Japanese Knotweed Removal

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How Japanese Knotweed Removal Works

The discovery of Japanese knotweed on your property can be a worrying time at first, but by engaging the services of a knotweed removal company will ensure that your infestation is dealt with in a timely and effective way.  

There several ways in which knotweed removal can be dealt with, but for sure, one option certainly doesn’t involve doing nothing. If you don’t act swiftly, then Japanese knotweed can really take a hold and cause extensive and costly damage due to its prolific rate of growth.  

In the summer months, you can expect an average growth rate for knotweed of 2-4cm per day, although it is not uncommon for knotweed to grow at an alarming rate of 10cm per day when conditions are optimal. 

Japanese Knotweed prefers a warm and wet climate but can continue to grow through mild winters if the weather is favourable. During the winter months, all growth above ground will usually die, but this does not mean the plant has died off, as the extensive roots underground remain alive ready to spring into action when warmer conditions arrive in the spring. 

The roots of the knotweed plant can grow to a depth of around 3 metres and snake their way under buildings where they can cause significant damage. Anything that might be in its path, such as patios, concrete, driveways, water pipes, waste pipes and electrical cable systems may be affected. Even the foundations of properties may be significantly compromised by the weed.   

Japanese knotweed removal can be challenging to say the least, especially given the depth at which the roots can reach. That is why it is vital to act at as early a stage as possible by engaging the services of a professional knotweed removal company.  

A professional knotweed removal company will be able to visit your premises and confirm the presence, or not, of knotweed. They will be able to advise you on the best options for your site and give you an indication of the length of time that a knotweed treatment program might take, as well as giving you an idea of the potential costs.  

 

Japanese Knotweed removal

How our knotweed quotes works

Our friendly quote team can answer your questions and provide your knotweed quote quickly. Get in touch for your free, no obligation Japanese knotweed removal quote.

Complete our knotweed quote form

We will take your details and email you a Japanese knotweed removal quote explaining everything you need to know. We will also send a booking form along with your quote.

Give us the go-ahead

Complete the booking form and email it back to us. We’ll then arrange a date for your knotweed survey and get to work.

Get Your Report

Once your knotweed survey is complete we will write your report quickly and send it over to you when payment is made.

So, how does Japanese knotweed removal work?  

There are a number of effective ways of how to remove Japanese knotweed, and their success and time taken to reach a successful conclusion for treatment can vary. External factors, such as proximity to environmentally sensitive areas, can also have a bearing on which methods are able to be used.  

Ways of Japanese knotweed control or eradication include use of chemicals (herbicides), mechanical (excavation) and biological (using insect predators) methods, each of which can be used depending on the individual set of circumstances. In some instances, the landowner may just be looking to control the growth of knotweed rather than completely removing in (as it’s not actually illegal to allow it to grow on your land), but in the majority of cases, removal will be the preferred option. 

Chemical options will attempt to kill off the plant by spraying or injecting the plant’s roots with herbicide, but this treatment takes time, often requiring several repeats visits over a number of years. Excavation can really get to the root of the problem (literally) and is a highly effective but costly method of knotweed removal. 

Japanese knotweed is an extremely hardy plant, it is important that every trace of the weed is killed off and removed from the site, to ensure that the plant doesn’t start to grow back and re-establish itself. This includes the tiniest fragment of root from which knotweed could potentially re-grow. 

While the shield-shaped leaves and bamboo-like stems are the most obvious signs of the presence of knotweed, it’s the prolifically fast-growing underground system of roots (rhizome) that are most difficult to remove. Attempts at removing roots yourself could prove difficult, and could in fact make the situation worse, so that is why expert help should be sought when you first suspect the presence of Japanese knotweed.

 

How do chemical treatments work on knotweed?

Chemical products are an effective method of Japanese knotweed treatment, but they do require time to work. Herbicides, such as Glyphosate based products, are the most cost-effective means of eradicating knotweed, but can sometimes take up to 3 to 5 years to finally kill off the knotweed. 

The most effective time to spray knotweed foliage with herbicide is at various stages during the growing season. Late summer/early autumn is considered the best time to chemically spray Japanese knotweed as this is when the plant is in full leaf and ensures that the herbicides make their way into the root system, and by repeated applications of the chemicals, will kill off the plant. 

Herbicides can also be injected in the stem of the plants – a method that will often be used in ecologically sensitive areas where spraying is considered not suitable. If you need to treat a particularly large knotweed affected area, then some of the plants may have to be cut down first in order to allow proper access.  

Chemical treatments are the favoured option by domestic households as they are effective and cost significantly less than full excavation. Use of herbicides can, however, pose a risk to the environment, especially when used near waterway like canals, rivers and streams, so appropriate care must be taken where these are used for knotweed control. 

A typical domestic residential property using a chemical treatment programme would cost in the region of £3,000 + VAT, while a small commercial site might cost £5,000 + VAT. Both would come with a 10-year insurance backed guarantee. The treatment would likely involve 2-3 treatments for up to 3 years, or 5 years in the most difficult or stubborn of knotweed cases. 

