Japanese Knotweed Treatment and Control throughout the Mumbles by Specialists Green Leaf Remediations

Have you seen knotweed at your property or home? Read on the internet how this is going to set you back £1,000’s? May Possibly it impact your mortgage or potential to sell your property? Please don’t fret! Green Leaf Remediation can provide expert services for the treatment and management of knotweed in the Mumbles, and be assured this doesn’t cost as much as you may think.

Japanese Knotweed is a perennial weed that will grow and advances quickly if not managed. The weed suppresses all other plant life growing close to it from its crown and rhizomes ( root system ) that spread extensively below ground. The shoots die out above ground in the wintertime and re-emerge above ground once again in late springtime, early summer season. Any effectively- established shoots can grow more than 9ft high and can colonize the soil within a few years. There are numerous articles that say it is possible to eliminate the roots with chemicals, however, you need an NPTC qualified person to apply any chemical substances as a result of new legislation which covers the management, and removal of Knotweed. There are many misconceptions that say it is possible to remove Knotweed manually, however, it is really an extremely difficult and intricate procedure and in most cases, not successful unless you work with a knotweed specialist. In the height of the growing season, 60% of the Knotweed plant is its roots underground so removal is very challenging and it spreads wildly from one tiny fragment of crown or rhizome. Removing Knotweed material without having extensive knowledge has a very high risk of scattering the plant to other regions of the soil that have been previously unaffected.

How do I eradicate Knotweed?

There are several methods of eliminating Knotweed and a Knotweed Specialist will be able to give you advice on the best and most effective procedure.

Stem-Injection is often a low impact way of removal and there is little risk of disturbing or killing the plants growing around it. The stem injection method is used for smaller areas of Knotweed where it has established itself amongst plants and vegetation that you would like to maintain. It’s also an approach often used when Knotweed is in close proximity to a watercourse. The stem-injection process works extremely well in dry or inclement weather conditions and the soil can’t be disturbed following the treatment.

Foliar Spray Application is frequently used and is amongst the most favourable control strategies as well as stem-injection. The technique is used to treat the Knotweed over a number of growing seasons. Dependent upon the size of the area of Knotweed is it is often 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 conditions as well as the soil to remain undisturbed in following years to be effective.

Weed Wiping Method is the leaves of the plant being wiped with a sponge that is soaked with the necessary herbicide. This is a low impact treatment method and doesn’t kill or disturb the plants encircling it, even so, its use is dependent upon how big the area of knotweed.

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

Cell Burial/Root Barrier Method is a treatment employed when there is sufficient space on site to create a cell burial or making use of a root barrier to avoid 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 threat of cross-boundary contamination. Again, a method most often suited for development sites when building work has to start immediately.

Excavation & Removal Off-Site is a legitimate and fast control alternative which has its advantages for development sites if done correctly, nonetheless, a great deal of Knotweeds Specialists are not advocates of it as it raises considerable logistical problems. The challenges being there is an extremely high risk of the Knotweed spreading along with the cost to securely transport the material to a designated landfill site. There’s also a significant duty of care requirements under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990. To conclude Excavation & Removal should only be used as an absolute last resort.

Is Knotweed Poisonous to Dogs, Cats and Humans?

In simple terms, Japanese Knotweed isn’t poisonous or harmful to dogs, cats, people or any other animals like some other very invasive plants. It is not harmful to touch, however, always use extreme care when near it to prevent inadvertently allowing it to spread.

Japanese Knotweed may possibly be known as ‘poisonous’ by developers and homeowners due to the very invasive growth, a capacity to spread from a tiny particle left and just how difficult it is to remove entirely.

Some Knotweed Myths (several 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 an acceptable standard then Knotweed is not going to grow ‘through solid concrete’, it doesn’t destabilise solid foundations and it is highly, highly unlikely to ‘cause’ architectural damage. Actually, these claims are deceptive, to say the least, and perhaps, totally untrue.

However, in certain situations, if your foundations or concrete are old, inadequately built and have pre-existing cracks or fractures within, then Knotweed will unquestionably manipulate any weakness in its pursuit of light and water and definitely will quickly establish itself, whilst exacerbating the original fracture 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. 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), family run business We specialise in managing Japanese Knotweed, other invasive plant varieties and ‘general nuisance weeds’ that 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 in the forestry industry.

Our Qualifications& Accreditations incorporate:

• City & Guilds NPTC Level2

• 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

Whilst there are numerous companies who operate within the United Kingdom weed control industry who will be reputable, knowledgeable and thorough specialists, you can find regrettably plenty of companies who claim to have the experience, qualifications and accreditations to ‘eradicate’/ ‘eliminate’ Japanese Knotweed at low cost. Nevertheless, 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 so and they abide by 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.