Invasive Plants > Plant Disposal & Control

[stormvisions]

I was reading through some weed risk assessments for plants that are common in many aquariums on this page

USDA APHIS|Noxious Weeds Program Risk Assessments

There are not only banned plants but plants that are indicated to likely be pests including many that we may have in our tanks.

I know most of us are probably careful but some of these guys propagate from fragments or seeds so aggressively that they can present create major environmental headaches.

I'm thinking I will have to mulch or otherwise nuke fragments when I clean up my tank and just putting this out there to see how you handle this yourselves. I guess a lot of out aquarium plants could become problems so having a recommended dispose/destroy process is critical for each one of us.

[Nick Shades]

There are couple of plants which i have purchased from China as well as florida that turned out to be CA invasive.

The problem, though, is that they are fresno/stockton waterway invasive and are not the same kind of problem as they are in the south. CA is such s huge state, but they ban them for all of us.

I try to steer clear of them now, though, simply because i do not really care for them anymore.

[swoof]

All noxious weeds should be completely dried out before being ground up before composting or mulching. You want nothing but powder left. Just because the plants have only been a problem in Fresno or farther north in Stockton (there is a wide section of state between these areas) doesn't mean they can't harm the local water ways.

[stormvisions]

I spoke to a phytologist I follow on Twitter and she said in the lab they either soak it in bleach overnight, or use a crucible or an oven to bake it at high heat.

[joethecinbeng]

Lol, just flush them or put it in trash. They will rot anyway, dont over exaggerate it

[Kole85]

Lol, just flush them or put it in trash. They will rot anyway, dont over exaggerate it

DO NOT FLUSH INVASIVE PLANTS! That is why they get banned in the first place. Be a responsible hobbyist.

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[stormvisions]

Yep flushing or dumping is bad business. A lot of these plants are on the edge of being banned - if you read the reports I pointed to inthe first post quite a few new plants are listed as potential invasive and carelessness can get more and more plants banned. I'm actually looking at several very small kitchen counter top composters for fruit and vegetable peels. I think one of these would be a good way to deal with plant bits and turn them into compost I could use in my flower bed, or to grow worms, or emmersed plants or some other such thing.

[Nick Shades]

Don't ever flush vegetation down the toilet. They will get stuck in bends, roots, etc, turn into an algae farm and clog your sewer.

Not to mention, they will cause vector management to put a dot on their radar on your processing facility, and if they see it continue, they will eventually find you and possibly ticket you.