The Pink Plant Invading Scotland, can it be stopped?

[@CitizenAyellowblue]

Same in Australia. I worked in a biosecurity agency- seen it all. Nurseries and big box stores get away with selling things without any biosecurity assessment. When they get out of hand, they just throw up their hands and says"oops". No accountability and these businesses get away with what farmers never would.

[@Azriel1066]

Looks as bad of a problem as Lantana.

[@scpatl4now]

As a person who lives in the SE US where this is native, I will trade you the English Ivy for the Rhododendron

[@Beeontree]

I second this

[@irenafarm]

Yes let’s do that!

[@pattheplanter]

The species is native to Spain, Portugal, Turkey and a few other nearby countries. In Scotland, it is thought to be slightly hybridised with US species including R. catawbiense and R. maximum. The majority of plants invading Wales and Ireland are the pure European species. You do not want this one displacing your native rhododendrons.

[@ptah23]

I’m pretty sure putting glysophate into the soil is worse that leaving them

[@lorrainegatanianhits8331]

​​@@pattheplanter That could never happen, as R. ponticum requires very oceanic climates, whereas Appalachia has a much more continental climate. Therefore Rhododendron spp. from Appalachia are competitively superior there.

[@browniewin4121]

Years ago my daughter was doing study abroad she volunteered to spend a few days remove Rhododendron. She thought it would be like pulling weeds out of the ground, and was shocked to see they were absolutely like a forest of trees that had to be chopped and sawed down.

[@cocotte9104]

Wait until aquarium supply companies learn about this. They sell tons of rhododendron roots and branches for a pretty high price under the name of "Spider wood". It's a popular type of wood to decorate aquariums. If they knew they could get so much rhododendron for free...

[@vidiad]

Do they use it for mangrove ?

[@tuexss]

they probably know ;)

[@CitizenAyellowblue]

That will make zero difference to control. Even if it did (which it won't) once the plant's product has a value, the incentive to eradicate it is gone and there might even be opposition to removing it.

[@gouachepottwo7537]

Ohhh I've heard about "spider wood" i didnt know they were rhodies 😮 ty!! For the new info!

[@birdy-numnum6321]

😅❤

[@irishfruitandberries9059]

Identical situation in Killarney national park in Ireland. In the early 2000s there was a team of volunteers that would clear huge swathes of it every year. Unfortunately bureaucracy reared its head and the volunteers were no longer able to do their work. The national park services don’t clear any of it and now it’s back and the forests are slowly being strangled. Quite sad really.

[@angelikaskoroszyn8495]

That's why you act first and ask for forgivness later

[@kingk090]

Big issue all over ireland donegal is just wild with it

[@JHattsy]

bureaucracy probably stemming from a Karen being angry that "people are destroying the pretty flowers!!!"

[@sjain8111]

Why were volunteers prevented?

[@casesandcapitals]

My mom had two huge rhododendrons next to our porch growing up and every spring/summer they would attract these fat black ants that would inevitably get in the house, so I grew up hating them. Now I'm on my second year of turning my own yard into a native plant area and making spaces for bugs and critters, but the very first thing I did was pull out the tiny, strugging rhododendron in the side yard, even though they're not invasive in my area, because some plants are just a hard no from me. But where that rhododendron was is now a wood chip bed of native flowering plants 😊 I've got one more butteryfly bush to dig out, and then that's all the big invasives gone from my property!

[@jackstone4291]

Nice one dude. Good work

[@davidleakenneyphotography]

We have tons of these in Cornwall, going to cause big problems soon, as they seem to be left. Thanks for highlighting the problem!

[@LeaveCurious]

No worries and oh yeah I remember seeing on my last trip...

[@LordoftheBadgers]

It's epic on tresco Isles of scilly too in places... Saw it last year.

[@xyzxyzxyzxyzxyzxyz]

In Scandinavia, Lilac have started going invasive. I hope they can get rid of rhody in Scotland.

[@jrfw96]

Rhody is a big problem in England and Wales too. Im about to do some Rhody control in northern England but it's extremely time consuming and obviously I'm doing such a small patch in the grand scheme of things. I truly doubt it will ever be under control. Like Himalayan Balsam or the grey squirrels

[@Kolious_Thrace]

Really? Rhododendrons and Lilacs are pretty common trees here in Hellas🇬🇷 and not invasive at all! Sometimes we try to keep them alive😂 from our hot Mediterranean weather!

[@littlenick2559]

Removing Rhododendron is a big part of the woodland management plans at my companies quarry sites. It is brutal work, I would hate to do it with out a 22t digger like we do! What is nice is that we have seen first hand the uptick in biodiversity and health of the woodland over the year after we remove it. I fully agree with Iain, with out a connected up approach we are just nibbling the edges of the problem and not improving the situation on a national scale.

[@michaeld.3931]

We have a similar problem in the eastern united states with Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus Cathartica). It invades open oak woodlands and bottomlands forests. Same deal, grows very densely, reproduces from suckering, resprouts easily, and prevents forest regeneration. One thing I have noticed is that invasive woody shrubs usually struggle to invade forests that are undisturbed or are dominated by shade tolerant tree species or species which produce a thick leaf litter layer.

