Japanese Knotweed Newport – Treatment and Control by Experts – Green Leaf Remediation
Do you have Knotweed at your property?
You will read online how this could set you back £1,000’s? That it could possibly impact your mortgage or potential to market your home. Please don’t fret! Green Leaf Remediation can provide services for the treatment and control of Knotweed Newport, and be reassured it does not cost as much as you may think.
Japanese Knotweed is a perennial weed that will grow and propagates quickly if not managed. The weed suppresses other plants and flowers growing around it from its crown and rhizomes (root system) that spread extensively underground. The shoots die off above ground in the winter months and re-emerge above ground once more in late springtime, early summer months.
Any effectively- established shoots can grow over 9ft high and can colonize the soil within a few years. There are several articles that say you can eliminate the roots with chemical substances, however, you need an NPTC qualified person to apply any chemical substances resulting from new legislation which covers the control, and removal of Knotweed.
There are several misconceptions that say it is possible to remove Knotweed manually and without professional experience, however, it really is an extremely hard and intricate procedure and in most cases, not successful unless you make use of a knotweed expert.
In the peak of the growing season, 60% of the Knotweed plant is its roots below ground so removal is very challenging and it spreads wildly from one tiny fragment of crown or rhizome. Removing Knotweed material without substantial knowledge carries a very good probability of spreading the plant to other regions of the soil that have been previously unaffected.
How to get rid of Knotweed Newport?
There are several methods of removing Knotweed and a Knotweed Professional will be able to give you advice about the best and most effective approach.
Stem-Injection is a low impact way of removal and there is little likelihood of disturbing or killing the plants and flowers growing close to it. The stem injection method is normally used for smaller areas of Knotweed where it has established itself between plants and vegetation that you want to maintain. It’s also a technique normally utilised 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 the treatment.
Foliar Spray Application is often used and is amongst the most favourable control methods along with stem-injection. The technique can be used to treat the Knotweed over several 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 following years. The chemical used is an Environment Agency approved herbicide and requires dry weather and the soil to remain undisturbed in subsequent years in order to work.
Weed Wiping Method is the leaves of the plant being wiped with a sponge that is soaked with the necessary herbicide. It is a low impact treatment and doesn’t kill or bother the foliage adjoining it, however, its use is dependent upon the size of the area of knotweed.
Bund/Stockpiling Method is a blended treatment making use of stem- injection or foliar application, then 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 additional 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 consequently particularly beneficial to building plots of land and development sites as work can carry on without delay.
Cell Burial/Root Barrier Method is a treatment used when there is enough 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 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 risk of cross-boundary contamination. Again, an approach quite often used on development sites when development work needs to commence immediately.
Excavation & Removal Off-Site is a legitimate and quick control option which has its advantages for development sites if done correctly, nonetheless, a great deal of Knotweed Authorities are not advocates of it, mainly because it raises considerable logistical challenges. The challenges being there is a higher than normal risk of the Knotweed spreading as well as the cost to securely transport the material to a designated landfill site. There is also a significant duty of care requirements under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990. In conclusion, Excavation & Removal should only be used as an absolute last resort.
Is Knotweed Harmful to Dogs, Cats and People?
Essentially, Japanese Knotweed isn’t poisonous and harmful to dogs, cats, people or any other animals like some other very invasive plants. It is not harmful to touch, nonetheless, always employ extreme care when near it to avoid inadvertently allowing it to spread.
Japanese Knotweed may possibly be known as ‘poisonous’ by developers and property owners due to its extremely invasive growth, the capability to spread from a tiny particle left and how difficult it is to eliminate completely.
Some Knotweed Myths (some 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
In simple terms, if the previous groundwork or construction has been carried out to a satisfactory 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’ structural damage. The fact is, these claims are deceiving, to say the least, and in many cases, entirely untrue.
However, in certain situations, if the foundations or concrete are old, badly constructed and have pre-existing cracks or fractures within, then Knotweed will unquestionably make use of 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.
South Wales Knotweed Newport – Removal, Treatment & Control
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. 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 and we specialise in managing Japanese Knotweed, other invasive plant species and ‘general nuisance weeds’ that are found in the United Kingdom 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 practical experience in the forestry industry.
Our Qualifications& Accreditations incorporate:
• 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
Whilst there are several companies who operate within the United Kingdom weed control industry who are respectable, knowledgeable and thorough experts, there are regrettably plenty of businesses who claim to have the experience, qualifications and accreditations to ‘eradicate/eliminate’ Japanese Knotweed at a low cost. Nonetheless, we would recommend anyone to exercise extreme caution and to ensure that the contractor/business you enlist to undertake the control programme are qualified to do so and they follow the industry codes of practice.
Call us on 01269 591651 or 07531142316 and one of our Knotweed Control & Removal experts will be able to answer any questions you might have and arrange a site visit if you have or think you have Knotweed Newport.
