Rhodo-chop: how martial arts will prevail against flower power
..... – rhododendron ponticum – is facing death by martial arts.
The exotic plant, imported by Victorian landowners to decorate their gardens, is now so widespread and damaging to native wildlife that it is considered a pest.
......But two plant control experts have now come up with a new method to peg the problem bush back using a martial arts-style attack that renders it lifeless within minutes.
The technique, devised by Gordon French and Donald Kennedy from Morvern Community Woodlands, is described as being a cross between tai chi and karate. Supporters say it offers a cheap and effective method of battling an intractable enemy.
The pair carefully examine each rhododendron bush, work out the direction in which its stems are growing, before twisting their bodies around the plant and snapping it in exactly the right places. With minimal effort, the rhododendron is reduced to a pile of leafy waste. Within hours, the duo claim, whole swathes of the invader within woodlands can be destroyed while hardly breaking a sweat......
