Users on Reddit and across the internet have been sharing tips, tricks, and struggles relating to infestations of Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that has caused more than a few headaches in places like the United States and United Kingdom.
The plant is infamous in gardening and home ownership circles all over the world, appearing in posts from the gardening community on TikTok and Reddit forums dedicated to invasive species.
One Redditor posted a good-natured PSA on the r/Pittsburgh subreddit to warn people in the area about the dangers of the plant.
"This stuff can come through concrete and screw up structures," they wrote. "It's nothing to mess with."
The poster noted that the invasion caused them to put home improvement projects on hold. They end their post with a helpful addendum: "Prevention is the best medicine here, so just wanted to give you a heads up so you can try to limit it early if you spot it."
Property owners who encounter Japanese knotweed or those considering letting it grow in their yard should know that it is well-known for damaging the foundations of houses and crowding out native plant species.
The Guardian noted: "It starves smaller saplings by towering over them and blocking their sunlight. Its leaf litter secretes chemicals to impede the germination of other plants."
In other words, Japanese knotweed is an invasive killer.
Japanese knotweed is an example of the consequences of importing plant species for your yard. Homeowners struggling with a knotweed problem should consider rewilding their yard and introducing native plants to replace knotweed after it is removed. Rewilding can reduce the cost of maintenance and reduce your water bill, and the presence of native plants creates a more hospitable environment for pollinators.
Commenters on the original post were full of ideas on how to control or eliminate the spread of Japanese knotweed, and all agreed that it is a scourge.
"It's a menace. We all should do our part to fight it," commented one user.
Another commenter added: "It's a nightmare to try to eradicate."
While many commenters were confessing that they had to turn to potentially harmful herbicides and chemicals, another offered a more natural alternative. "Have you considered a goat?" they wrote. "Desperate times call for desperate measures and a goat may be your new best friend."
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