The most successful female in the world

[watervole]

All Japanese Knotweed plants in the UK are in fact the same plant.  They are all clones of a single female and the plant spreads solely by bits of rhizome being moved from one place to another.  It can be distributed by people trying to remove it as they distribute bits by digging them up (fly tipping is a real problem).  Floods can transport broken-off pieces downstream.

It is extraordinarily invasive and has no natural enemies outside of Japan.

I still recall listening to Gardener's Question Time on one occasion when a listener asked for advice on removing Japanese Knotweed.  One suggested napalm, another sighed in resignation and said, "Move house".

Why don't we have tighter laws on plant/animal imports and sales?  The economic damage from Japanse Knotweed alone is staggering (it can push through tarmac, damage foundations, etc) and many other species are equally bad.

When I go for a walk, I can easily spot plant species that have escaped from gardens.  Some, especially European ones, do little harm, but others (like European plants introduced to America and Australia) get everywhere.  The purple loosestrife that is harmless in my garden is a major problem in North America.

Comments

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

I'm having enough fun removing ground elder without having to worry about alien species from another dimension invading my garden!

[frandowdsofa.livejournal.com]

Rhodedendrons - aaaaaaaargh!

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

We probably do these days, Japanese Knot weed has been here for a long long time. There is a patch at the bottom of my hill that has been there since I was a small child,50 years at least. We called it the pea shooter plant and chewed it when our mouths were dry, never swallowed it though. Regular mowing seems to work with it though, that land is managed by the Council now and the grass is cut once a month if it needs it or not and the clump is a lot smaller not only 2 or 3 spikes instead of a dozen or more. But that has taken 15 years at least to reach that far.

[peaceful-fox.livejournal.com]

Japanese Knotweed and other non-native invasive plants are something I try to be very conscious of. My office is on the bank of the river Blackwater and we are having a lot of Japanese Knotweed problems. We have had specialists out to remove it.

I am also worried about the US crayfish and Bullfrogs that are getting out. They are starting to cause a lot of problems.

Why don't we have tighter laws on plant/animal imports and sales?

I wish we did as well. Of course some are brought over illegally, anyway. Gah.

[raspberryfool.livejournal.com]

Oh, so that's what's colonised and smothered a rather weedy roadside corner in Northampton! Looking at the speed it took over, it's hardly surprising it's a problem - it's aspiring to smother the trees now!

And here's me thinking it was a type of bindweed!

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

There is an argument which says: There are no invasive exotic species per se. The root problem is habitat destruction and disturbance e.g. by humans or natural disasters. There are then some species which are successful pioneers. All the species which we consider to be 'native' to the UK are actually the 'exotic' ones which happened to get here, thrived and naturalised after the last Ice Age.

Then the question becomes one of protecting habitats, and re-considering the spectrum of native/naturalised/exotic species.

[artw.livejournal.com]

I believe there are now laws concerning Japanese knotweed, and one or two other extremely invasive species. I'm pretty sure I heard on the telly (so it must be true) that it is now illegal to sell it and illegal to dispose of it inappropriately if you are unfortunate enough to find it in your garden.

[arborophile.livejournal.com]

Japanese Knotweed is all the fault of the Victorians and their 'Wild Gardens'..which contain lots of plants which grow really big, really fast[Hogweed is another] with no regard to them escaping in to the local environment and destroying it[also Himmalayam Balsam and Rhododendrons!]
I spent years as a Conservation Volunteer digging up/chopping down all these!
Though we did a publicity stall once next door to a wild flower stall..the guy had what was obviously knotweed in a pot and would not believe us that he was breaking the law!

[watervole.livejournal.com]

REAd waveney for regular comments on the 'joys' of trying to eliminate rhododendron from nature reserves...

[predatrix.livejournal.com]

My god, that sounds evil! Particularly the spreading-when-you-try-to-remove-it bit.

Nastiness!

[robthefish.livejournal.com]

As a person currently battling knotweed, bramble, Buddleia, and another invasive species that I can't remember the name of - (cream coloured large-ish flowers, yellow stamen)in the same garden - I'm all for importing the natural 'enemies' of Knotweed! I want to put in various 'green manure' plants to 'protect' the newly cleared ground but am told there's no point until I've nuked the knotweed with chemicals... :-(