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Reasons Why We Need To Eradicate Japanese Knotweed

Friday, September 11th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Likewise known in other names like monkeyweed, elephant ears, fleeceflower, pea shooters, and Himalayan fleece vine, Japanese knotweed is a nonwoody perennial plant that belongs to the species of Polygonaceae.  It is native to lands in eastern Asia like Japan, China, and Korea.

The plant is believed to offer a lot of uses.  These include being a great source of vitamins and minerals for instance the vitamins A and C, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, and manganese.  It is also known to be an origin of reservatol, a compound that helps reduce LDL or bad cholesterol and hinder the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. 

In spite of its benefits, however, why is it that efforts are made to eradicate the Japanese knotweed? 

This can be traced to the real habitat of the plant, which is of harsh and volcanic conditions.  It was then introduced to Europe and the United States in the 19th century and it was enjoyed as ornamental plants and likewise to avert soil erosion.  However, what was supposed to be a helpful plant has been established to be actually destructive.  In fact, laws have been applied regarding this notorious plant species.  These consist of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended) 1981, The Environmental Protection Act 1990, The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991, and the Third party litigation, where damages can be obligatory from anyone that allows the plant to spread onto other land properties.

The World Conservation Union has chosen Japanese knotweed as one of the world’s one hundred most awful species.  And, the organization has all the reasons to do so.  Once it is introduced to a particular area or property, eradicating it can be such a complicated task.  It breeds through small parts of root and stem cuttings.  This indicates that if you get to throw away just a tiny portion of the roots beneath the surface of the ground that portion can continue to proliferate as a new plant.

Furthermore, this plant has the power to grow through drains, walls, and even solid walls.  In fact, it can create a good deal of harm to concrete buildings.  Land valuation has a tendency to decrease when a particular ground is covered by this perennial plant.  It also creates problems to gardeners because it can invade the garden and stop native plants from developing.

It is then no surprise why lots of individuals invest on the elimination of Japanese knotweed.  But, proper care must be applied when trying to get rid of the plant.  Instead of eradicating it, you may be helping its spread.  To ensure that you do not do this, solicit recommendations from experts or hire the assistance of a firm that narrows down on the correct eradication of the notorious plant.

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