BRPD has launched a public awareness campaign to discourage the public from taking Japanese Knotweed (aka Reynoutria japonica, Fallopia japonica, or Polygonum cuspidatum) into their own hands in the Muddy River Parks. The invasive weed is best mitigated through a multi-season, best management practice that involves treatment by trained and licensed professionals during the plant’s bloom period in August, when it is at its physical weakest and the treatment has the greatest effect.
What you should know about Knotweek:
- Knotweed forms dense, clonal communities with large, woody rhizomes (roots) that can penetrate the ground up to 10 feet deep and can extend laterally to 40 feet and beyond. Above-ground stems can grow rapidly, at approximately 8 inches per day.
- Each broken rhizome fragment—as small as one-half inch in length—can regenerate a new plant. These rhizomes can remain dormant in the ground for up to 20 years.
- Knotweed released chemical compounds from the roots (allelopathic properties) that allow it to eliminate and displace native vegetation along the Parkway.
- Cutting the plants does not reduce the Knotweed stands. Instead, it causes the communities to expand laterally. Any pruned branches require proper disposal at an accepting landfill for deep burial (or burning in a controlled environment).
Stop the spread!
Kudos to Boston Parks!!
