This summer’s humid weather ‘perfect’ for hazardous hogweed
The recent humid weather in the area has led to more frequent sprouting of the large and dangerous giant hogweed plant.
“Giant hogweed likes to grow around wet areas like rivers, so the humid weather we’ve been having makes it perfect for the seeds to be sprouting,” said Angelo Apfelbaum, the Region of Waterloo’s manager of licensing and enforcement. “These seeds can stay dormant in warm and dry ground for up to seven years before coming up at the right time.”
Apfelbaum noted that the seeds are known to travel through water. He said that the excessive flooding of the Nith River this year would not have been good for the control of the weed, but its recent sprouting is still mostly attributed to the weather.
Giant hogweed was first brought to North America in the early 1900s as a decorative plant for gardens. It didn’t take long for owners to notice that skin contact with the clear, watery sap that drips from its stalk, followed by exposure to sunlight, can result in painful, burning blisters and red blotches that develop into blackened scars.
Contact with eyes can lead to blindness.
The large invasive plant was first spotted in Waterloo Region in 2004. It was seen in Wilmot Township at New Hamburg’s Scott Park in 2009.
“It looks very similar to Angelica,” said Apfelbaum. “Thirty to 40 per cent of our calls for hogweed turn out to be Angelica. The best way to tell the difference is that the white plant head of hogweed is an umbrella shape, while Angelica is a globe.”
Apfelbaum is one of the certified weed inspectors for Waterloo Region. Upon request by residents, they will attend a scene to identify noxious weeds and then recommend the proper course of action.
Under the Weed Control Act, landowners are required to destroy all noxious weeds. Apfelbaum recommends that once the plant is safely removed from the soil, it should be tied up in a plastic bag and left out in the sun for roughly two weeks. This will kill all the seeds and make disposal safe.
Despite the concern about the plant, he said that during his five years in the position, hogweed has been on a steady decline. “This is in no way an infestation. There is no concern. We have it controlled. “Hogweed is problematic for its effect on humans.”