| by the Journal-Opinion When it comes to smothering Japanese knotweed, determined combatants may need to play the long game. Think marathon instead of sprint. “‘Realistically, that tarp is going to need to be in place for at least five years,’” Emma Erler, a horticulturist at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center told New Hampshire Public Radio. It may take as long as 10 years to kill a patch of Japanese knotweed.” If you have let the knotweed grow throughout the spring and summer, now is the time to think about cutting the stems and covering the patch. Just be careful of how you dispose those stems, noted House Digest: “It’s likely that your compost won’t get nearly hot enough to fully kill all the root segments, so you’ll just end up spreading Japanese knotweed throughout your garden. In fact, the plant is so persistent that if you throw out Japanese knotweed roots or stems, you should make sure to use sturdy black contractor bags and tie them shut, instead of just tossing them in your kitchen garbage bags.” Sheesh. Meanwhile, there are alternative eradication methods like chemicals. The Squam Lakes horticulturist told NHPR that glyphosate has “generally shown good efficacy” against knotweed. We reported in 2024 that volunteers were employing glyphosate to control an outbreak of knotweed along the Wells River in Groton village. |
| Cabot to vote on school closure |
| “Voters will decide in early January whether to close Cabot School’s high school at the end of this school year and adopt school choice for the 27-28 school year, after months of discussion about declining enrollment, rising costs and limited opportunities for students,” reported the Caledonian-Record. Cabot and Danville had been exploring a merger, but that timeline does not address Cabot’s “immediate high school concerns.” |