[@lorrainegatanianhits8331]

What people just don't seem to understand is that humans are almost always altering the specific ecosystem BEFORE invasives start to spread there. An alteration of the ecosystem could include: - atmospheric nitrogen deposition - deliberate nitrogen deposition - deforestation - change in management practices (prescribed burning) - compaction - city building (Urban heat effect) - tillage - oligotrophication (by adding sand or gravel) - reducing plant competition - overgrazing - eutrophication of surface waters. - et cetera... It's endless. We fundamentally alter ecosystems, yet we expect no change in vegetation dynamics to happen. This is flawed logic.

[@michaeld.3931]

@@lorrainegatanianhits8331 Absolutely. Invasive species dominance is linked to disturbance history. Protecting undisturbed habitat is crucial to stopping the spread of invasive plants.

[@xxrockraiderxx]

As a woodworker, I've worked with rhododendron (though not that particular type) due to having cut some out my own hedge a few years back now. It is honestly one of the nicer woods to work with tool wise in that it's not prone to tearout if you ever need to work against the grain (you shouldn't but sometimes it can be unavoidable). I've been wondering about trying to get more rhododendron to work with in the last year or so but I've not really had much of a clue. Guess I know where might be a good place to look into taking a vacation up in Scotland now. Two birds one stone and all that by going up to Scotland and seeing friends up there whilst potentially also getting some more wood to use if they'd be willing to let me cut down some rhododendron and cut it up into pieces and take it away.

[@dawsie]

Sounds like a great win on both sides. They get it removed and you get a trailer or two loads to use. The other option is also have one or two planted but to ensure it does not spread is to have the flowering heads removed as they start to bud. Here in Australia there is a plant called oleander its deadly poisonous I have to be fully covered from head to toe before I can get near it to remove it. In NSW it’s banned there is nothing that can eat the leaves not sure about the nectar of the flowers. But it has a white sap that the plant excretes if any part of the plant is damaged is cause my skin to blister where ever the sap touches me even through my clothing. It’s some type of latex which does not help if you’re allergic to latex. Even so people with no allergies to latex suffer from the sap of this plant. The wood cannot even be harvested to burn during the winter, the smoke is also toxic and can kill so having it here in the during the summer season when we there is a higher risk of bushfires is deadly to the firefighters on the ground. It cannot even be composted that’s how bad it is. Most plants I drown in water as they are invasive but this is the one plant that cannot be used even after it’s pulled out. The water is poison so cannot be used in the garden after the plant is drowned. And yet you can still buy in nursery around Australia even though it’s banned in some states and territories. I finally go it removed but it had to be bagged and binned.

[@wildwanderer6025]

This is a perfect ecological project for volunteer work. Rhododendron is quite easy to identify for everybody, not much else is growing in the dense stands, it's not dangerous to humans... Scotland is a beautiful destination, just provide a camp ground near the lake, tools and maybe some food and organize a 2 week "rhododendron clearing festival". With some planning ahead I am quite sure you would get a lot of volunteers to come. People always want to do some hands on work (it feels rewarding), but normally you just get asked to donate money and can't help.

[@unimaginaryemily]

That's such a cool idea!

[@bengconway]

Where I live in Kentucky Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) is an invasive species that is disruptive in many of the same ways you describe Rhododendron ponticum in Scotland. It's a large shrub that dominates the understory, shades out native species, aggressively regrows from roots after being cut, prevents young trees from growing, and providers relatively little value to wildlife. It is ubiquitous in all but the most pristine forested areas.

[@lorrainegatanianhits8331]

It provides relatively large value to wildlife. It's only a matter of which taxonomic groups you study. Some are disadvantaged by L. maackii and some are advantaged. Just as with ANY other organism, but you just go out there and hate on all non-natives. Actual xenophobia.

[@yellard6785]

​@@lorrainegatanianhits8331 can you point to links that it is beneficial to any wildlife.. Human experience to dare is that all non natives are highly problematic whether fauna or animal... They upset whatever balsnce has been currently achieved by nature.. I say "currently" as, of course, evolution is on going but the speed of human induced non natives is too much...

[@Solstice261]

I can see it spreads a lot, I wonder if they will be able to keep it under control without more funding And I hope they begin getting the real funding they need, this seems more important than rescuing corrupt companies and other useless stuff

[@LeaveCurious]

Locally you can work hard to keep it under control, but without proper funding and strategic approach theres little hope.

[@easyguyitsajoke]

We've got the same problem in the Sonoran Desert with arugula (literally the plant that goes in salad) and with a South African plant called stink net. Hillsides covered in cream colored arugula and flatlands covered in yellow stink nets. Albeit they are only annuals, It's hard to get anyone interested in removing them because they are somewhat beautiful to look at. Stink nets are of particular issue, they are prolific and suck up all the water but most annoying is that when burned, they create noxious gas which is hazardous to human health. Uproot your invasives wherever you go!

[@LeaveCurious]

That stink net sounds pretty nasty and hard to deal with!

[@tuexss]

get some rabbits for the arugula

[@MayYourGodGoWithYou]

Not just Scotland, England and Ireland as well. In fact there's even a TV episode (either Midsomer or Lewis I think) dedicated to this very subject, the main theme (apart from the body that is) being dedicated to removing the bl00dy plants and getting rid of them for good. I remember doing it on a property we rented, they look pretty but are bad news.

