Japanese knotweed is a perennial herbaceous plant, and as the name suggests, is native to Japan and Eastern Asia. Larger examples of the plant have hollow stems which sometimes give it the appearance of bamboo, although the two species are not related. Smaller Japanese knotweed plants tend to grow between cracks in pavements and it is considered to be an invasive species in most gardens – it is even listed as one of the world’s worst invasive plants by the World Conservation Union! Yikes!
Japanese knotweed is particularly irritating in gardens because of its strong root structure. The invasive root system can prevent other plants from growing by spreading out considerably; it can also cause damage to concrete, foundations, paving, roads, and so on.
Eradicating Japanese knotweed can be a constant battle, but fortunately you can call in the professionals to help you get it sorted. Try looking online for a specialist company that operates within your area. General gardening companies may not have the extensive knowledge needed to carry out
Japanese knotweed control effectively, and you’ll end up paying for a second treatment of your garden in order to get the results you want.
Initially, any good company should come and do an assessment of your garden and clearly ascertain which areas the knotweed is causing an issue in. They should then discuss the treatments that are available in order to eradicate the knotweed completely.
One option is a herbicide treatment; this comes in the form of a liquid spray and has the benefit of being the cheapest control method available. However, spray treatments can be rendered ineffective if it rains soon after application, and you may not want herbicides sprayed if you have pets which use your garden. Another method is complete excavation, which essentially means digging up the knotweed and the surrounding soil, and taking it to an approved landfill site. This is can be a relatively costly process, because the gap left will have to be filled with healthy soil (this is particularly true for areas of land which require knotweed control prior to building works), but sometimes it is the quickest and simplest way of eliminating the problem. Herbicides can take up to three growing seasons to work fully, so the ‘dig and dump’ method is a good quick fix.
On-site cell burial is also an option for knotweed removal, which whilst it sounds relatively high-tech is actually pretty simple. The knotweed and infested soil is extracted from the ground and placed into an impenetrable membrane. This is then buried in a pit and covered with healthy soil. This effectively kills the knotweed and allows it to decompose whilst being a relatively quicker method, and often more user-friendly than herbicides.
