A homesteader discovered that a patch of Japanese Knotweed, a persistent, clump-forming, invasive plant, has grown so large that it spans more acreage than their home.
"My Japanese knotweed problem [is] bigger than my house," shared the OP along with a photo of the massive amount of land the patch has taken up in the Reddit community r/Homestead.
The plant is said to be one of the most invasive plants in the world, according to the U.S. National Park Service, and it can be found on every continent besides Antarctica.
"Once established, the plant may grow 10 feet in one growing season, making them very easy to spot," as the NPS explained. The agency also wrote that the plant "grows in dense stands and reaches incredible heights very quickly," making it nearly impossible for herbivores to feed on it. The NPS added that "Its roots are also incredibly hardy and the only way to permanently remove a stand of Japanese knotweed is to completely dig out and remove its rhizomes, a nearly impossible feat."
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Invasive species are notorious for being hardy and difficult to get rid of. When they start to grow in one's garden, they threaten ecosystems and add dramatically to the homeowner's yard workload.
To bypass the headache that comes from invasive plants, it's recommended to cultivate a native garden. These gardens enhance the ecosystem, bringing in pollinators and the resilience of the wildlife. Additionally, these gardens are largely self-sufficient, meaning homeowners need not spend as much time tending to their gardens or spending money on fertilizer and water.
The American Society of Landscape Architects wrote on just how much native gardens can save homeowners as they cite an Environmental Protection Agency estimate "that over a 20-year period, the cumulative cost of maintaining a prairie or a wetland totals $3,000 per acre versus $20,000 per acre for non-native turf grasses."
As for the overgrowth in this homesteader's yard, Redditors offered solutions.
"Our county (in Oregon) has invasive weed specialists that came to our property and gave us advice," one Redditor commented. "Might be worth calling yours? We even got a grant to pay for the knotweed removal and replacement with native plants."
Others backed that calling invasive weed specialists is an option.
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No way 🙅 "My state does it for you. They'll send a person out to take care of it for you. Call your local noxious weed control board," they wrote.
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