Watch Out For Japanese Knotweed and Ragwort

If you have animals, especially horses, then you should know about the risks of ragwort. This dangerous plant is especially toxic to horses, as well as other animals, and once ragwort has been spread and starts to grow, it can be incredibly difficult to remove. In fact, even just one ragwort plant is capable of producing as many as 150,000 seeds, threequarters of them likely to germinate if the seeds find appropriate soil. The worst part is that you may not know you have this problem weed growing on your land as the seeds can lay dormant for as long as twenty years.

On more weed that is peculiarly destructive is japanese knotweed, which can spread amazingly rapidly and which has a root system that is able to break through concrete. The weird, and ludicrous, fact about this dangerous plant, is that it is edible - apparently tasting not unlike rhubarb. Even So, it is a hazardous plant that must be handled with extreme care, as just one small piece of its roots can engender a completely new plant.

Knotweed also has other uses, e.g., it is a very good source of resveratrol, (a general health supplement, which is theorized to increase longevity), and an excellent source of emodin (also commonly in use as a health supplement to help regularise bowel activity).

If you spot one of these nasty weeds on your land, you need to act quickly, and should consult experts in the field of weed control before the trouble starts to become dangerous.