Japanese Knotweed Treatment and Control in Bristol by Industry Experts – SW Knotweed Removals
Do you know of knotweed at your property or home? Read on the internet how this will set you back £1,000’s? May Well it affect your mortgage or ability to market your house? Don’t fret! SW Knotweed Removal offers services for the treatment and control of knotweed in Bristol, and be reassured it doesn’t cost as much as you may be thinking.
Japanese Knotweed is a perennial weed that will grow and spreads rather quickly if not controlled. The weed suppresses all other plants growing close to it from its crown and rhizomes (root system ) that spread extensively underground. The shoots die out above ground in winter and re-emerge above ground again at the end of spring, early summer months. Any effectively-established shoots can grow over 9ft high and may colonise the soil within a few years. There are various articles that say you may kill the roots with chemicals, however, you will need an NPTC qualified person to work with any chemical substances due to new legislation which covers the management, and removal of Knotweed. There are plenty of myths that say you can remove Knotweed yourself, however, this is an extremely hard and complicated procedure and frequently, not successful unless you make use of a knotweed consultant. In the height of the growing season, 60% of the Knotweed plant is its roots below ground so removal is extremely challenging also it spreads wildly from one tiny fragment of crown or rhizome. Removing Knotweed material without considerable knowledge has a very high probability of distributing the plant to other parts of the soil which were previously unaffected.
How do you treat, control and remove Knotweed?
There are several methods of removing Knotweed and a Knotweed Specialist can advise you of the best and most effective procedure.
Stem-Injection is usually a low impact way of removal and there is little probability of disturbing or killing the plants and flowers growing around it. The stem-injection technique is normally used for smaller areas of Knotweed where it has established itself between plants and vegetation that you want to keep. Additionally, it is a method generally utilised when Knotweed is close to a watercourse. The stem injection method works extremely well in dry or inclement weather conditions and the soil can’t be disturbed following the treatment.
Foliar Spray Application is frequently employed and is amongst the most favourable control strategies along with stem-injection. The technique can be used to treat the Knotweed over numerous growing seasons. Dependent upon how large 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 following years to be effective.
Weed Wiping Method is the leaves of the plant being wiped with a sponge that is soaked with the required herbicide. This is a low impact treatment method and doesn’t kill or disturb the foliage encircling it, even so, its use depends upon the size of the area of knotweed.
Bund/Stockpiling Method is a blended treatment using stem-injection or foliar application, then 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 further herbicide application. This method 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 especially beneficial to building plots of land and development sites as work can proceed straight away.
Cell Burial/Root Barrier Method is a treatment employed if you have sufficient space on site to create a cell burial or utilising a root barrier to prevent the significant costs 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 risk of cross-boundary contamination. Again, a method generally used on development sites when construction work needs to start immediately.
Excavation & Removal Off-Site is a legitimate and swift control option that has its advantages for development sites if performed correctly, however, a lot of Knotweeds Industry Experts aren’t advocates of it as it raises significant logistical challenges. The challenges being it comes with an extremely high risk of the Knotweed spreading and also 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. To conclude Knotweed excavation & removal must only be used as an absolute last resort.
Is Knotweed Harmful to Dogs, Cats and People?
In simple terms, Japanese Knotweed isn’t toxic and harmful to dogs, cats, humans or any other animals like some other very invasive plants. It is not harmful to touch, nonetheless, use extreme caution when close to it to avoid inadvertently allowing it to spread.
Japanese Knotweed may possibly be termed as ‘poisonous’ by developers and homeowners due to the extremely invasive growth, a capacity to spread from a tiny particle left and how difficult it is to remove entirely.
Some Knotweed Myths( many of which are taken advantage of 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 sufficient standard then Knotweed will not grow ‘through solid concrete’, it won’t destabilise solid foundations and it is highly, highly unlikely to ‘cause’ structural damage. Actually, these claims are deceiving, to say the least, and in some cases, completely bogus.
However, in certain situations, if your foundations or concrete are old, poorly built and have pre-existing cracks or fractures within, then Knotweed will unquestionably make use of any weak spot in its search for light and water and can swiftly establish itself, whilst exacerbating the original fracture and perhaps cause the structure to disintegrate.
SW Knotweed Removal Specialists covers the whole of the South West and South Wales (including Bristol, Weston-super-Mare, Portishead, Clevedon, Thornbury). We also carry out contracts 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’ 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 experience within 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 & Removal of Japanese Knotweed Surveyor’s Training Course
- Qualified Technician (PCAQT) in Japanese Knotweed
- Accredited Surveyor in Japanese Knotweed
While there are several contractors who operate within the UK weed control industry who definitely are reputable, knowledgeable and thorough experts, there are, regrettably, plenty of 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 make sure that the service provider/ business you enlist to undertake the control programme are qualified to do so and they follow the industry codes of practice.
Contact us on 07531142316 and one of our experts will be able to answer any queries you might have and to arrange a site visit.
