Shopper Asks People Not to Buy This Harmful Garden Item at Home Depot — It Actually Ruins Your Yard

While a green patch of land is certainly better than a barren urban landscape, it is only the bare minimum for nature. Not all fields with lush gardens necessarily signify a healthy ecosystem. Invasive plants have robust survival skills that often outcompete the native species, per the USDA Forest Service. Local gardeners and plant enthusiasts must do prior research before introducing new plants to their gardens. A shopper, who goes by u/twiffytwaf on Reddit, shed light on a major issue in Home Depot’s gardening aisle. They called out the retailer for selling invasive plants in Florida, with a picture of the propagation bulbs of the problematic species.

Home Depot shopper warns against invasive plant sales

Shopping at Home Depot came with an unpleasant surprise for the Reddit user, who stumbled on a bag of Elephant Ear bulbs in the store's gardening aisle. Scientifically called Colocasia esculenta, this plant species does more harm than good to the local ecosystem. Elephant ear plants are originally from Southeast Asia and have naturalized in other tropical and subtropical regions of the world, per the Louisiana Native Plant Society. “Home Depot is selling invasive plants in Florida. I saw these bulbs at the Casselberry location on 19/92,” the post disclosed, hinting at the snap of the Elephant Ear bulbs, also commonly referred to as wild taro. Brie The Plant Lady demonstrated how to remove the invasive plant from gardens on YouTube. 

Elephant Ears have bold foliage and are preferred by those looking to add a tropical touch to their gardens. They require bright sunlight and well-drained soil to grow. According to Imgur, these species should not be planted in Florida because they could take over land while suppressing the growth of native plants. It is particularly advised not to plant them near natural waterways, as they could transport the plants to several other locations. Wild taro spreads fast through the rhizomes in its bulbs and can grow up to 9 feet tall and 6 feet long. The plants are mostly edible when cooked. It is not ideal to remove the plants with bare hands because the leaves contain oxalic acid, a skin irritant, and require some digging to fully eliminate them, according to The Cooldown.

The internet echoes similar concerns

Native plants alter garden ecosystems. The proliferation of invasive species reduces local biodiversity, adversely impacts soil health and wildlife, depletes water resources, and disrupts the overall balance of the local environment. Understanding that, people shared their opinions on the matter. “Box stores sell countless invasive plants. Mexican Petunias and bamboo are awful too,” said u/SeeminglySusan while u/GeorgeKaplanIsReal stated, “About a quarter to a third of all flora/fauna in the state is not native to the state. So, welcome to Florida?” 

When someone (u/Rambo-Brite) asked if the shopper informed the manager, the Reddit poster suggested that the “best thing to do now is educate people not to buy them and plant them. If people don’t buy them, Home Depot won’t stock them.” However, it is not far-fetched to hope for some accountability from retail giants like Home Depot. They can dedicate some efforts to research and development to help preserve the local biodiversity of the places where they build stores. According to the USDA Forest Service, invasive species have led to the decline of 42% of American endangered species: a problematic statistic.

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