#asiaticbittersweet — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #asiaticbittersweet, aggregated by home.social.
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I've managed to dig up the roots, then tarp the area to make sure it's dead. I also burn the roots, since I've seen them "reanimate" after getting wet. I've done a pretty good job of controlling them, but it takes a bit of work.
Don't be fooled by its pretty orange berries: #AsiaticBittersweet is a nasty invasive
#Maine Public | By Susan Sharon
Published October 11, 2023"It's found all around #NewEngland, an aggressive climbing vine that grows wildly out of control along roadsides, can topple trees and take over entire woodlots. Asiatic bittersweet (not to be confused with the American variety) snuffs out native trees, shrubs and plants. If there's a vacant building in your neighborhood, chances are the vine has made its mark.
"And don't be fooled by its eye-catching, yellow-orange berries in the fall: this plant is one of the worst.
"You might call it a 'super spreader.' I first became aware of it from a Facebook post. Someone shared a photo of the vine's glossy, round, fine-toothed leaves and I realized, not only did I have bittersweet in my yard, but I was seeing it everywhere — on neighborhood walks with my dog and on recent road trips to Massachusetts and New York.
"And its bright berries, so popular for making Autumn wreaths? Birds love them, too.
The orange-red berries of Asiatic bittersweet can be eaten by birds, who spread the seeds in their droppings."'Almost every berry that a bird will eat because it's bright orange, they go poop the seed and there's another plant,' says Rick Gammon, a horticulturist who runs a landscaping company based in Auburn, Maine.
"He says a lack of public awareness is another reason bittersweet is so prolific. Left unchecked, it can climb 60 feet and higher into tree tops and creep across the ground in a monstrous mass, smothering everything in its path.
"'People are just not doing anything,' Gammon says. 'It wouldn't be near as bad as this if people controlled it. There'd be no seed factory. There'd be no producer of the next generation.'"