Can Japanese Knotweed Spread on Shoes?

If you know anything about Japanese knotweed, you'll know how much damage it can cause if left unchecked and how easily it can spread. 

Being one of the fastest-growing plant species that we have here in the UK, it's important to understand the nature of knotweed and the things that are needed to slow down or prevent it from spreading altogether. 

But just how easy is it to spread knotweed? Can Japanese knotweed spread on shoes? In this blog, we examine knotweed closer in relation to its ability to spread and what you can do to stop it. 

How does Japanese knotweed spread?

Despite knotweed producing seeds, it remains very rare for these seeds to germinate and grow a new plant. Instead, Japanese knotweed spreads by dispersal of the crown, stem and rhizomes. 

The three plant parts can be spread in a variety of ways with the most common being through relocation of soil from an area that was infested by knotweed to an area that was previously untouched. 

It's very important to remember that the size of the knotweed rhizome does not really matter when it comes to the knotweed's ability to get established, with known infestations occurring from rhizomes as small as 0.7g.

How fast does Japanese knotweed spread and grow? 

You may be surprised to find the ridiculous speed that Japanese knotweed can spread. It is known that knotweed can grow as much as 10cm during the peak of the growing season throughout the summer months, rightfully earning its title as the most fastest-growing plant in the country. 

If left unchecked, especially during the growing season, a knotweed infestation can grow at a very fast rate that will make controlling it very challenging. 

Can knotweed spread on shoes?

So, with the ease in which Japanese knotweed can spread, is possible for it to spread via shoes? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. 

Despite the fact that no seeds can germinate from the plant, rhizomes are still able to be carried from an infested site by shoes into another area that isn't. As we said above, rhizomes as small as 0.7g have been known to grow into full knotweed plants, so these can easily be picked up by someone walking through infested soil and carried away. 

Stepping in an area that has Japanese Knotweed, the rhizomes can get stuck on your sole, and you can move with them to another area. Here, the plant will regrow and spread even farther in that area.

How we can help 

In order to stop the spread of Japanese knotweed from an infested site, you must ensure that it is properly eradicated and disposed of. By doing so, you will prevent any rhizomes from travelling to uninfested sites, stopping the invasive plant from growing any further. 

If you believe that your property or a neighbouring property has a knotweed infestation, the team here at Taylor Total Weed Control can help! If needed, our professional staff are able to visit your property where we will be able to confirm any presence of knotweed. If found, we can then coordinate the necessary plans to ensure it is properly removed and disposed of to ensure further spread is prevented. 

Want to know more? Simply click below to find out about our effective Japanese knotweed removal services. 

Japanese Knotweed Removal >

To learn more about how we can help remove and dispose of your Japanese knotweed infestation or how knotweed can spread, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Taylor Total Weed Control team.