Homeowner shares photo while battling harmful growth in yard: 'Nasty'

One Redditor shared their fight against an invasive plant species in the r/invasivespecies subreddit, posting three photos of themselves digging out knotweed.

Having an invasive plant species in your backyard can cause significant headaches for homeowners. These plants are not only challenging to remove but might also take over parts of your house and damage it, like the woman who found a plant growing from her wall, which can be costly to repair. 

The knotweed-battling Redditor wrote, "I had to dig even deeper to get rid of those nasty rhizomes. […] I'm determined to fight till one of us die!"

Knotweed is a noxious weed that spreads rapidly and can clone itself from even the smallest stem and root fragments, making it nearly impossible to control. 

Other Redditors were quick to commiserate with the poster about the intense battle needed to fight off this weed. 

"It took me 7 years to eradicate the knotweed on my property," one person shared.

Another user commented, "Knotweed is another level."

Knotweed is known for growing so quickly that it displaces native plants, obscures road signage, and damages pavement. While this poster may eventually dig it all up, chances are they'll need to break out chemicals at some point to eradicate it fully. 

However, they could also utilize native plants to help stop the knotweed's spread. Native plants in gardens can help hold invasive plants back, and they can lower water bills because they require little watering. Additionally, native species need little in the way of maintenance overall, making them a time-saver for gardeners. 

Depending on where this poster lives, they could also use native plants to prevent soil erosion (which knotweed can cause). 

What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard? Mowing the lawn 🏡 Controlling weeds 🌿 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️ I don't have a yard 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Switching your garden or yard to a native one by rewilding it with native plants offers the additional benefit of attracting more wildlife and pollinators. Bees and other pollinators are vital to protecting our food supplies, as they increase the diversity and efficiency of pollination, so having more around is beneficial for everyone. 

Best of all, you don't have to redo your whole lawn, as installing a native plant or two will still offer benefits while being more affordable. Checking an online database for plants native to your area will make the job simpler, or you can start with something common, such as clover or blue grama. 

Doing so could save you the trouble of spending years digging out invasive plants.

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