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

[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.