Japanese Knotweed – The Good And The Bad.
Japanese knotweed originally introduced into the UK by the victorians to help stabilize the banks of the water features, ponds. lakes and in some cases canals. It was an ideal plant because it established quickly and formed a root system that could hold together even the steepest of soil banks especially where the banks met the water as the root will happily grow underwater. Japanese knotweed was a fantastic solution to the victorian landscapers and with a number of projects in the UK within a very short space of time had strongholds throughout the UK being transported around to different locations nationwide as it was used in different landscaping schemes.Then in the late nineties as composting became popular and councils starting to compost large amounts of green material Japanese knotweed increased its hold on the UK spreading further with its seeds often being contained in the compost.
Now Japanese knotweed is a notifiable and controllable weed which is you find any on your land or garden you have a legal obligation to control and eradicate it. Thats not as easy as it sounds
Knotweed or Japanese knotweed is quite a difficult weed to control and requires some time to be able to control it effectively. If you have lots of japanese knotweed you will need to consider a specialist company for the Japanese knotweed removal. If you only have a small amount one of the best way to kill it is by spraying it with RoundUp weed killer.
RoundUp contains Glyphosate which is a systemic herbicide that acts by blocking a plant’s enzyme system. The herbicide is absorbed through growing leaves and stems where it is translocated throughout the plant and root network. It kills virtually all annual and perennial weeds including grasses. Glyphosate is quickly broken down in soil or sediment and is harmless to animal life. It might take several applications, but it will work.
This is best carried out in the spring or when the plant is actively growing, just as the new shoots start to grow. Apply in dry weather that lasts for 12 hours.
A number of applications will be required over a 6 month period.
Another method which is very effective if you have the time is to cover the area affected with knotweed with black plastic or old carpet, treating the shoots as they appear around the edges. This can take up to 12 months but for example if you are renovating a house and planning to move on the garden later it can be quite useful.
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