Japanese knotweed growing

What about Japanese knotweed removal by excavation? 

Japanese knotweed excavation is an effective but costly means of removal. By involving a professional company to dig down to depth of around 3 metres to remove the extensive underground roots (rhizomes), will ensure they have been fully removed so can’t re-grow. 

Any removed soil and roots need to be disposed of carefully at a licenced facility to prevent cross contamination. Alternative plans could include on-site burial in special heat-sealed fabric membranes, but this again needs to be handled very carefully by professionals. 

Whether the Japanese knotweed that is removed is able to be treated onsite or has to be handled off-site will have a bearing on costs. Japanese knotweed is classed a controlled waste so can only be transported and disposed of by licensed carriers at specially licensed sites to ensure it does not spread. 

Excavation would usually be the preferred option for housing developers who are looking to use the land for domestic properties. Knotweed excavation is not a practical option for most homeowners, especially where roots might be affecting several neighbouring properties and would require multiple fences, walls, patios,etc to be moved or demolished first to enable any mechanical diggers access. 

Any work requiring use of mechanical methods, such as excavation and removal of infested soil and ground materials, can be prove more expensive than chemical treatment methods. Cost will be dependent on varying site factors such as topography, geology, access to the site, or ecological restraints. Costs typically start from around £7,000 + VAT and include a 15-year guarantee. 

Japanese Knotweed flower

 

Are there more eco-friendly ways of Japanese knotweed removal?

There are a number of eco-friendly options for knotweed control or removal. As an alternative to using herbicides for knotweed removal, MeshTech provides a chemical-free solution as it uses a mesh placed over the knotweed which then forces the plant to sever its own stem as it grows. It is considered ideal for use in environmentally sensitive areas such as riverside locations, railway embankments and highways and leaves the lowest possible on-site footprint where it is used.  

Another method that is more eco-friendly includes the use of natural predators in the form of insects which help naturally keep Japanese knotweed under control. While they don’t kill Japanese knotweed, controlled released of the psyllid insect in monitored sites in the UK, has been shown to be effective at controlling knotweed as well as having low impact on native species.  

 

What about DIY Japanese knotweed treatments? 

It may be tempting for any who discovers knotweed on their property to attempt to tackle it themselves in the hope of dealing with it quickly and saving money. It very rarely works out this way.  

It is possible to access Glyphosate in DIY stores, but these will be weak solutions which will not be very effective. Professional knotweed removal companies will have access to herbicides of much greater strength which will be far more effective and more guaranteed to have success. It’s worth remembering that it won’t just require a one-off application either; any treatments will have to be repeated several times and over a number of years.  

Attempting to remove the roots by hiring a mechanical digger yourself is a risky business. Not only is there the risk of damage to underground utilities and foundations, there is also no guarantee that you will have removed the knotweed in its entirety. Plus, Japanese knotweed is a controlled waste in the UK and has to be taken (by licenced carriers only) to a specialist landfill facility, so you will still incur costs. 

It is worth bearing in mind that even if you have tackled knotweed yourself, then it is possible that lenders and insurers will still not accept your DIY treatment as proof of eradication because they know it can lie dormant for years before re-growing. That is why using a professional knotweed service is the only way you can be certain of avoiding difficulties if you are looking to sell a property having first identified a knotweed problem. 

japanese knotweed roots

Knotweed removal general advice

There are clearly a number of options of how to remove Japanese knotweed should you discover the invasion plant on your land. Getting rid of the knotweed may involve use of one or a range of several different methods, but this will often depend on the extent of the infestation and the surrounding environment as well as your budget.

In some instances the use of chemical solutions may be limited due to factors such as being in close proximity to environmentally sensitive areas such as waterways. Hiring a professional service is the only way to ensure that your knotweed problem has been handled effectively, in as cost-effective a manner as possible way, and the knotweed eradicated permanently. It also ensures your knotweed problem has been handled in as environmentally responsible a way as possible. 

You should always look to make sure that any work you have had carried out removing Japanese knotweed is backed by a proper guarantee that would cover you in the event of the knotweed returning. Any specialist knotweed removal company should be able to offer you an insurance-backed guarantee with any work carried out for you. 

The costs of Japanese knotweed removal can at first seem high, but when compared with the potential costs of any damage to your property, and the potential for being sued should the knotweed spread from your land to an adjoining property, it will save you considerable cost and headache in future.  

Knotweed affected properties can see their values drop by as much as 50% as a result of having knotweed on the premises, and mortgage lenders may refuse an application due to the potential drop in value. For this reason, getting in an approved knotweed contractor with an insurance backed guarantee is the only way to be fully confident that knotweed is not going to continue to have a hold over you. 

Each of the methods to get rid of Japanese knotweed have their pros and cons, but at the first sign of the weed you should call in experts and have the invasive plant stopped in its tracks before it can really take hold and cause you a significant headache.

 

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