[@mamamoo3974]

50 years ago I recall the landscape in Scotland being very different It’s sad it is so invasive

[@Aeyekay0]

Worked for an environmental organization that removed invasive plants, it is difficult and laboring work. Removing invasive is extremely difficult and will take a very long time Good luck everyone

[@l2e9aL]

Wow, credit to Iain for what he’s doing! Tough work!

[@michaellasfetto5810]

This reminds me of Scotch broom in the Pacific Northwest. It takes over entire hillsides and fields.

[@anniehill9909]

Thanks!

[@scpatl4now]

A little info on the Rhododendron... There are a lot different types. The one in this video is native to Black Sea coasts of Georgia (Caucasus) and Turkey. Many, however, are native to the state of Georgia in the US. The Azalea is a type of Rhododendron, and it comes in many colors . My favorite is the Native Azalea which has a burnt orange flower...but you can find every shade of pink, purple, and even white. Many SE US towns and cities have Azalea festivals every spring where people go on tours to see them in full bloom. They are very acid loving plants (good to plant with blueberries).

[@LeaveCurious]

This is great thanks for sharing the origins and native ranges!

[@tjs114]

The invasive species in the UK is also native to the Iberian Peninsula, so Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar.

[@Hannah_Becton]

Hey! I'm from Mobile, which is very well-known for our azaleas! Unfortunately, all of those azaleas we're known for are indicas, which are Asian natives. It's a shame, really, because I think our native azalea species are so much more lovely (shout-out to Rhododendron canescens in particular), but they are deciduous as opposed to evergreen. That's probably a reason why Mobilians opt for indicas because we use them for bushes in front of our homes instead of boxwoods.

[@anemone104]

Great post. This channel does tackle some serious issues. Here is some info' based on dealing with R. ponticum over a span of 40 years. Rhododendron ponticum is also a pest in woods and heaths in Surrey, Hants and Dorset where I live and work and its a problem that has been known about since the early 80s when I did my first 'Rhody bash' and before. Successive governments have signally failed to tackle the issue, alongside the issues caused by other invasive exotics like Japanese knotweed, Crassula helmsii (Australian swamp stonecrop) to name just a few of the 'problem-causers'. 'Species' rhododendrons are often propagated by grafting onto R. ponticum root stock. Which can shoot below the graft, turning back to R. ponticum. The rootstock will also sucker, producing R. ponticum, initially as 'outliers' of the main plant and then turning into R. ponticum thicket. It seeds in the UK (as you report). Used to be thought that it didn't. R. ponticum also self-layers - the branches droop and root where they touch ground. Eradication (as you report) is hard 'cos the beast is resilient to herbicides (thick leaf cuticle) and 'translocatables' like Glyphosate seem to be poorly translocated so that outliers of a clump re-shoot. Best plan is to cut, treat the fresh stumps by painting (dry day needed) and then spray the re-growth while the young leaves are still tender (dry days in Spring needed). Keep re-doing it, so lots of effort and expense. The EU has banned Glyphosate for damned good reasons. In the UK since 'Brexit' it is still legal and widely used in agriculture. Which is a bit like our Government sticking it's collective head up its collective bum. It could be argued. Eradicating R. ponticum without herbicide requires grubbing it out. Every last bit. Repeatedly. Which on a landscape scale is a horrendous prospect. The mid-term damage of doing this on a SSSI is still better than the long-term damage, but budgets are in no way close to being up to the task (even with a herbicide as 'shortcut'). I've seen lots of eradication efforts where the effort has petered out and the thing has come back. Which draws out the problem and increases the expense. Cutting it is difficult, chipping the arisings is a tangly pain in the 4rse and burning it green releases toxic smoke, although once you get a big, hot fire, it's very satisfying and 'smoke output' is comparitively low as the leaves 'flare'. But you have to get the fire big and hot, which takes a while, even with dozens of volunteers on site loading the fire in relays from the upwind side. Not good with adjacent housing. You can grub out and burn with a machine, but you need to either leave the stuff to dry out (huuge piles sitting for weeks while it sort of dries out) and loading often includes soil and abundant 'peat' material which Rhody accumulates. This makes for lots of smoke unless you use the machine to beat the root systems clear of soil/'peat'. You can do this with a forestry grab on an excavator, but if you successfully get a big, hot fire, it's a short life and a merry one for the grab. Grubbing out whole plants tends to leave buried branches, sections of root and small bits of rooted 'layer' behind which sprout and re-start the issue. Or you can take the soil top layer off site or bund it. Bunding reduces and concentrates the problem of re-shoots and can change the landscape of a Reserve. But you do get a nice mineral soil interface in the cleared areas where you can regenerate heathland habitat. If it's done right. There have been reports of dogs suffering toxic effects from snuffling along paths with fresh-laid green Rhody wood chips. Working in Surrey, we used to get lots of complaints from people who enjoyed the pretty pink flowers and who didn't see the 'downsides'. The flowering season is pinkly pretty but short..... Shutting up now.

