The following comments were sent by Steve Glass, Restoration Ecologist at the UW Arboretum. He will soon post additional comments on his blog, WingraSprings.
Showing posts with label weed control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weed control. Show all posts
6/3/11
Japanese knotweed invades the bike path
Madison has a BIG problem with Japanese knotweed along the Southwest Bike Path. It's a big weed--standing up to 9 feet tall--and a big patch, extending over a mile along the bikeway. It's an invader from eastern Asia, and very aggressive. It forms dense stands that crowd out most other vegetation.
Left: Large knotweed plants. Center: re sprouting quickly after being mowed.
A sinister plant...A recent article in Science describes the plant as "sinister"and "a Goliath"--strong words for the usually staid magazine. "What makes this plant so menacing is its ability to grow through solid concrete foundations, forcing contractors to abandon infested building sites. In England alone, about a half-million homes are uninsurable, and in the UK, damages and removal cost $288 million a year."
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