Maybe you are a houseplant connoisseur like myself, or you love keeping live plants in your fish tanks. If that's the case, its highly important that you keep them as indoor plants! A lot of invasive species become invasive in nature because they escape cultivation. You could simply perform a routine water change that results in a rhizome from an aquatic plant hitching a ride into the sewage system and ending in an infestation of an aquatic plant that should not be there. Alternatively, that plant that "died" and left behind a bulb, corm, or solid root system didn't actually die so throwing it out in your yard isn't necessarily a great idea! Some houseplants like Pothos varieties, certain succulents, and even certain types of cacti can become invasive if planted outside in an area where the plant will grow well.
To combat this, you can do your research on what plants are invasive in your hardiness zone. Certain plants are invasive in certain hardiness zones due to a lot of factors. Since houseplants are commonly tropical plants many would not do well in a place like Michigan since it gets too cold and it doesn't have the same conditions as a tropical area. But, if you have English Ivy you decide to move from your bathroom to the garden and you live in Michigan, rethinking that would be wise as English Ivy can and will invade your garden in Michigan. Plants like European Frog-bit and Giant Salvinia are also something you should reconsider adding to your tank as both are incredibly invasive and also restricted within Michigan.
If you find you already have a plant in your home that is invasive and could take over in your area, dispose of it properly. This could mean setting it out in a dry spot away from soil or water to dry or it could mean bagging it in a black contractor bag and taking it to the dump labeled as invasive species plant material. Never dispose of aquatic plants through the sink, toilet, or by throwing into a pond. You should always dry out aquatic plant material and then place into black bags. You can burn dried plant material as well, but make sure all parts of the plant that could spread have been sufficiently burned. This includes rhizomes, stems, seeds, roots, bulbs, or corms.
Doing your research on first what is invasive within your state/growing zone and second, researching where your desired plant naturally grows and if your yard is a place it could take over could mean saving a lot of time and money for your local invasive species management group. There are many beautiful plants out there, but not all of them belong in our yard or backyard pond.
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