Knotweed and how to remove it.

Knotweed is one of the hardest weeds to remove from a garden. Introduced into the U.K. by a Victorian gardener the plant quickly became highly rated for use on large estates lakes and to provide shooting cover of game birds. When used on lakes it was ideal because of the ability to grow quickly and to stop erosion. However the plant natural extended it range and soon spread in an uncontrolled manor throughout the U.K. Today it is a registered weed and it is a civil offence to aid in its spread.

Once you have knot weed you are in for a long fight. It is almost impossible to dig out, simply because ever piece you miss will form a new plant. The best control method is the controlled use of chemical weed killers. At GardenAdvice have used the following two methods with good results.

1. Paint roundup weed killer directly onto the stems using several applications over 3 to 4 months.
2. Break open the stems and pour in asmall amount of neat roundup weedkiller and seal the stem to stop animals accessing the chemical.

Because knot weed dies down in winter these methods can only be used in the spring and summer.