Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Guerrilla gardens

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: mangodance <bmn@iglou.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Guerrilla gardens
  • Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 00:55:20 -0500

Not a problem...to a point. This plant is such a problem in so many areas I could not do it justice in a mailing list post. I'm in the US. There are few states unaffected by this plant. It has the ability to infect a wide variety of habitats. A quick search through any search engine using just the common name, or the scientific name (_Fallopia_ _japonica_), or the name + noxious should provide more than enough to evaluate how much of a threat this plant is. You'll also find this plant a noxious pest in Europe, Canada, and New Zealand if memory serves me correctly. It can establish without disturbance or horticultural planting, but that is the the primary method of infection. However, hybrids are known to be spreading mainly by seed in a number of areas. Waterways suffer greatly due to continuous disturbance from high water/erosion. However, impacts are not limited to waterways.

I do agree with your last statement, but you'll be a hell of a lot better off with natives right from the start. They develop in your areas over time, adapted to your particular habitats, and also have other organisms that have developed in much the same fashion that will help keep populations in check. You'll find that a good many of the truly dangerous plants that have been around a while, are dangerous in many countries and under a variety of conditions....and usually are problems because we made them so.

Felicity Wright wrote:
It would be extremely helpful for this list that when people are
recommending - for or against - plants that they identify preferred
rainfall/climate, soil types, elevation above sea level and any
special/relevant conditions.

We all live in different continents and climates from arid to tropical so
blanket recommendations or warnings are less than useful if they are not
contextualised. Ours weeds or salvation are not necessarily the same as
yours.

----- Original Message -----
From: "mangodance" <bmn@iglou.com>

mIEKAL aND wrote:

If you want to break up sidewalks I highly recommend
>>>Giant Japanese Knotweed in the polygonum family. It
>>>also makes great flutes, panpipes, & stirfry.
mIEKAL


Unfortunately, I can't recommend this plant for anything. It would be
easier just to sledgehammer the concrete than deal with this monster
once it gets established. It is extremely invasive and costs many state
huge amounts of money in eradication projects.






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page