That's right. This terrible weed that you can probably find all around you right now is an extremely prolific grower. It forms a dense root network underground which makes eradicating it near-impossible without drastic and expensive interventions. Pulling it only signals it to grow more while it strangles all of the other plants in the area. It would be incredibly irresponsible of you to cut a vine into slivers with one leaf each, dig little holes around the property, and plant them. You will cause thousands of dollars of damage to the property which can't be traced back to you and that's wrong.
new adventurism dropped: destroying arable land and introducing ecologically destructive invasive species
It wouldn't destroy the arability of the land because you can always UV sterilise the lawn which costs a lot and devalues the property, but it would absolutely ruin a nice grass yard and smother ornamentals that don't support wildlife.
What's the difference between destroying arable land and making land arable only after an expensive intervention?
The first involves longterm soil degradation. If you salt the earth or dump oil on it or erode the topsoil, it would take years of rehabilitation for it to grow again.
The second takes a couple weeks and a few cardboard boxes before it's back to normal. It just forces you to either reseed the expensive grass lawn or to change to xeriscaping of some kind, which around here has HOA-proofing and rebates which increase with more native biodiversity. The shrubs around infested areas won't die, but they'll look less healthy while while drawing the attention of the HOA with the large flowers. Again a layer of cardboard on the mulch around them would stop it.
If you introduce a non-native species, you're a bad person. Do not do this unless it is native to the area you are doing it. Seriously. The ecological damage of invasive species is really REALLY bad. "Just solarize" can't be applied to millions of acres, or if it is intergrated within an ecosystem.
There is a massive patch of an invasive grass near me. The owners want to destroy it and rewild the area. It will not be cheap or easy.
A landlord would not do this tho, they'd blast the area with roundup and re-sod.
Roundup is pretty bad at controlling it. You'd have to spot treat on a weekly basis and that's expensive. Laying down new sod, while expensive and requiring close attention, wouldn't control it either. Smothering it is the only thing I use professionally unless I'm just pulling it for aesthetics. That method works great and the area can be reseeded with whatever.
please do not introduce invasive species to fuck with your neighbors or landlords
There's almost certainly a native species that specializes in pioneering meadows or other forest disturbance near you that would love some introduction to your neighbor's yard.
There are certainly plenty of those as well. Field bindweed is just unfortunately pretty prolific in the isolated suburbs around here.
I'm all for defacing a landlord's property, but introducing invasive species to an ecosystem ain't it.
And if some reactionary boomer near you has a perfectly manicured lawn, don't even THINK about making a 1:1 mixture of clay powder and compost with a piece of vine in each one. If you covertly threw that in their mulch beds or onto the lawn before a storm, you'd drive them monkey without them knowing it was you.
yeah.. even if it fucked with your landlord I wouldn't do this. it's not like your landlord is going to hire someone to take the time and go through the landscaping to clean it up, they're just going to go with a nuclear option and poison everything which you then have to live with
I hate bindweed. How about instead you introduce wild raspberries and blackberries as they spread like wildfire and will give you and many nearby critters a tasty treat
Blackberries would be terrible. They overtake a lawn immediately and take a lot of effort to remove. Don't do that.
It absolutely ruins the American dream which is why it's bad. I had this landlord that wanted to raise my rent 10% while asking me to pay early when COVID kicked off. He was trying to pay off a $600k home while also paying for this $300k one that he lived an hour away from. The HOA was so restrictive that they'd patrol for weeds and fine the owner $75 per day if they found one. All of a sudden this poor guy has field bindweed coming up in all of his shitty shrubs and Kentucky bluegrass. To control it through a horticulturist he'd be paying like $100 per visit, and he'd have to basically xeriscape the whole lawn to avoid those fines piling up until the property is repossessed.
pouring one out for your unfortunate, downtrodden landchad. hope you tipped on top of your monthly Housing Provider Appreciation Tribute
Death to America
If this is not native to your area, please DO NOT do this.
A more effective less damaging method would be to go get some vinegar and dump it. Desiccates plants. Bio degrades/can be diluted.
