Control and Treatment of Japanese Knotweed Brecon

Have you got knotweed at your property or home? Have you read on the web how this will cost you £1,000’s? Have you been told it may have an impact on your mortgage or potential to sell your home? If you are concerned you may have Japanese Knotweed Brecon then please do not fret! Green Leaf Remediation offers solutions for the treatment method and control of knotweed in Brecon, and be assured it doesn’t cost as much as you might think.

Japanese Knotweed is a perennial weed that will grow and propagates fairly quickly if not managed. The weed suppresses all the other plants and flowers growing close to it from its crown and rhizomes (root system) that spread extensively below ground. The shoots die out above ground in the winter and re-emerge above ground once again at the end of spring, early summer months. Any effectively-established shoots can grow more than 9ft high and may colonize the soil within a few years.

There are many articles that say you can eliminate the roots with chemical substances, however, you need an NPTC qualified person to use any chemical substances as a result of new legislation which covers the control and removal of Knotweed. There are several common myths that say you are able to remove Knotweed without qualification, however, it is an extremely difficult and intricate process and in most cases, not successful unless you work with knotweed professionals. In the peak of the growing season, 60% of the Knotweed plant is its roots underground so removal is quite difficult also it spreads wildly from one tiny fragment of crown or rhizome. Removing Knotweed material without considerable knowledge has a very high probability of dispersing the plant to other parts of the soil that have been previously unaffected.

How do you eliminate Japanese Knotweed Brecon?

There are numerous methods of removing Knotweed and a Knotweed Specialist can give you advice about the best and most efficient approach.

Stem-Injection is a low impact approach to removal and there is little risk of disturbing or killing the plants and flowers growing about it. The stem-injection method is normally used for smaller areas of Knotweed where it has established itself among plants and vegetation you want to keep. It’s also an approach generally applied when Knotweed is near a watercourse. The stem-injection technique can be used in dry or inclement weather conditions and the soil cannot be disturbed following a treatment.

Foliar Spray Application is frequently employed and is probably the most favourable control strategies as well as stem-injection. The process is used to manage the Knotweed over several growing seasons. Determined by the size of the area of Knotweed is it is usually sprayed 2-3 times in the first year and once in the following years. The chemical used is an Environment Agency approved herbicide and needs dry weather as well as the soil to remain undisturbed in the following years in order to work.

Weed Wiping Method is the leaves of the plant being wiped with a sponge that is soaked with the required herbicide. It is a low impact treatment method and doesn’t kill or bother the plants surrounding it, nevertheless, its use depends on the size of the area of knotweed.

Bund/Stockpiling Method is a combined treatment using stem-injection or foliar application, followed by excavating the underground material and removing the soil and materials to a different location where the emergence of ‘new shoots’ can be subjected to further herbicide application. This approach can be used on sites where you need the removal of the knotweed to be fast and not done over several seasons so is therefore particularly beneficial to building plots of land and development sites as work can continue without delay.

Cell Burial/Root Barrier Method is a treatment employed if you have sufficient space on site to make a cell burial or utilising a root barrier to prevent the substantial costs of transporting the soil and waste to landfill. Cell burial buries the Knotweed waste to a minimum depth, or if encapsulated within a geomembrane it can be closer to the surface of the ground. Root barriers can be installed both vertically and horizontally when there is a risk of cross-boundary contamination. Again, a method quite often suited for development sites when construction work has to start promptly.

Excavation & Removal Off-Site is a legitimate and quick control option that has its advantages for development sites if done correctly, nonetheless, a great deal of Knotweeds Industry Experts are not advocates of it as it raises significant logistical problems. The challenges being it comes with an extremely high chance of the Knotweed spreading, plus the cost to securely transport the material to a designated landfill site. There is considerable duty of care requirements under the Environmental Protection Act(EPA) 1990. To conclude Excavation & Removal must only be used as an absolute final option.

Is Knotweed Harmful to Dogs, Cats and People?

https://www.greenleafremediation.com/Essentially, Japanese Knotweed is not toxic and harmful to dogs, cats, people or any other animals like some other very invasive plants. It’s not harmful to touch, nonetheless, always employ extreme caution when in close proximity to it to avoid unintentionally allowing it to spread.

Japanese Knotweed would probably be termed as ‘poisonous’ by developers and homeowners due to its highly invasive growth, the capability to spread from a tiny particle left and just how difficult it is to eliminate completely.

Some Knotweed Misconceptions (a few of which are exploited by a few contractors for financial gain)

• “It will grow through solid concrete”
• “It will destabilise foundations”
• “It will cause structural damage”
• “Property affected by Japanese Knotweed is not mortgageable”

Essentially, if the previous groundwork or construction has been completed to a satisfactory standard then Knotweed is not going to grow ‘through solid concrete’, it will not destabilise solid foundations and it is highly, highly unlikely to ‘cause’ architectural damage.

Nonetheless, in a few instances, when the foundations or concrete are old, poorly built and have pre-existing cracks or fractures within, then Knotweed will unquestionably take advantage of any weak point in its quest for light and water and will swiftly establish itself, whilst exacerbating the initial crack and potentially cause the structure to disintegrate.

Green Leaf Remediation Specialists covers the whole of South Wales (including Swansea, Cardiff and Newport), West Wales up to North Ceredigion & Powys and throughout South Glamorgan, Gwent & Brecon. We also carry out contracts in the West Country as far North as Shropshire and into the Midlands & Birmingham areas.

We are a fully qualified Japanese Knotweed Certificated Surveyor (JKCS), family run business. We specialise in controlling Japanese Knotweed, other invasive plant species and ‘general nuisance weeds’ which are found in the United Kingdom for residential premises and property development sites.

We also provide tree services, such as pollarding, crowning, pruning, felling, through our NPTC chainsaw operators, all of whom possess a vast amount of experience within the forestry industry.

Our Qualifications & Accreditations for the Control & Treatment of Japanese Knotweed Brecon include:

• City & Guilds NPTC Level 2

• Principles of Safe Handling & Application of Pesticides (PA1/ PA6)

• Principles of Safe Handling & Application of Pesticides near water (PA6AW)

• Herbicide Stem Injection

• Property Care Association

• The Control & Eradication of Japanese Knotweed Surveyor’s Training Course

• Qualified Technician (PCAQT) in Japanese Knotweed

• Accredited Surveyor in Japanese Knotweed

Although there are many companies who operate within the UK weed control industry that are legitimate, knowledgeable and thorough professionals, you will find there are lots of companies who claim to have the experience, qualifications and accreditations to ‘eradicate’/ ‘eliminate’ Japanese Knotweed at a low cost. Nonetheless, we would advise anyone to exercise extreme caution and to ensure that the service provider/business you enlist to undertake the control programme are qualified to do so and they adhere to the industry codes of practice.

Contact us on 01269 591651 or 07531142316 and one of our experts will be able to answer any queries you may have and also to arrange a site visit to assess how we can help you if you think you may have Japanese Knotweed Brecon.