[@andrewclarke9978]

Have you ever tried using Metsulfuron-methyl to control it. I find its the only thing I can reliably kill African box thorn and Olive with. Its good on invasive species with large root systems and a comparatively low degree of toxicity. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metsulfuron-methyl

[@skybluskyblueify]

Supposedly honey can be poisoned by it so some bees somewhere have found a way to feed on it. "Grayanotoxins Found in honey made by bees that forage on rhododendron, this toxin is the most common cause of grayanotoxin poisoning in humans. Symptoms of grayanotoxin poisoning, also known as "mad honey disease", include loss of coordination, "pins and needles", and an inability to stand."

[@darren_anscombe]

Not sure if you mentioned it but the issue with this species is the interaction with the symbiotic fungus and how that interaction kills everything else within the radius of the rhododendron.

[@M3271N]

Have left the front garden without cutting for 3 years now... I've been planting the hedge row to help cover it from the neighbours, as some people don't like all the long grass and unkept wild look. Been struggling with a transplanted plant for 2 years, just started growing new leaves a few months ago and a few weeks ago a single beautiful flower appeared on top... so chuffed with myself as so many hedge plants died due to soil type, pH, wind/sun and rain. Then I watched this and now know what it is. Will be digging it up and disposing of it 😢 Would love for Leave Curious to make a video on the best plants and trees to use in uk, for home hedge rows and rewilding small front gardens. what animals and insects they help, what sort of canopy/layers we should do. What are rare plants that certain insects and birds need that we can grow. Thank you for the video and helping me not mess things up further while walking around thinking I'm doing a good job rewilding.

[@Solstice261]

I live in Spain and here we have a plant Arundo donax which is very invasive there are big projects to control it in a large scale in certain areas and even that doesn't work completely and needs to be redone until native vegetation takes over. Plants with strong root systems are horrible invasives and I find it shocking there aren't big control projects for the rhododendron

[@oopimms91oo44]

If they could loosely clean and dry the roots, they could sell the dead wood as ornamental roots for animal enclosures. It could fund further projects!

[@andrewhorwood1058]

In eastern Canada our rhododendrons fortunately don't spread from seed. (Azaleas occasionally do.) Yet we have equally as serious a problem with the highly invasive Glossy Buckthorn and Multiflora Rose, whose dense thickets increasingly choke out the entire under story, resulting in dark, half dead, mono-culture scrub lands. Also similar are the mimosa thickets of Portugal.

[@mffmoniz2948]

Interesting. Here in Belgium I see it everywhere. It's used often on the borders of fenced wooded areas.

[@seanjamescameron]

Since moving back to Wales after 20 years in London I’ve been surprised to see this everywhere in my area of South Wales.

[@SerendipitySharon]

Here on the west coast of Canada, Scottish broom is invading everywhere .

[@philiptaylor7902]

Great video Rob. The local NT property here, Hughenden Manor, has a big problem with Ponticum. They spend a lot of effort trying to control it but it’s so invasive. Makes triffids look like daisies!

[@LeaveCurious]

Yeah, from what Iain said, it certainly takes hard work to get it out and to stay out.

[@garikoitzmtz.deicaya2041]

Here in southern Spain is a native . It only grows near river banks and it's relatively small. I'm impressed how well has adapted to cold places. Other Mediterranean plans get naturaliced in Scotland to like Bay or Virburnum tinus?

[@pattheplanter]

The Scottish ones seem ro have a slight mixture with some cold-tolerant US species. The ones invading Wales and Ireland are the pure Iberian ones, mostly. It, or a close ancestor, was native to Ireland about 400,000 years ago.

[@simontillson482]

Yes. Bay trees do well all over the UK. I have a 6m tall one in my garden. Flowers profusely every year, and I get several kg of bay leaves from trimming it each year.

[@SkwerlPlushie]

Luckily where I live the dominant rhodadendron is native, but it is just an absolutely insanely durable plant. The root system is so powerful I've seen it crack house foundations.

[@conormunro]

Literally drove past this two days ago coming back from a road trip up north and couldnt believe how the whole hill is rhododendrons. Couldnt catch any photos from the road so what a coincidence seeing this pop up😀

[@paulus.tarsensus]

Rhododendron ponticum is an old species and was native to Britain before the Ice Age began. It's made a comeback, but as an invasive and is also quite vigorous in similar climates throughout the Mediterranean ( Turkey & The Caucasus ). Victorians planted it without knowing it could form nearly impenetrable thickets, which would need to be vigorously pruned in modern times to make them behave. They are surpassingly beautiful. Fun fact: the honey bees make from its flowers is slightly hallucinogenic. Considering what a green desert much of Scotland has become from all the feral and semi-wild sheep and the native red deer denuding any trees that try to grow back, rhododendron may prove to be an extremely effective bulwark, behind which patches of forest may return. Everything has its upside as well as its downside.

[@charlottescott7150]

Thank heavens for people like Iain, Rob, Mossy earth etc. Are you part of the court case with Wild Justice etc against the UK Government for failing to act at all on wildlife protection? The miney us there to do all this there just is no political will

[@alanbralan9670]

I am not sure if he already does, but he should put those lodges on workaway, and cite this video in his description. Loads of people would come and help a good cause in this beautiful location

[@izzymears9748]

I was visiting west Wales a couple of weeks ago and was so surprised to see a whole mountain side completely pink with with Rhododendron

[@jackstone4291]

Himalayan Balsam will be another thing to get on top of soon in the UK (or worldwide?..) As unless you get there before it spreads its seeds it’s dispersed everywhere but hopefully a perennial so should be easier to tackle..?

