Japanese Knotweed Pembroke Dock Treatment and Control by Specialists- Green Leaf Remediation

Are you worried you may have Japanese Knotweed Pembroke Dock?

Do you know you have knotweed at your property?

Have you read how it is likely to set you back £1,000’s?

Have you been told it will impact your mortgage?

Have you been told it will impact your ability to sell your home?

Don’t worry! Green Leaf Remediation Specialists can provide expert services for the treatment and management of knotweed in Pembroke Dock, and be assured it doesn’t cost as much as you may be thinking.

About Japanese Knotweed

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

There are numerous articles that say you’ll be able to kill the roots with chemicals, however, you’ll need an NPTC qualified person to utilise any chemical substances as a result of new legislation which covers the control, and removal of Knotweed. There are numerous misconceptions that say it is possible to remove Knotweed by hand, however, it is really an extremely difficult and complicated process and frequently, not successful unless you employ a knotweed expert. In the height of the growing season, 60% of the Knotweed plants roots are underground so removal is incredibly difficult and it spreads wildly from one tiny fragment of crown or rhizome. Removing Knotweed material without having extensive knowledge carries a high risk of dispersing the plant to other parts of the soil that have been previously unaffected.

Japanese Knotweed isn’t poisonous and harmful to dogs, cats, people or any other animals like some other very invasive plants. It’s not harmful to touch, nonetheless, always use extreme care when near it to avoid inadvertently allowing it to spread.

Japanese Knotweed would probably be referred to as ‘poisonous’ by developers and homeowners because of its highly invasive growth, the capacity to spread from a tiny particle left and how difficult it is to eliminate fully.

Japanese Knotweed Common Myths (a few of which are exploited by some 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

In simple terms, if the previous groundwork or construction has been performed to an acceptable standard then Knotweed will not grow ‘through solid concrete’, it won’t destabilise solid foundations and it is highly, highly unlikely to ‘cause’ architectural damage. Actually, these claims are deceptive, to say the least, and in many cases, entirely false.

When the foundations or the concrete of a property are old, inadequately constructed and have pre-existing cracks or fractures within, then Knotweed will unquestionably manipulate any weak point in its search for light and water and will rapidly establish itself, whilst exacerbating the original crack and possibly cause the structure to disintegrate.

Japanese Knotweed Pembroke Dock Removal Methods

There are several methods of getting rid of Knotweed and a Knotweed Specialist can give you advice about the best and most effective method.

Stem-Injection is a low impact way of removal and there is little risk of disturbing or killing the plants and flowers growing close to it. The stem-injection technique is normally used for smaller areas of Knotweed where it has established itself among plants and vegetation that you would like to maintain. Additionally, it is an approach generally applied when Knotweed is near a watercourse. The stem-injection approach can be used in dry or inclement weather conditions and the soil can’t be disturbed following a treatment.

Foliar Spray Application is frequently used and is amongst the most favourable control methods as well as stem-injection. The method is used to manage the Knotweed over a number of growing seasons. Dependent on the size of the area of Knotweed is it is normally sprayed 2-3 times in the first year and once in the subsequent years. The chemical used is an Environment Agency approved herbicide and needs dry weather conditions as well as the soil to remain undisturbed in subsequent years in order to work.

Weed Wiping Method is the when leaves of the plant are wiped with a sponge that is soaked with the required herbicide. It’s a low impact treatment and does not kill or disturb the foliage adjoining it, even so, its use depends upon the size of the area of knotweed.

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

Cell Burial/Root Barrier Method is a treatment used when there is enough space on site to create a cell burial or making use of a root barrier to avert the considerable expenses of transporting the soil and waste to landfill. Cell burial buries the Knotweed waste to a minimum depth, or if encapsulated inside 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 danger of cross-boundary contamination. Again, a method most often used on development sites when construction work needs to start promptly.

Excavation & Removal Off-Site is a legitimate and swift control option which has its advantages for development sites if performed correctly, however, a lot of Knotweed Professionals are not advocates of it, simply because it raises considerable logistical problems. The challenges being there is an extremely high risk of the Knotweed spreading, as well as the cost to securely transport the material to a designated landfill site. There is also a considerable duty of care requirements under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990. In conclusion, Excavation & Removal should only be used as an absolute last measure.

SW Green Leaf Remediation

Green Leaf Remediation Specialists covers the whole of South Wales (including Pembroke Dock, Swansea, Cardiff and Newport), West Wales up to North Ceredigion & Powys and throughout South Glamorgan & Gwent. Additionally, we 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) and a family run business We specialise in managing Japanese Knotweed, other invasive plant varieties and ‘general nuisance weeds’ which are found in the UK for residential premises and land development sites.

We also offer 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.

South Wales Knotweed Qualifications & Accreditations include:

1. City & Guilds NPTC Level 2
2. Principles of Safe Handling & Application of Pesticides (PA1/ PA6)
3. Principles of Safe Handling & Application of Pesticides near water (PA6AW)
4. Herbicide Stem Injection
5. Property Care Association
6. The Control & Eradication of Japanese Knotweed Surveyor’s Training Course
7. Qualified Technician (PCAQT) in Japanese Knotweed
8. Accredited Surveyor in Japanese Knotweed

Although there are plenty of companies who operate within the UK weed control industry who are legitimate, knowledgeable and thorough professionals, you will find regrettably a lot of businesses who claim to have the experience, qualifications and accreditations to ‘eradicate’/ ‘eliminate’ Japanese Knotweed at low cost. However, we would advise anyone to exercise extreme caution and to ensure that the contractor/company you enlist to undertake the control programme are qualified to do this and they comply with the industry codes of practice.

If you think you may have or know you have Japanese Knotweed Pembroke Dock then give us a call on 01269 591651 or 07531142316 and one of our experts can answer any questions you may have and can arrange a full and free site visit and assessment.