not be costly and difficult to get rid of in the future.
As a rule of thumb, leaving your future self or the future people who buy your home with a problem that they need to use harmful chemicals on (or feel that they need to use harmful chemicals on) does nobody any favors. Instead, try going with native plant species, which are already adapted to live in your ecosystem, supporting local pollinators and the entire environment.
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