A distraught homeowner vented their frustration to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit after finding their neighbors had planted an invasive plant on their property line without their consent.
Even worse, the entitled neighbor acted the opposite of neighborly by poisoning the original poster's vine before replacing it with the invasive species.
Because of their shocking disregard for the homeowner's property, the backyard looked like a jungle as the plant took over everything in sight, including the basketball goal.
"It has destroyed the back of my house," the homeowner wrote in their post.
The two photos they posted clearly show the damage. The aggressive plant seemed to envelop everything in its path, making the OP's yard look like something you'd see at an abandoned building.
Many commenters suggested that the OP "poison the vine back" with herbicides containing glyphosate, such as RoundUp, to kill the unwanted invasive weeds.
"Roundup, my friend. Sympathize with them when they moan about the loss of their beautiful vine, and mention that they will need to make sure it doesn't grow onto your property when they replant," another advised.
However, using glyphosate as an act of revenge would only harm both the OP and the neighbor. Research shows that exposure to this harmful chemical can cause inflammation, hormone disruptions, impaired brain functioning, and even cancer. It also causes biodiversity loss and pollutes ecosystems, per McGill University.
The OP would be wise to explore natural alternatives to RoundUp, such as "goatscaping," using boiling water to kill the plant, or smothering it with sawdust.
Opting for a chemical-free solution would ensure the OP's yard remains a thriving, friendly place for pollinators, especially if they replaced the plants with a native lawn.
Natural lawns require much less maintenance and watering since the plants are specially adapted to local conditions. It's also a great way to conserve water, even if you only replace part of your lawn with low-maintenance options such as buffalo grass or clover.
"If you have any pickle brine or a high pH solution (i.e.pressurized salt water) lying around, it acts as both pest control and weed killer. Concentrated enough, it would forcibly kill the ivy at the roots within a week, hopefully. This would save you more money in the long run than buying chemical herbicide," another commenter suggested.
"Plant some bamboo in their yard," someone else said, although that would likely cause more problems since the plant "has no respect for property lines," the Florida Times-Union explained.
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