- Absolutely not, you can actually eat it in pie or as jam. But the roots secrete a low-grade poison around them, making other plants difficult to grow, says Tina Kyrkander.
Can't you just use Roundup or some other poison?- The risk of using chemicals is that you can get a very resistant plant if it survives. This is called the bonsai effect. You then get very dense bushes. In England there is a lot of talk about this kind of park slide, where they say that, then it is really driven. So I do not recommend it!
If I want to take it down, when should I do it?- If you can only take it down once a year, do it now in the fall before it withers. It then has the most energy in the shot, so before it sends down the energy in the roots you should take it. If possible avoid cutting, this will only create a much denser stock. We are currently testing the method of cracking the shoots at the root instead and hope that this will give better effect than cutting on surfaces that need to be maintained.
If I discovered it near my house, what should I do?- Be determined, keep your head cool and take everything at once. Do not stop and dig and crawl around and in the plant, as it will shoot more and more shots. Decide. Screen around the plant. Take it all down and put it on a tarpaulin. After it has dried completely, the shot itself is harmless. Then only the roots must be stored in a safe place and if you have some dry place at home it may be best to avoid spreading. Don't play anything. Feel free to act as your own researcher, document what you have tested and how it worked so that you have something that works in the future and that can help others.
How did it come to Sweden?- It has been imported as an ornamental plant and planted by someone interested in gardening. Since then it has spread from gardens, usually it is when new plants spread, says Tina Kyrkander.
Are there any professionals on this in Sweden that you can use to remove it?- Not in Sweden at present. It gets very expensive.
What is the worst example of a park slide you have seen?- The worst is really when the problem is made too big. When the scare propaganda gets so strong that people get scared and think that nothing can be done. Find out the facts, take it easy and do it properly, do not panic, says Tina Kyrkander.