An invasive Japanese weed that can grow up to 15 feet tall has begun taking over yards across the United States and threatens to catastrophically devalue homes in the Northwest, Midwest and Northeast.
To the eye, Japanese grass is a beautiful plant with pretty white flowers and vibrant green leaves that are seen along pathways and in backyards.
But in reality the plant, which is similar to bamboo, has the ability to crack pavement, kill surrounding species and cause home values to plummet, according to the The Wall Street Journal.
The species can grow at a rate of three feet a week, and it takes years and a lot of work to eradicate it from properties, even when its stems are injected with pesticides.
“You have to respect this plant,” Robert Naczi, curator at the New York Botanical Garden, told the WSJ. “They’re known to grow inches a day in the spring.”
Japanese grass (pictured) can grow to nearly 15 feet tall at a rate of three feet per week and takes years and extensive work to eradicate from a property.
To the eye, Japanese grass is a beautiful plant with pretty white flowers and vibrant green leaves that are seen along pathways and in backyards.
Caitlin and Paul Maher Jr. of Lubec, Maine, had no idea that the eight-foot-tall plant growing in the yard of their newly purchased home was Japanese knotweed in 2020 — or what a big deal it would be for Paul to get rid of it.
“It was a Vietnamese jungle. I couldn’t even walk through it. It was impenetrable,” he told the WSJ.
After years of cutting it back, burning the stems, leveling the soil and mowing the plant, which left him with a torn rotator cuff, he has managed to remove most of it, but has yet to declare victory.
From time to time small portions of the plant appear that you need to treat.
He compares the sprouting weed to a survivor of a nuclear war.
The plant, which is similar to bamboo, has the ability to crack pavement, kill surrounding species and lower home values.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” he said.
“I call it plant consciousness.”
To get rid of a small portion of the plant, Dr. Bernd Blossey, a professor at Cornell University, recommends cutting it back repeatedly to keep it under control or digging it up to remove it entirely.
However, digging it up comes with its own challenges, as the entire root must be removed to ensure it doesn’t grow back.
And the process of digging it up again and again will take years before it completely disappears.
The plant has also spread throughout the United States (pictured), in the Northeast, Midwest, and Northwest.
Another method is to cut the plant after it flowers and inject herbicide into the stems using a tool that looks like a “little gun with a syringe on top,” Blossey said.
If a victim of Japanese knotweed doesn’t destroy the plant, the weed can spread unchecked, disrupt ecosystems and form dense thickets that can harm local wildlife, according to CNY News.
In fact, 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 out insurance to protect against it.
Until recently, some UK banks would not provide mortgages for residents’ homes if the plant was on the property.
“You have to respect this plant,” Robert Naczi, curator at the New York Botanical Garden, told the WSJ. “They’re known to grow inches a day in the spring.”
It can appear in different colors as it grows and can take years to completely eliminate.
According to the WSJ, residents who have the plant on their property are advised to take out a five- to 10-year insurance policy for its treatment and maintenance.
In the United States, the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst released an insect called Aphalara itadori after receiving permission in 2020.
It is the worst enemy of Giant Japanese Grass, and scientists have been placing them on individual Giant Japanese Grass plants and covering them with nets to make sure they do their job.
“I’ve never been so moved by watching a plant suffer,” Jeremy Andersen, a research assistant professor at the university, told the WSJ. “It looked like the lifeblood had been sucked out of them.”
It has since spread throughout the United States and is particularly fond of watery areas with disturbed soil, such as near roadsides.
Although the insects aren’t faring as well on Japanese grass, scientists are testing a new insect from a cooler part of Japan that they hope will be better adapted to the Massachusetts climate, Andersen said.
The plant was first introduced to the United States from Japan in the mid-19th century by botanists who also brought kudzu and oriental bittersweet, according to the WSJ.
It has since spread across the United States and is particularly fond of watery areas with disturbed soil, such as near roads, according to CNY News.
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