We began with a simple concept: find ways to get rid of Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum or Fallopia japonica). We obtained a grant to begin a demonstration site, got permission from the Town of Springfield to work on a small plot of knotweed near the Black River, and got started.
We would look at ways to reduce the knotweed population without using chemical herbicides and see what would happen.
In the heat of August of 2007, a landscaping buddy of mine, Jason Larochelle, agreed to cut down our entire patch of knotweed. The next day, an intrepid team of volunteers brought brush cutters and heavy-duty plastic trash bags (generously donated by Way Out Wax in Morrisville, VT) to collect up the cut stalks. That was a ton of work! Unfortunately, there seems to be plenty of poison ivy on the site, and all the adults working the site got exposed, despite our long sleeves, long pants and workgloves.
Since then, we have cut and covered the knotweed site, hoping to smother it with heavy black landscape cloth and vigilant cutting of persistent stalks. The poison ivy has persisted, too.
Our ultimate goal is to mulch on top of the landscape cloth and replant low-growing natives such as milkweed, jewelweed, and ferns, adding in some sumac (already on the site) and other plants already present. If we can overcome the knotweed in this fashion, perhaps there is hope for managing other stands of it without use of potentially harmful herbicides.
Please consider lending a hand, asking for more information, or making a donation to help us continue to learn ways to manage the "wild asparagus"!
Learn more at the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. We began with a simple concept: find ways to get rid of Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum or Fallopia japonica). We obtained a grant to begin a demonstration site, got permission from the Town of Springfield to work on a small plot of knotweed near the Black River, and got started.
We would look at ways to reduce the knotweed population without using chemical herbicides and see what would happen.
In the heat of August of 2007, a landscaping buddy of mine, Jason Larochelle, agreed to cut down our entire patch of knotweed. The next day, an intrepid team of volunteers brought brush cutters and heavy-duty plastic trash bags (generously donated by Way Out Wax in Morrisville, VT) to collect up the cut stalks. That was a ton of work! Unfortunately, there seems to be plenty of poison ivy on the site, and all the adults working the site got exposed, despite our long sleeves, long pants and workgloves.
Since then, we have cut and covered the knotweed site, hoping to smother it with heavy black landscape cloth and vigilant cutting of persistent stalks. The poison ivy has persisted, too.
Our ultimate goal is to mulch on top of the landscape cloth and replant low-growing natives such as milkweed, jewelweed, and ferns, adding in some sumac (already on the site) and other plants already present. If we can overcome the knotweed in this fashion, perhaps there is hope for managing other stands of it without use of potentially harmful herbicides.
Please consider lending a hand, asking for more information, or making a donation to help us continue to learn ways to manage the "wild asparagus"!
Learn more at the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Make the Connection!
A river is an intricate puzzle, with many pieces or elements coming together in various ways to influence each other and the overall system.
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