[@jackstone4291]

I knew it was rhododendron by the first picture. Awful. Spent a week with a team clearing and burning them on the side of Snowdonia. Hardly scratched the surface. And then had to re-slash and burn again in a few weeks to try kill the invasive weed. (Have heard that need more than just that to kill it fully now as it just comes back up …) Bad Bad stuff ….. and people choose to put it in their little gardens!!

[@philmccavity]

We have this problem with many plants e.g. butterfly lilac in Germany. People love the tree and it still sells well even though it's incredibly invasive in wild areas, and provides almost no ecological benefit.

[@mr.lonewolf8199]

I moved about one year ago to Slovakia , immediately joined BROZ environmental NGO. And we had action of removing of Solidago canadensis , invasive species from of their natural protected area, Cuvansko lake . I met lots of interesting people, all concerned about this invasive plant, how can easily spreading thought out this protected area.

[@donnahudson4813]

Ha! I live in the US, and fight native goldenrod all the time. Spreads via roots and seeds.

[@mr.lonewolf8199]

@@donnahudson4813 yes

[@Nick-vs5wl]

I knew this was Invergloy from the first second. Drove through there today and it is mind boggling how much of it is there

[@LeaveCurious]

so much of it, you can't miss it.

[@marr123n]

Some groups and people are planting non-native tree species beca they are ‘climate change robust’. Species like this is exactly the reason I’d say to be very very careful with such projects.

[@az55544]

Non-native is different than non-native invasive. The former may still be appropriate for our new reality. Think edible apple trees.

[@marr123n]

@@az55544 I know, but before you introduce a species, you don’t know if it will behave invasive or not. Or maybe if it will become invasive because of a change in the climatic conditions. An edible apple is different since it is a cultivar, made by humans. If I introduce a North American species in the UK, I won’t know how it will behave and by the time I do, it might be too late. Every invasive species started out as just a non-native. Besides, non-natives are generally a lot worse for biodiversity since less species can use them. Example of non-native northern red oak which hosts around 400 species while native sessile oak hosts around 2500-3000 species.

[@Solstice261]

When this species are introduced with the idea of resisting climate change, it's usually either a desperate situation where the native system is in an unstoppable decline or has been erased ie Iceland. Or a city, and in all cases has been studied by experts, there is a reason the invasive species are usually related to agriculture, gardening and forestry and not environmental restoration, one has experts and is careful the others are very much uncontrolled, you are currently mixing the both of them

[@marr123n]

@@Solstice261 correct, but those are different situations. Like you said yourself, it happens for many different reasons, such as restoration or cities but just as well for forestry and gardening. Right now, there are many examples of private individuals, just as well as environmental groups and such that are experimenting with non-native species while our native ones are not at all massively dying off because of climate change. In the UK there is particular case where Turkey oak (Quercus cerris) was introduced as a climate robust species. But, it was carrying a disease that killed native sessile oaks. Those were experiments done by experts. Same is happening where I live in Belgium. I don’t think we should introduce non-native species when not absolutely necessary as in Iceland. Our native forests are currently not dying off massively at all, and there is no scientific evidence that they will, especially not if we practice good forest management. So in those cases, experimenting with non-natives is just a massive risk with little reward. In the best case, we get a tree that can live here but has very little contribution to biodiversity, in the worst case we get a tree that’s invasive, spreads diseases or harmful insects.

[@fgaze72]

I could tell that was Invergloy just from the thumbnail 😂 I'm a tour guide and I always take the opportunity when driving along that stretch of the A82 to explain to my passengers about the pretty but invasive r. ponticum

[@affalaffaa]

Around 10-15 years ago they cut a load of that plant out of part of the New Forest. Completely changed the look, for the better, of that area. They must have done a good job as has not returned.

[@j.c.7780]

Isabella Tree mentions in her book "Wilding" that wild boar/pigs are an ally in fighting rhodies - they can't eat the adult plant but they will eat the suckers!

[@treverthetree]

The physical clearing is incredible!

[@ys1876]

I have one planted in my yard, planted it myself and it’s barely surviving , hasn’t grown much and one or two flowers sometimes.. really finicky for me

[@alanjameson8664]

Rhododendrons (spp=?) and to a lesser extent azaleas are native flora where I grew up. The wild ones send out shallow roots widely, but the garden varieties tend to send roots down into the ground. The wild ones don't grow in the native forests, which are evergreens.

[@maramé.r]

Unfortunately nurseries use R. ponticum as a root stock on which to graft other Rhododendron species/cultivars presumably because it is so vigorous. Often the root stock gives rise to suckers or completely takes over the desired species. An alternative is needed and restrictions imposed

[@ndrichardson6217]

Look up what they did in snowdonia 90s early 2000. They were talking outlawing them but didn’t

[@LeaveCurious]

Right yeah, its pretty bad in wales too and I guess outlawing them would be necessary step if you were serious about actually getting rid of it

[@ndrichardson6217]

@@LeaveCurious Beddgelert was one of the bad places if I remember they cut back and burned the leftover but they couldn’t get rid of it. But it’s also a problem in woodland in places like Lincoln. Good vid nice to see it

[@GallowglassVT]

It's everywhere on parks and estates. There has to be another native plant that has the same aesthetic appeal. Gives another excuse to uproot them

[@lorrainegatanianhits8331]

Not in the form of shrub.

