Gardening the Community: A Discussion of Japanese Knotweed Eradication Methods

Urban Farm DB summary

A project was conducted to compare methods for controlling and eradicating Japanese knotweed on the plot of Gardening the Community, an urban gardening organization in Springfield, MA. This study discussed the methodology, effectiveness, and ecological impact of two options: repetitive mowing and the use of the herbicide glyphosate. Glyphosate stem injection was determined to be the most efficient method, reducing knotweed volume by 95-100% after one year, but was rejected due to the organization's no-herbicide policy. The final recommendation was repetitive cutting, which showed a stable decrease in knotweed stem height if more than four cuts were applied in one growing season.