No. You can actually eat it. It tastes similar to rhubarb and is starting to appear on trendy restaurant menus!
The landowner has a duty of care to stop it spreading to your property. However, resorting to law is often counter productive in our experience. Best to have a friendly word, pointing out the obvious advantages of having it dealt with. Give them our number and we can advise.
Unfortunately, yes, sometimes even if it is not on your land but on neighbouring land.
No, it will make matters worse, as small pieces of rhizome will break off and start new growth. They were doing this for many years at Buckingham Palace and the Knotweed still came back.
Please don’t. Composting will not eliminate Japanese Knotweed.
Most people try and then usually end up calling in a specialist. Most botched attempts leave you with deformed plants with no leaf growth that then are even harder to kill. It is an incredibly hard weed to kill. The proper doses of professional product at exactly the right time of year in the right weather conditions and with the proper tools by someone qualified and experienced gets the job done.
This is often done in areas of surrounding fragility or, in some cases, where watercourses are situated. We do try to avoid stem injection where possible, due to the uncontrolled nature of the dose rate.
Yes, to humans and pets, although one is illegal in certain situations and would only be utilised in the proper situation.
It is not possible to be 100% sure unless every last centimetre of rhizome is removed and examined, but a good sign is the non-appearance of the plant. Chemicals will not eradicate the plant entirely, although they may render the plant non-apparent. Treated areas that do not now grow back are still deemed contaminated unless full removal has been carried out.
We have a warranty available whereby we would re-treat free of charge as many times as necessary. This may be useful if you are selling your property and the new owner needs assurances.
There are many types of Knotweed, some have much larger or heart shaped leaves, some are smaller, almost bonsai. We can come and view for you or just send us a photo.
Each situation is unique, but we will give you a firm competitive quote within a few days of the site survey.
