Japanese Knotweed Treatment and Control in Ammanford by Experts – Green Leaf Remediations

Have you seen Knotweed at your property? Have you read online how this will set you back £1,000’s? Have you read how it could impact your mortgage or potential to sell your house? Don’t worry, Green Leaf Remediation offers solutions for the treatment and management of Japanese Knotweed Ammanford, and be assured it does not cost as much as you may think.

What is Japanese Knotweed?

Japanese Knotweed is a perennial weed that grows and propagates quickly if it is not controlled.

The weed suppresses all the other plants and flowers growing around it from its crown and rhizomes (root system ) that spread extensively below ground.

The shoots die off above ground in the winter and re-emerge above ground again in late spring, early summer months.

Any effectively- established shoots can grow in excess of 9ft high and can colonize the soil within a few years.

There are plenty of articles that say you are able to eliminate the roots with chemicals, however, you will need an NPTC qualified person to use any chemicals as a result of new legislation which covers the control, and removal of Knotweed.

There are several misconceptions that say it is possible to remove Knotweed yourself, however, it is really an extremely difficult and intricate procedure and frequently, not successful unless you employ a Knotweed professional.

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 extensive knowledge has a very high chance of scattering the plant to other parts of the soil that have been previously unaffected.

How do you eradicate Knotweed Ammanford?

There are many different methods of removing Knotweed and a Knotweed Expert can give you advice of the best and most efficient approach.

Knotweed Ammanford Stem-Injection is usually a low impact approach to removal and there is little probability of disturbing or killing the plants growing close to it. The stem injection method is normally used for smaller sized areas of Knotweed where it has established itself amongst plants and vegetation that you might want to maintain. Additionally, it is a technique normally utilised when Knotweed is close to a watercourse. The stem injection approach may be used in dry or inclement weather conditions and the soil cannot be disturbed following the treatment.

Knotweed Ammanford Foliar Spray Application is often employed and is probably the most favourable control methods as well as stem-injection. The process is used to treat the Knotweed over a number of growing seasons. Dependent on how big the area of Knotweed is it is frequently sprayed 2-3 times in the first year and once in the subsequent years. The chemical used is an Environment Agency approved herbicide and requires dry weather conditions and also the soil to remain undisturbed in the following years to be effective.

Weed Wiping Method is the leaves of the plant being wiped with a sponge which is soaked with the required herbicide. This is a low impact treatment and does not kill or disturb the plants surrounding it, nevertheless, its use depends on how big the area of knotweed.

Knotweed Ammanford Bund/Stockpiling Method is a combined treatment making use of stem- injection or foliar application, followed by digging up the underground material and removing the soil and material to a different location in which the emergence of ‘new shoots’ can be subjected to further herbicide application. This process can be used on sites where you need the removal of the knotweed to be quick and not done over several seasons so is therefore specifically beneficial to building plots of land and development sites as work can continue immediately.

Knotweed Ammanford Cell Burial/ Root Barrier Method is a treatment used when there is sufficient space on site to create a cell burial or utilising a root barrier to avoid the substantial expenses of transporting the soil and waste to landfill. Cell burial buries the Knotweed waste to a minimum depth, or if encapsulated inside a geo-membrane 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, an approach quite often suited for development sites when development work needs to start promptly.

Knotweed Ammanford Excavation & Removal Off-Site is a legitimate and quick control option which has its advantages for development sites if done correctly, nonetheless, a lot of Knotweeds Authorities are not advocates of it as it raises substantial logistical difficulties. The challenges being it comes with a higher than normal risk of the Knotweed spreading in addition to 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. In conclusion Knotweed Ammanford  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 toxic and harmful to dogs, cats, humans or any other animals like some other extremely invasive plants. It’s not harmful to touch, nonetheless, always use extreme care when close to it to prevent unintentionally allowing it to spread.

Japanese Knotweed would probably be referred to as ‘poisonous’ by developers and homeowners due to the extremely invasive growth, a capacity to spread from a tiny particle left and just how difficult it is to eliminate entirely.

Some Knotweed Misconceptions (a few of which are taken advantage of 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

Essentially, if the previous groundwork or construction has been performed to a satisfactory standard then Knotweed is not going to grow ‘through solid concrete’, it won’t destabilise solid foundations and it is highly unlikely to ‘cause’ structural damage. In fact, these claims are inaccurate, to say the least, and in many cases, totally false.

Nonetheless, in certain situations, if your foundations or concrete are old, badly constructed and have pre-existing cracks or fractures within, then Knotweed will unquestionably exploit any weakness in its quest for light and water and can rapidly establish itself, whilst exacerbating the initial crack and perhaps cause the structure to disintegrate.

About South Wales Knotweed Ammanford Treatment, Control & Removal

Green Leaf Remediation Specialists covers the whole of Ammanford and South Wales (including Swansea, Cardiff and Newport), West Wales up to North Ceredigion & Powys and throughout South Glamorgan & Gwent. 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 UK for residential premises and land 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 include:

• 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 many contractors who operate within the UK weed control industry who definitely are reputable, knowledgeable and thorough experts, there are regrettably many companies 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 the service provider/company you enlist to undertake the control programme are qualified to do so and they abide by the industry codes of practice.

If you think you have Japanese Knotweed Ammanford or anywhere in South Wales, contact us on 01269 591651 or 07531142316 and one of our experts will be able to answer any questions you may have and also to arrange a site visit.