[@Solstice261]

Yeah, you even have straight rhododendrons that aren't invasive but you know a solution existing doesn't mean it will be applied

[@fenman1954]

There are huge banks of this at the King's estate Sandringham Norfolk, people drive from all over to see it in flower.

[@morgansmith1930]

Ditto in Shouldham Warren over towards King's Lynn - it's beautifully luminescent in flower, but in an area that's otherwise quite diverse, it's rather sad to see nothing growing underneath it. It's started cropping up by our local river as well. I definitely feel mixed about it, since people do seem to enjoy the flowers.

[@olexburks]

It is horrible!!! We have a similar problem with invasive Robinia pseudoacacia destroying last grasslands in Ukraine. Moreover, we (environmentalists) try to prohibit its planting but our forestry supports its growing. Our Ministry of environment approved the List of forbidden invasive trees for planting but our Forest Agency appealed against and canceled the List.

[@Anarchy4Angels]

I had a question in GCSE science, around 30 years ago, about how to get rid of rhododendrons. Can't believe it's still an issue 3 decades later!

[@PromorteD]

Spent last winter clearing Rhody, it's definitely winning, we need more focus on this, such a shame it's being allowed to spread so much.

[@darren_anscombe]

Nowhere near the intensity or seriousness but I spent years trying to eradicate raspberry and bamboo that had escaped their confines within my little garden. The little buggers had more will to live than me ! I hope you have more luck in your endevours to errdicate this beautiful pest.

[@RedArtistx]

It's all over Snowdonia as well. It's a real effort to get rid of it, and now we have Japanese Knotweed and Japanese Raspberry spreading like wildfire too.

[@benny4894]

I live in Bandon on the southern Oregon coast, the native habitat of rhodedendron. Funnily enough the gorse plant is invading the habitat of rhodies, though gorse is native to Ireland. Rhodies are a quite lovely invasive to have if you have one.

[@2Neilx3]

Couldn't help but notice the amount of pink rhododendron in my country park this morning after watching this. Not everywhere but looks like it could be a problem in the future. (North Ayrshire Scotland)

[@lmonk9517]

great to bring attention to this. I will keep an eye out for it in my area but the soil isn't very acidic around here. If I see one in the local woods will I need to ask council permission to dig it out or not because it is invasive?

[@roberts663]

The biggest problem is wildlife biologists make shit money and jobs are so few, so there is a shortage in all the fields. Not to degrade the volunteer groups, but a lot of them don't understand the best way to remove crap, and a lot of times can get to removing in the wrong way and not really do anything effective at all in terms of eradication, and in some cases make the problem worse by disturbing the soil and allowing seedlings to sprout. Governments are not serious about protecting our ecosystems yet and put almost 0 money into it, thus wildfires are getting worse in areas that should have had prescribed burns, invasives are killing commercial fishing industries, heat islands effect is getting worse in most major cities. It's crazy how little job openings there are in the field of biological sciences as well as the insanely low starting pay, you can make about as much at Taco Bell, but not have to get a degree.

[@thecocktailian2091]

Had no idea the roots and stems are 6" or so. What a nightmare to fight. I grew up with them, had no idea they were a problem. I'd be happy to eradicate a bush a month when I get back home to Scotland. Even if it's in my neighbors yard!!!

[@mdamanullah7321]

It's a beautiful tree. When people could understand its usefulness, they will plant it more.

[@jonnoMoto]

I was in South Brent (nr avon dam) and came across a deep jungle of this stuff. it's choking out the little remaining woodland there and unbelievable how high and dense it was. I suspect I'll be seeing this weed more and more now i know what it is.

[@Michael-el]

Informative and interesting video. I had trouble watching it all the way through because the camera moved too much and made me feel vertigo. Some youtubers use a stabilizer when walking and filming.

[@michaelhaywood8262]

t is not just Scotland. it is England as well. It is grown as a garden ornamental, along with others, As far as I know it is not forbidden to grow it in the garden.

[@abyssal_phoenix]

Oh wow. I never noticed rhododendrons becoming invasive. I've always wondered how the heck there are so many in all gardens in the area, yet there is not even a single one outside of the direct location it was planted in. Curious if it is also invasive in other regions of thr Netherlands.

[@anniehill9909]

There is a shocking lack of awareness around invasive plants, although most people have heard of invasive animals. I live in New Zealand, which is infested with all sorts of flora that outcompete natives. While there is committment towards getting rid of our invasive predators, there is very little attention given to the plight of our native trees and plants, attacked and eaten by introduced animals on the one hand, and overrun with introduced plants on the other. It is well past time that all countries put a complete ban on importing any animal or plant, unless the would-be importer can prove that it will be unable to spread naturally.

[@benmaclellan6100]

I have been waiting so long for you to do a video about this. I can’t believe that they are still grown in garden centres. I feel sick every time I see rhododendrons in natural spaces.

