Japanese knotweed is a growing problem in the UK. If you find it growing on your land, you are legally required to stop it from spreading beyond your property. So, can it be removed completely? Read on to find out.
How to Get Rid of Japanese Knotweed
Japanese knotweed can be removed. We can excavate it and take it to a specialist landfill site. Alternatively, we can bury it in a special weed-proof membrane after digging it all up.
Excavating Japanese knotweed has to be done carefully, because it can easily regrow from the roots. If even a 3cm fragment of rhizome (root) is inadvertently left behind, that can be enough to grow a whole new plant system!
The roots of Japanese knotweed can spread up to seven metres wide and three metres deep. If this is the case, digging it out could be very disruptive!
Even if it is only a small patch of knotweed, excavation could still be an intrusive measure to take. Every inch of the root system has to be removed, so the excavation would need to dig deeply and widely enough to make sure that no root fragments remain.
Both burial and removal of Japanese knotweed can be very expensive too, as the UK government levies a tax of approximately £85 per tonne to dispose of it. Even if the weed is only growing in your garden, it can cost up to £850 plus VAT per square metre to have it removed mechanically.
If excavation is so expensive and disruptive, what else can be done to remove Japanese knotweed?
Japanese Knotweed Herbicide Treatment
Herbicide treatment is the least invasive way to deal with Japanese knotweed. Over a set period, any visible Japanese knotweed will be sprayed with herbicide multiple times. The area will then be monitored to check that the knotweed is under control.
Controlling the plant above ground is simple, but making sure the herbicide penetrates into the rhizomes (roots) is key. It can take multiple applications over several years to fully treat Japanese knotweed, but killing off the roots is what ensures the plant won’t come back. A properly-formulated herbicide can circulate through the whole plant and kill every part of it, so that’s why we recommend herbicide treatment.
Our herbicide plan also costs less than mechanical removal: our prices start at £75 plus VAT per application. If you have a Japanese knotweed infestation in your garden, repeated applications over a period of three years will still be much cheaper than excavation.
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If you have any questions regarding Japanese knotweed, or treatment methods, feel free to contact us and our customer care team will be only too happy to help.
Free Japanese Knotweed Survey
Is It Japanese Knotweed?