Japanese knotweed is an invasive species that’s well known for its fast growth and its ability to reach heights over 6 ft tall – but what does it look like when its still growing?
This photo by Crouch, Swale is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Many people can easily identify a fully grown knotweed plant by its distinctive large, heart shaped leaves and bamboo-like canes, but if you’ve found your way to this blog, you’re likely looking for advice on how to identify Japanese knotweed when it first appears.
Identifying young knotweed shoots
In its early stages, knotweed emerges from the ground in small shoots that will rapidly grow into the large bamboo-like canes that are commonly associated with Japanese knotweed.
Japanese knotweed begins to sprout in the spring; around mid-March is the time of year you can expect to see Japanese knotweed shoots appearing in your garden.
In these early days, young Japanese knotweed shoots will have a distinct reddish-purple colour, and have even been said to look similar to asparagus! At this time, the leaves will be tightly coiled and tucked up against the stem. As spring progresses and summer grows closer, these leaves will begin to slowly unfurl.
At the start of spring these budding shoots may be very small, but if it is a knotweed plant, you can expect these shoots to grow up to 3 metres tall by the end of spring! As the knotweed ages, the shoots will lose some of their bright purplish colouring, fading into a green colour with just a few purple speckles remaining.
If you’d like to read more about how you can identify Japanese knotweed, Taylor Total Weed Control have a handy Japanese Knotweed Identification Guide on their website!
Japanese Knotweed Identification
When it comes to Japanese knotweed, prompt identification is the key to catching it early and preventing it from growing into an untameable mess.
If you think you may have early-stage Japanese knotweed growing on your property but aren’t 100% sure, why not reach out to Taylor Total Weed Control and arrange your FREE Knotweed Survey today? One of our knotweed identification specialists will be more than happy to survey your property. Our free knotweed survey service can identify whether or not there is knotweed present on your property, where it is, how much there is, as well as give you a no-obligation quote outlining how much you might expect to pay for treatment.
Free Knotweed Survey
Read More: Signs of Japanese Knotweed: 5 Things to Look For
Is It Japanese Knotweed?