Japanese Knotweed is called the Godzilla weed because it is so hard to defeat. This non-native bamboo is creeping its way around Loon Lake’s waterfront, destroying the precious natural habitat. Loon Lake Watershed Improvement Alliance (LLWIA) and Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) have joined in a pilot project designed to halt the progress.
Volunteer have removed dry growth and emerging buds on a large pilot patch at Serenity Cove. The area was than covered with metal mesh and any green material carefully destroyed. The shoots will grow through the ½’ holes and be strangled. This prevents nourishment from getting to the rhizome root system ‘starving’ the plant while killing the shoots. The mesh will need to be in place for a few years to eliminate the plant. Volunteers will monitor, taking pictures and observing the results.
Loon Lake, Steuben County, NY 