Danger plant Giant Hogweed goes on the march across Aberdeenshire
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The dangerous plant Giant Hogweed is back on the march across the north-east after an early growth spurt due to mild and wet weather.
Over in Inverurie work to control the giant hogweed has already started at Ury Riverside park with spraying of the outlying plants along the 'high tide' lines where the flood waters reach.
The sheep control team who are not affected by the sap are due to return to the fenced area shortly and contractors will be mowing other areas where there are lots of giant hogweed plants along the river.
The north-east and indeed Scotland as a whole is facing a huge year for the proliferation of highly caustic Giant Hogweed after identifying the emergence of the plant much earlier in the year than might be expected.
Keith Gallacher, director of Complete Weed Control, one of Scotland’s leading weed control, ground maintenance and tree management specialists, spotted young shoots of the rapidly-spreading and dangerous plant emerging from winter dormancy in March.
He warned that this is unusually early for the enormous Heracleum Mantegazzianum, which can grow up to six metres high and whose sap can cause severe burns with lasting effects such as scarring and chronic dermatitis.
He said that the early showing of Giant Hogweed could have been precipitated by mild and wet spring weather – March had 27 per cent more rainfall than normal in the UK – and that it could lead to greater infestations of the plant, which can spread tens of thousands of seeds after it flowers in June and July.
Mr Gallacher said: “Our teams saw the much-earlier-than-expected appearance of the young Giant Hogweed during routine inspections. With such an early start, and with the rate of growth of which the plants are capable, it is likely that 2024 will be a bumper year for this rapacious invader.Like many invasive species, such as Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam, it was brought to the UK as an architectural oddity, but now it has escaped and, without any natural enemies, it grows into dense colonies, especially along watercourses. It is part of the Apiaceae family, which includes carrots, parsnip, cumin, coriander and parsley, but its dense foliage prevents light reaching the soil underneath, killing off native plants and leading to rapid soil erosion.”
Eliminating Giant Hogweed requires a concerted and sustained effort by all landowners in an affected area. He said: “If you leave it too late, the plants get larger and become more difficult to spray, and require more herbicide. But if you do it too early and you get the torrential rains like we’ve had these last few weeks, the herbicide won’t have much effect.”
