Japanese knotwood spreads across the US. Can devalue homes. Must be disclosed in UK home sales

[Demovictory9]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13822519/invasive-plant-destroys-homes-united-states.html

An invasive Japanese plant known to grow up to 15 feet tall has started taking over gardens across the US and threatens to catastrophically devalue homes in the North West, Midwest and North East.


Indeed, the plant has become one of the most invasive and destructive plants in the UK, where homeowners have to disclose whether or not they have the plant - and can take insurance out to protect against it.

Caitlin and Paul Maher Jr., of Lubec, Maine, had no idea the eight-foot-tall plant growing on their land of their newly bought home was Japanese knotweed in 2020, or how much of a fuss it would be for Paul to get rid of it.

'It was a Vietnam jungle. I couldn’t even walk through there. It was impenetrable,' he told WSJ.

After years of mowing it down, burning the stalks, leveling the ground and scything the plant, which left him with a torn rotator cuff, he's gotten most of it to go away, but he's yet to declare a victory.

From time to time, he has small portions of the plant pop up that he has to treat.

He likens the sprouting weed to a nuclear war survivor.

[intrepidity]

1. BOLO

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/uk-science-tech-weekend-features-project/article-11692485/Could-spot-Japanese-Knotweed-taking-root-garden.html

[Demovictory9]

3. Beautiful plant

[RockRaven]

2. And it goes by a bunch of different common names, so beware of them all

From wikipedia:

Common names for Japanese knotweed include fleeceflower, Himalayan fleece vine, billyweed, monkeyweed, monkey fungus, elephant ears, pea shooters, donkey rhubarb, American bamboo, and Mexican bamboo, among many others, depending on country and location.

[k55f5r]

4. Goats. Goats will decimate it

My parents had a 5 acre parcel in Wa. State, 2/3 of it covered in Himalayan Blackberries - an invasive species with delicious berries and 10' mounds of stickers.
Dad had tried poisoning, mowing, and burning, but every time the mounds grew higher and spread further.
He bought two pigmy goats, and 1 year later all trace of the berries was gone never to return.

[duncang]

5. My wife and I used to visit North Carolina

And large areas are covered with kudzu choking out everything else. It’s terrible what invasive plants can do.

[Demovictory9]

7. Is kidzu the same as japanese knotweed?

[duncang]

8. Nope.

But it was brought over at the same time. And I think by the same person.

[duncang]

9. Nope

But it was brought over at the same time. And I think by the same person.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Chefs love it. :)

https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/japanese-knotweed-recipes

[Botany]

10. The damage done to our environment by none native invasive plants is far far worse then any damage...

.. done by glyphosate. You can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.