24-09-2005, 23:31
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#1
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The Invisible Woman
Cable Forum Team
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: between Portsmouth and Southampton.
Age: 72
Services: VM XL TV,50 MB VM BB,VM landline, Tivo
Posts: 40,339
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What's the problem with Japanese knotweed?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4267426.stm
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Flourishing in any soil - however poor - Japanese knotweed spreads relentlessly, overwhelming other plants and damaging ecosystems.
With the ability to grow through walls, tarmac and concrete it can wreck roads and buildings. Experts say a new plant can grow from a piece of root the size of a garden pea.
The Victorians are to blame for introducing it into the UK. They thought it was beautiful and brought it over from Japan, but they soon got fed up when it started overtaking their gardens. They dug it up and threw it out, spreading it to the wild.
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Quote:
Its rapid spread in the UK is largely down to its toughness and the fact it has no natural enemies, says Richard Shaw of CABl Bioscience, which is heading a project to find a natural control for the weed.
"They don't have a problem with it in Japan because its natural enemies keep it under control," he says.
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Quote:
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The main hope in tackling the menace is to import bugs from Japan to help control its rampant spread. Doing nothing is not an option as it will continue to spread unchecked across the country, says the Japanese Knotweed Alliance.
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Who sees a problem with this last suggestion? 
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Hell is empty and all the devils are here. Shakespeare..
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