Japanese knotweed and residential properties have been in an ongoing battle against one another since the emergence of knotweed in the 1850s. The UK is forecasted to host over 28.4 million households by the end of 2023, so how can we expect Japanese knotweed to make an impact on our residential properties in the future?
It Can Cause Infrastructure Damage
If your house has weak foundations, knotweed is known to pry on residential properties with poor structures. It is an extremely relentless weed, and it will grow until it is stopped by excavation, burial, removal or through herbicide treatments.
Knotweed is known to cause expensive infrastructure damage to residential properties. This includes the infiltration of roots into paving, tarmac and the building's foundation. The presence of Japanese knotweed and its relentless growth is known to further weaken these areas of a property.
It's important to note, however, that it is very rare for residential properties be damaged by Japanese knotweed to this extent. Knotweed will only cause this level of damage if it is an extremely aggressive infestation and if the infestation is present within or near a building with a very weak infrastructure.
It Can Decrease Your Property's Value
A study from Nottingham Trent University revealed that the presence of Japanese knotweed on a property could reduce its value from anywhere between 5-15%. In extreme cases, the infestation of Japanese knotweed could make your residential property unsellable.
Japanese knotweed's presence could also cause difficulty for those who wish to re-sell their infested property due to mortgage issues, resulting in potential buyers only being able to pay for the property in cash.
It Can Ruin Your Existing Vegetation
As Japanese knotweed is such a ferocious plant, it grows rapidly and without any consideration for the existing plant-life around it. If Japanese knotweed rears its head amongst your beautiful flowers or tomato plants, it will do everything in its power to out-compete them for sunlight and nutrients.
In doing so, Japanese knotweed can rob your other vegetation of nutrients and water, weakening the quality of your garden's soil, and killing any plant that tries to get in its way. Japanese knotweed also releases allelopathic chemicals from its rhizome, suppressing and stunting the growth of other plants in the area.
It Can Break Your Home's Drains and Sewers
Sewers, drains and land-drains are commonly damaged from the wrath of Japanese knotweed. The rhizomes within the knotweed can easily weed (no pun intended!) out any weaknesses within the pipes, in search for some sunlight and nutrients.
Japanese knotweed have an underground root network of 2-3 metres, so they are in the prime position to spread, enlarge and split drain pipes and sewer systems until they no longer work.
READ MORE: How to Get Rid of Japanese Knotweed
Get Japanese Knotweed Treatment
If you think that your property may be at risk of Japanese knotweed damage, time is of the essence; in the summer months Japanese knotweed can grow over 10cm a day! Taylor Total Weed Control offer professional knotweed control and removal services. If you’d like to learn more about our services and how they can benefit you, head on over to our website.
Knotweed Removal Services
If you’re not sure if you have a knotweed presence, or if our services are the right fit for you, why not arrange your FREE knotweed survey today?
One of our knotweed experts will survey your lawn and let you know whether or not there is a knotweed presence on your property, and give you a no-obligation quote for our knotweed removal services. When we say, no-obligation - we mean it!
Free Knotweed Survey
Read More: Where is Japanese Knotweed Found
Is It Japanese Knotweed?