What's the problem with Japanese knotweed?

**Maggy** · 24-09-2005, 23:31

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4267426.stm

Quote:

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.

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.

Quote:

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.

Who sees a problem with this last suggestion?

aliferste · 24-09-2005, 23:43

Bugs are generally easier to kill than the hogweed......the amount of damage that weed does is terrible.......and just recently it is getting worse!!

MetaWraith · 24-09-2005, 23:54

Ummm cane toads would be a good example of that sort of import gone badly wrong. ALright toads aren't bugs, but I think they make the point well enough.

25-09-2005, 00:01

"she swallowed a spider to eat the fly, I don't know why"

- consequences of introducing 'alien' species are, bad enough - I'm not sure if trying to curb them using imported predators is, necessarily, a good idea??

- the cane toad in Australia is one example where such a scheme went wrong, http://www.fdrproject.org/pages/toads.htm

<edit> aha - me and Metawraith on the same wavelength

Angua · 25-09-2005, 00:26

Not to mention grey squirrells

25-09-2005, 00:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angua

Not to mention grey squirrells

crayfish, worms, bees - are some other worrying 'imports'

**Maggy** · 25-09-2005, 00:35

Oh and the release of mink by animal protesters..

jrhnewark · 25-09-2005, 01:05

This Knotweed stuff is a ******* by any standard.

My Nan used to have some on a patch of common just next to her house - nobody but nobody successfully got rid of it. I'll have to go back and see if somebody has taken a JCB to the roots next time..

marky · 25-09-2005, 01:11

New bugs, no thanks it would totally mess up our allready messed up eco system in the uk.

And i just confused myself

AndrewJ · 25-09-2005, 05:08

Humans are the worst thing on this planet, compare all the things we imported to the destruction and problems we cause.

MovedGoalPosts · 25-09-2005, 13:58

knotweed is a serious problem. As the article says it can get thourhg concrete and all sorts so damages buildings. It's also very difficult and destritive to physically remove. Roots can go down many feet so the amount of soil to be dug out can be impractical.

Oddly the plant is I beleive female only in the UK. Not quite sure how it is able to spread based on that

It has no natural predator. Scientists are looking at the japanese bug the problem is if the bug itself has no predator, what keeps that in check? Could the bug evolve to eat other things if it runs out of knotweed, or do the two rely on each other?