Is Mother Of Thousands Illegal? What Laws Say?

As Mother of the Thousands rapidly gives birth to thousands of babies, there is a debate in many states to make this dangerous weed illegal.

Mother Of The Thousands (Kalanchoe daigremontiana) is a popular houseplant native to Madagascar. This invasive weed is also toxic to your pets and livestock.

So, go through this complete article to know every detail of Mother of the Thousands, its invasive abilities, and the ways to control it.

What Does Mother Of The Thousands Look Like?

Mother of the Thousands is a unique succulent plant with narrow, elongated leaves. Moreover, the leaves have serrated edges.

Also, the leaves give a floral appearance as they appear like rosettes when the foliage matures.

If you grow the plant outdoors, it can reach up to 2 feet long. The leaves are usually light green but can turn darker if the sunlight is not enough.

Additionally, from the center of the rosette leaves, you can see the plant bearing tiny bell-shaped flowers. These blossoms are usually yellow to greenish-yellow in color.

However, people mostly grow this plant for its leaves, as the leaves provide unique aesthetics compared to flowers. You can also know this plant with the name Devil’s Backbone plant.

Is Mother Of The Thousands Illegal?

Mother of the Thousands has the great ability to produce several plantlets in a short duration.

These noxious weeds grow and spread rapidly with the help of their leaves. The leaves can easily produce new plants and fall on the ground. The fallen plantlets can quickly root and adapt on the ground.

Similarly, these plant babies can outcompete native plants for nutrients. This makes endemic plant survival difficult due to the high population of this weed.

Additionally, Mother of the Thousand releases the chemicals that help them to compete with native plants. These chemicals are dangerous to native plants.

How To Control Illegal Mother Of The Thousands?

While removing Mother of the Thousands, make sure to wear gloves and clothes with long sleeves to protect yourself from irritating chemicals.

• Try to remove this weed manually, as it is the most effective way to manage the weed. Using your hands, you must remove all the plant parts, like roots and leaves.
• Plant other weeds like ice plant ground cover to control the growth of this weed. It makes them difficult to compete and spread.
• Use natural pests like mealybugs, mites, etc., to control this weed by biological methods. Use neem oil in other plants to prevent them from these pests.
• If the weed still does not come into control, you must use chemical herbicides. However, make sure the herbicides do not affect other native plants.
• Trap the weed with a clear plastic bag and leave it until the weed dies due to excessive sun. This may take 3-4 weeks.
• Deadhead the spent flowers and remove all the fallen leaves to avoid developing into new plantlets.