Mainers Battle Against ‘the Worst Invasive’ Japanese Knotweed

NORTHPORT, Maine — Ever since Bub and Meg Fournier bought their home on about 2 acres in Belfast, they’ve been waging war against a weed. They can’t let up. They know if they let their guard down, even just a little, the weed will win. That’s because they’re fighting Japanese knotweed, which is fast-growing, extremely adaptable and characterized by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry as “severely invasive.” It’s notoriously difficult to kill, and so hardy it’s been known to grow through asphalt, concrete and even the solid foundations of homes. But Meg Fournier didn’t really know about any of that before the family moved into their new house about two and a half years ago and found themselves coping with “a jungle” of knotweed that her husband spends much of his free time trying to mow down. “I’d never really thought twice about knotweed until we bought this piece of property,” she said.