[@irenafarm]

Hello from Appalachia where these are native! I believe the Appalachians and the Highlands are basically a result of the same ancient orogeny, so it’s unsurprising that rhododendrons would find it welcoming there.

[@lorrainegatanianhits8331]

Not native to Appalachia. There are other Rhododendron species which grow there without human influence, but not this one. R. ponticum is native to the Iberian peninsula, Turkey, Georgia and southernmost Russia. And no, it's not the same orogeny. Furthermore, the climatic and edaphic conditions are completely different from that of Appalachia. So, even if it were the same species...

[@scpatl4now]

​@@lorrainegatanianhits8331The following are Rhododendrons native to Georgia, US Rhododendron canescens, Rhododendron flammeum, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Rhododendron periclymenoides ... The are nine more if you want me to list them.

[@LasloVisionary]

Alpine rhododendron actually makes some good, edible, honey, but I don't think it lives in the same habitat of the turkish rhododendron, since as the name suggests, it only grows on alps. I also read that Rhododendron doesn't really like calcium, you could just increase the calcium in the soil, that's pretty cheap and easy to do.

[@pigboypunk]

how many future generations will it take to clean up this mess...?!? thanks for sharing, iain. good luck.

[@jrfw96]

I work helping clearing this mess. It's an impossible task. It truly is a losing battle but keeps me employed

[@nl4064]

it also acts a vector for Ash die back and other diseases and nothing feeds onj it

[@justinbruins1412]

Never knew it was invasive. In the Netherlands it isn't really.

[@LeaveCurious]

Thats interesting - many many species of rhodey aren't invasive, just ponticum.

[@rridderbusch518]

That's one benefit of the soil freezing deeply each winter!

[@andypeutherer4218]

Its from china And japan of course its invasive

[@michaelmartin341]

If it is ponticum then it's invasive to the Netherlands too but perhaps not a negative addition to the ecosystem. Maybe due to the lower forest cover in the Netherlands?

[@scpatl4now]

@@michaelmartin341 Just so you know...these plants are native to the southern/middle Appalachian Mountains of the US. It is a wet climate there. It's very comparable to Scotland which is probably why they thrive there. Of course in the US they have other plants that can compete with them, and there are insects that feed on them.

[@deemushroomguy]

Seems like a worthwhile source of heating charcoal, that far north. Just turn it into biochar. Feed the forests with the extra carbon!

[@cybermumsue]

wow thanks for sharing

[@HeatherMyfanwyTylerGreey]

It is a horrid plant - once seen as an exotic it was gardened by people in estates who knew what they were doing but they got rid of the teaching and knowledge when mechanisation came and expensive trained and educated gardeners went. My grandfather on my Father's side was a Head Gardener on a Welsh Estate with many men under him and a host of knowledge. That Estate no longer exists nor does the land maintenance. This looks like a similar problem. The older seed plants would have been contained -once.

[@gillsmoke]

I remember seeing a video years ago about the clear cutting of a massive rhododendron forest i was horrified then and am still horrified now.

[@ruadhscottygirl2480]

Just a newbie to all this. Could not a herd of goats be brought into an infested area to get a head start on clearing the young rhodies out? Or can they not tolerate the poisons in the plant? I know it would temporarily clear out the good stuff too, but getting a handle on the problem would seem to be the priority.

[@herewegrowmama]

I couldn't believe when these were being sold in Lidl recently 🙃🙃🤔

[@alicequayle4625]

Jeez ffs.

[@PopularesVox]

I don't think the majority of people realise what a nightmare this plant is, once it takes hold of an area of woodland. It slowly strangles the wood and makes it impenetrable to walk within. The plant has little benefit to wildlife save for cover for birds in winter and for deer to hide. Once chopped and cleared it often returns and the prospect of liberally applying large quantities of herbicides which will inevitably be washed into surface water runoff, is certainly not desirable. More research needs to be done on how the spread of this plant can be brought under control, rather than clearing which will never eliminate the problem completely Perhaps try to hybridise it with a less invasive species or plant other less invasive species around affected areas to keep it in check.

[@coinneachmacraibeart7891]

Does the wood burn well?

[@salamandastron90]

8:23 "Now what...eat it?" LOL

[@henddaer]

The plantations of north Wales are particularly affected also - though within a monoculture plantation, it could be argued that its effect on the local ecology is somewhat negligable. I'm interested in the feasability of chipping large areas of Ponticum for use in biomass - we currently chip a lot of native species for biomass and there are goals to use a lot more throughout the country, would be great if we could tackle INNS issues at the same time. Would need careful biological control and cutting at the appropraite time etc, what do people think?

[@Moth94]

We have them in East Sussex and thay grow completely out of control

[@joshhoppring5051]

There's so much work to do in Britain. The only way I see us fixing our problems is if we launch our own internal currency - based on labour, independent from the banks. Our population is so high yet we can't find/afford the labour to do important things like this. Something has to change

[@oloplyflapdar7384]

such distinct plants with their waxy leaves, it's good for mitigation purposes because they are easy to find.

