Aggressive Japanese Knotweed is Making Its Way Across U.S., Pushing Out Native Species in its Path

weather.com...

Like other invasive species, knotweed crowds out native plants and creates a hostile environment for competitors. In turn, that also affects the food supply, shelter and other vital factors for wildlife. The International Union of Conservation ranks knotweed among the world's top 100 most invasive species, plant or animal.

So far, its infestation has been limited mostly to the northeast. But knotweed is found in every U.S. state except North Dakota, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Florida and Hawaii, according to the University of New Hampshire Extension.

knew about kudzu but not about this one

anyone with direct experience with?

negative side of global economy / connections

a reply to: ElGoobero


Is Kudzu still a crisis?

a reply to: ElGoobero


I know it as Hercules plant. It's big and makes you burns. If you're ever see this giant don't touch it.
There is a smaller version totally harmless.
I think the Heracleum mantegazzianum an invader too.

Plants

a reply to: ElGoobero

uk here. quite an issue over here. grows like stink from tiny pieces and site remediation is slow and costly. dwellings

adjacent to this problem struggle to find insurance cover.

f.

I haven't seen knotweed around here yet, I am sure there may be patches of it somewhere, but nowhere that I have seen it. How did it get into this country, did people bring it in because it grew easily and has pretty flowers? Most of the invasive species were brought here for groundcover for the sides of roads and railroad tracks, or for people's flower gardens. Without natural preditors, these weeds and flowering plants can take over everything.

People also leave their goldfish into lakes, that is not good, they will grow into carp and offset the balance in a lake. They should regulate hauling plants around the world, people want plants that are not native to their area in their yard, to make them look more prestigious than others mostly. I like the weeds that grow in the yard, the natural wildflowers from around here are nice. The wife planted Marjoram and it is taking over the yard by the deck, but I don't mind that too much, it tastes good. Genetically modifying things is not wise either, it can turn a food staple into an invasive plant.

a reply to: rickymouse

Introduced in the 1800s as an ornamental plant.

a reply to: ElGoobero

We grew some that someone gave us. It spread rapidly and got to the point we had to dig up as much as possible, ground cover kill spray it and put it under 8 inches of much covered by a thick layer of shingles and thick liner covered by 4 more inches of mulch to wipe it out. I've even put another liner on top of all that to make sure it stays dead. Hard but not impossible to kill.

originally posted by: Peeple
a reply to: ElGoobero

I know it as Hercules plant. It's big and makes you burns. If you're ever see this giant don't touch it.
There is a smaller version totally harmless.
I think the Heracleum mantegazzianum an invader too.

Plants

It does look pretty exotic, kinda cool, very different. More complex and superior genetically versus the indigenous species?

You said it burns. Will it give you a rash and how bad is it? Is it like a poison ivy, poison oak, or is it more like a skin irritant that will infame it but can be washed off without agony lasting for days.

Ah, the Joy's of globalization.

originally posted by: ElGoobero
weather.com...

Like other invasive species, knotweed crowds out native plants and creates a hostile environment for competitors. In turn, that also affects the food supply, shelter and other vital factors for wildlife. The International Union of Conservation ranks knotweed among the world's top 100 most invasive species, plant or animal.

So far, its infestation has been limited mostly to the northeast. But knotweed is found in every U.S. state except North Dakota, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Florida and Hawaii, according to the University of New Hampshire Extension.

knew about kudzu but not about this one



Looks very much like something growing along our country roads here in SW Wisconsin....hog weed. Three to six feet tall and usually some of the earliest plants to bloom and then die off.

our most problematic invasive species is from central an south america. it's getting worse every day because government won't recognize the severity of the infestation and work to limit it to controllable levels.

a reply to: ElGoobero

It was introduced to the UK it is believed first during the Victorian period as an ornamental plant and so was a common plant found in English Japanese style gardens' that for a while were very popular here.
The variety we have will literally destroy wall's, wreck foundation's and cost as much as £10.000 over here to remove.




This one is probably closer to home for you, the fact is though that some of the chemical's the guy uses may be extremely dangerous and without knowing more about them I can not say, we have more stringent and health minded law's were that is concerned.

a reply to: ElGoobero


and that is why you should not allow unregualted free market capitlism. On a different note. The plant is edible and there are areas in old growth forest where it will never grow. Look after your old growth forest.

On a positive note, Japanese Knotweed shoots and early growth make a nice vegetable, or substitute for rhubarb.

Bear in mind that it is quite high in oxalic acid, so if you have problems with this it is best avoided.

I've eaten this many times and I am still alive, I think

a reply to: purplemer

What does this have to do with free market capitalism? People in the 1800s liked how it looked and brought it back to America. Your post really makes no sense.

Takes years to kill the root culture FEET below.I got rid of them by cutting the cane off and pouring in glyphosate. Spraying on the leaves will work but it takes much longer.

It's all over Benton Harbor and St Joseph MI. Nearly impossible to kill and grows 6" a day

originally posted by: IAMTAT
a reply to: ElGoobero


Is Kudzu still a crisis?

Goats and Sheep are in a symbiotic relationship of sorts. The Kudzu doesn't get totally eradicated and the goats never seem to get full. 20-20 or 60 Min TV series one I cant remember exactly. Had this place Near Atlanta GA that was planted with kudzu. When it crossed property lines someone had a bright idea of seeing if the goats and sheep could eat it and a match was made in heaven.

originally posted by: Peeple
a reply to: ElGoobero

I know it as Hercules plant. It's big and makes you burns. If you're ever see this giant don't touch it.
There is a smaller version totally harmless.
I think the Heracleum mantegazzianum an invader too.

Plants

That is NOT Japanese knotweed. That is somethign COMPLETELY different. The knotweed is like an ivy vine that grows up and wraps itself around everything. I had it in my garden last year, it covered it completely in 2 weeks and took me over an entire day to rip it out. didn't know what it was then, but google shows lots of pics of it.

a reply to: rickymouse

Really? Goldfish will "grow into carp?"