Japanese Knotweed Removal 101

By Guest Author Tom Bristol

There are few plants that strike terror into the heart of the conscientious gardener as much as Japanese knotweed, that turbo-charged perennial that seems to resist all efforts to keep it in check. There are times when we feel like throttling those well-meaning Victorian horticulturists who introduced Fallopia japonica to the UK, so ignorant were they of its aggressive invasive nature and the sheer speed with which it insinuated itself across the nation, spreading like wildfire throughout Britain’s network of canals, rivers, railway tracks and major roads.

The creeping menace of Japanese Knotweed

So you’ve got Japanese knotweed threatening to strangle the life out of the other plants in your garden and it needs to be removed. Where to begin? The major problem we face here is the way the plant spreads – through vegetative means only. There are no seeds or pollen to look out for, it’s all down to the presence of fragments of surface stems or the creeping underground stem systems called rhizomes. The plant can reproduce fully from even the smallest morsels of these stems, which is why Japanese knotweed removal is such a headache – and such a long-term project.

How NOT to remove Japanese Knotweed

The very first thing to bear in mind is not to make the situation worse. Japanese knotweed cannot be composted, cut back, ripped up or burnt off – these “solutions” tend merely to stimulate further growth! Herbicides should never be used in your garden, even though some gardeners who are fed up with this nuisance can be tempted to use them. Due to the way the plant spreads, the risk of inadvertently spreading rhizomes into unaffected parts of the garden during the removal process itself is high – and the rhizome network itself will extend unseen, far beyond the surface plant growth, making it essential that the area slated for removal is fenced off at least seven meters (23 feet) beyond this surface growth.

More depressing knotweed facts

Reading this far you’re probably already wondering how anyone is expected to best such a tenacious adversary, so let me depress you even further with a few words on the disposal of Japanese knotweed remnants. The plant is classified as controlled waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (U.K.), so easy is it to contaminate an area with it, meaning that disposal facilities require a special license to deal with safely destroying those fiendish rhizomes and stem fragments. Before you lose the will to live entirely though, remember that there are experts who specialize in dealing with precisely this problem.

Hire a professional to remove Knotweed

Professional firms that specialize in Japanese knotweed removal are inured to the hassles involved and take them in their stride. They are also fully prepared for the contamination dangers, the intensive labor required and the length of the struggle, excavating the required garden space without digging up unnecessary areas that risk damage to other plants. They will locate the rhizome network accurately and employ a strict regime to avoid additional contamination; washing shoes and overalls thoroughly before leaving the “operations area”, and carefully transporting all remains to a licensed site for safe disposal. Their services are not essential, but it takes a great deal of determination and resources to battle the knotweed on your own.

Author Bio: Tom Bristol is a freelance writer, photographer and health conscience fitness fanatic. A country bumpkin Tom lives in Kent (U.K.) with his 2 dogs. Also an active gardener, Tom loves growing edible & useful plants in an environmentally-friendly way.