[@AjaySingh-228]

Wow, this is so informative! I never knew that rhododendron was such an invasive plant. It's beautiful, but it's destroying Scotland's ecosystem. In India, I haven't seen this plant... Thanks for raising awareness about this issue. Wow Scotland is amazing I love it

[@njpringle]

Have they tried to see how effective more environmentally friendly weedkillers are on this plant? Like a white vinegar Acetic acid type. Glyphosate is quite controversial as there was a big legal cases in America against companies that made it, by groundkeepers that had became ill. What about the impact on insects, birds, frogs etc in the woods. It'll also be getting rid of all the wildflowers as well not just Rhododendrons. I have read it can stay in the ground for ages.

[@mikeinportland30]

It's so interesting because here in the Pacific NW of America, Rhodies thrive when plated but do not seem to spread to much degree elsewhere unlike Himalayan Blackberry and English Ivy which are both scourges here. Is it that our soils are more acidic than Scotland and although the Rhodies like acid soils it inhibits their spread here? Maybe our very dry summer months unlike the UK (we have 9 months of maritime climate and then 3 months of Mediterranean) inhibits spread? Something interesting to study for some botany PhD candidate perhaps. We've always had many Rhodies over the years and different properties but in my 60 years I have never had one seed elsewhere....though rarely will see one in a forested area but hard to tell if that was human planted on an old property or garden area.

[@LeaveCurious]

I know that many other rhodies don't spread like this ponticum, so maybe thats what you've got there. But yes maybe the drier month limit the growth / spread, although its native to the med, wheres theres less rain too.

[@lorrainegatanianhits8331]

Your soils are probably too young, geologically-speaking. Meaning that most soils still contain a lot of bases. The soils of scottish highlands have lost much more bases due to deforestation and its associated leeching of the bases. So, your soils are probably still too good, which allows other plants like Hedera helix and Rubus armeniacus to grow in the understory. There are some steep slopes in the PNW which have been under continual grazing for a long time now. Those soils would probably favour R. ponticum over H. helix.

[@mikeinportland30]

@@lorrainegatanianhits8331 I think you maybe nailed it. We are an active volcanic zone (I live on a dormant cinder cone of the larger nearby volcano, and of course Mt St Helens, which is visible from my property) so our soils are indeed "young" and clearing, settlement and farming began at scale just in the mid 19th century.

[@FloraGreeny]

To assist with removal could you do controlled burns? I live in the US central grasslands. We use controlled burns to assist with seed germination and land management.

[@LeaveCurious]

Yes it gets stored and then burned when theres little risk of wild fires

[@Solstice261]

You can't do controlled burns of the forest to control like in some places in the US because the oak forests this happens on aren't made for burning and would suffer greatly if regularly set ablaze

[@Solstice261]

While the grasslands in exchange benefit from burning since a lot of the plants that make it up are pyrophites

[@Solstice261]

​@@LeaveCuriousi think he was referring to controlled burns of the forest floor, not incineration of the wastes

[@sidilicious11]

You should see the ivy problem we have here in western Oregon.

[@Wukwadde]

Don't wait on the government. Form groups of volunteers (young&old) in your local community and go out there together.

[@LeaveCurious]

I agree with this and it must happen. But the governments should make it easier for these groups.

[@Wukwadde]

@@LeaveCuriousAnd i also agree with you. They should indeed be supported by the government, handing equipment, guidance (so people are informed about working in nature and don't cause extra damage, best ways to remove etc). But governments can sometimes be slow, so when politicians see that there are votes to be won (a group of people who are already out there doing the work) and by giving those people some aid=votes, could speed up the process. Ps: thank you for the video. Shining a light on the problem 💪🏻 Maybe a follow up vid when they are clearing another section on the property? (and get a swim in that lovely looking water 😅)?

[@Solstice261]

And think a problem with not having the support of the gov is what you see here where you van really only work on your land which means the rhododendron is left just outside the fence waiting

[@Wukwadde]

@@Solstice261 Agreed, but people could start, as a group, helping with each other's property. Invite the local press during their actions to help spread the story, and 'ask/force' for government help trough the press by saying they are left in the dark by the government. And if that doesn't work, their is always civil disobedience when it's for the better of the community, but in this case I doubt it would go that far, I'm guessing it's rather a case of 'politicians not informed enough on the situation/or they presume not enough people care about it'. Communities can really get things moving, governments have to follow or they are out on the next election.

[@isctony]

Just a quick note - it's Glyphosate not 'Glysophate'

[@LeaveCurious]

thank you!

[@dasja9966]

​​​@@LeaveCurious I think the 'giant rhubarb' at 9:09 is named Gunnera, not Gunnerhea. Made me giggle, but tbh, would be a great name for Gunneras behaving invasive.

[@Solstice261]

I thought we would all know it since it's a harmful herbicide that has been on the news several times a lot of environmental movements want to limit it's use to exceptional circumstances, like controlling invasives, given all that I found it odd that he mispronounced but I suppose we all make mistakes

[@eljanrimsa5843]

@@Solstice261 It's easy to mispronounce, the consonants just arrange themselves the other way round. And he focused on not saying the brand name

[@Solstice261]

@@eljanrimsa5843 yeah, nothing to be ashamed of

[@herewegrowmama]

A friend with a woodland croft is turning hers into charcoal!

[@lynnej7219]

Our council are gradually removing it all but an expensive job, Bracknell Forest