Homeowner shares jaw-dropping transformation after ripping out invasive yard plants by hand: 'A nice bouquet'

A Redditor on the r/invasivespecies subreddit shared photos of their ongoing battle to rid their yard of invasive plants. The post had a couple of pictures of the progress, and the following description:

"On day 3 of the great Honeysuckle war … and a nice bouquet of hand-pulled Japanese Stiltgrass from my native flower bed."

The photos prompted a handful of comments. 

One noted how difficult it is to remove the latter compared to the former: "Honeysuckle is EASY compared to stilt. Eff that ess. Good luck." 

Another offered some advice for long-term management of the problem, saying, "Dont [sic] try to pull either first round!! Snip and treat stems any time Sept-March. For now just stop the flowers from seeding."

The posts bring up important points about the problems of removing and managing invasive plant species. The two species mentioned in the opening post are widely dispersed in the eastern United States. The University of Connecticut describes Japanese honeysuckle as an "aggressive invasive woody vine that climbs, suffocates, and strangles other plants. It first arrived in the United States in 1806, imported under the mistaken belief that it would offer erosion control and benefit wildlife."

The other invasive species, Japanese stiltgrass, came to American shores accidentally over a century ago. It was used as a packaging material for Asian porcelain. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry notes that it has several harmful ecological effects, including damaging the soil and strongly reducing native tree seedling regeneration and size. 

As the thread shows, invasive species can significantly damage the ecosystem by competing with native plants and animals for resources. Moreover, they have a serious economic cost — the United States spends about $20 billion annually managing them. 

As the thread discussed solutions, one of the best is upgrading to a natural lawn. Native plants are much cheaper and easier to maintain because they have adapted to the area. They need much less water and support vital pollinators. While some commenters suggested chemicals that could be used, the original poster is opting for a more natural, healthy approach.

"I'm trying to see if I could go a non-chemical way first and handpull since theres dogs around… the stiltgrass isn't spread too far I figure I'll handpull and keep it from seeding, see how that works." 

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.

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