One professional landscaper shared before-and-after videos of their invasive plant removal project around a retention pond.
"It's still not done, but it took 10 days so far with some days off because of the weather," they said. "This is after all the bamboo and most bushes were cut down."
(Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)
In a before video, the original poster panned over the dry retention pond, which was choked with unwanted brush. In a comment on the other post showing their progress (which can be viewed here if embed does not appear), they clarified that this was 10 years' worth of growth that they had been called upon to remove.
Other users tentatively identified the plant occupying most of the space as kudzu, an extremely invasive species known for its ability to spread and consume plants and structures alike. One photographer captured images showing just how terrifyingly aggressive this plant can be.
Whether it was kudzu or something else in the video, invasive plants are a major problem because of their ability to spread and crowd out other species. They destroy biodiversity in an area, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem, and they can also damage gardens and structures.
Clearing invasive plants away, as the original poster did, is the responsible move both to stop them from spreading and to reclaim the property that they have covered.
If you want an outdoor space that requires little water and is healthier for the environment, you can rewild the area with native plants. These species need little help to grow because they have adapted to the conditions in their ecosystem. All you need to do is sit back and watch them thrive.
Commenters agreed that planting native species would be a smart move now that there was so much open space to fill.
"Look [at] your local Ag extension website via state university, get some info on native plants for dry creeks and/or ponds and/or retention and erosion, and go CRAZY," one user said. "... This is an amazing opportunity to create a thriving ecosystem in what was once a wasteland!"
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