Knotweed

[keithmac]

Giant Hogweed is the one you want to be really careful of. They've closed off part of a wood near me because of it. The sap is photosensitive and if you get it on your skin, you can end up with severe burns and blisters in sunlight

People have reported it on the Moor a few miles from our house so not long before it makes it's way round ours..

 

[PaulSB]

It's just one of these moral panic things. It's just a weed, and can be killed with glyphosphate just like anything else. If you ignore it such that it starts growing indoors, then there's been some serious neglect, quite apart from a mildly nuisance weed growing where it shouldn't.

As said upthread it's become a bit of a mortgage, survey, treatment scam like dry rot etc, rather than merely a task to be dealt with like fixing a leaky roof or whatever - yes needs doing, but not the threat to Western Civilization that has beennportrayed

You might want to do a bit of research on this. It is far from easy to kill with glyphosphate.

 

[PaulSB]

Most plants will destroy concrete and tarmac when left to do their thing. The difference with knotweed is removal companies have a licence to mislead customers and rip them off with extortionate fees.

No most plants will not have this effect. There are many that will but far from the majority. The major difference with knot weed is the speed at which it spreads and the consequent damage it causes.