Anyone who visits Havezate Mensinge in the near future will see that the ground is covered with a black tarpaulin. All because of the Japanese Knotweed. A plant that does not originally occur in the Netherlands.
It is an invasive exotic species. “A harmful plant,” says Robert Meijer, Noordenveld councilor. “It is located on the inside of the canal of Havezate Mensinge.” Measures are now being taken to combat the plant.
You can combat this in various ways. The estate has decided to hedge. “We add lime pellets and then we suffocate it,” Meijer explains. This suffocation is done by wrapping the Japanese Knotweed with plastic.
The hope is that the plant will be gone for good within a year. The municipality will continue to monitor the situation for the next three years. Meijer: “We want to prevent the roots, which have a lot of strength, from also damaging the Havezate. You want to maintain such a beautiful national monument and certainly not let such a plant damage it.”
The sails are still being covered with soil and a new piece of revetment is being added. So it won’t be a muddy puddle, it should look a bit nicer again in the spring.