Knotweed Treatment and Control Port Talbot

Have you got knotweed at your property? Are you looking for Specialist Knotweed Treatment and Control Port Talbot?

Have you read on the internet how this will amount to £1,000’s and how it may it have an impact on your mortgage or potential to sell your property?

Please do not worry! Green Leaf Remediation can provide solutions for the treatment and management of Japanese Knotweed in Port Talbot, and be reassured this doesn’t cost as much as you may be thinking.

About Japanese Knotweed

Japanese Knotweed is a perennial weed that grows and advances fairly quickly if not managed. The weed suppresses all other plant life growing close to it from the crown and rhizomes (root system), which spread extensively underground. The shoots die out above ground in winter and re-emerge above ground again at the end of springtime, or in the early summer season. Any established shoots can grow more than 9ft high and may colonize the soil within a few years. There are several articles that say you are able to kill the roots with chemicals, however, you need an NPTC qualified person to make use of any chemical substances which has resulted from new legislation which covers the management and removal of Knotweed.

There are several common myths that say you are able to remove Knotweed by hand, however, this is an extremely hard and complicated procedure and in most cases, not successful unless you work with a specialist knotweed consultant. In the height of the growing season, 60% of the Knotweed plant is its roots below ground, so removal is very difficult and it also spreads wildly from one tiny fragment of crown or rhizome. Removing Knotweed material without having considerable knowledge carries a very high probability of distributing the plant and it moving to other parts of the soil that have been previously unaffected.

How do I eliminate Knotweed?

There are many different methods of removing Knotweed and a Knotweed Professional can advise you of the best and most efficient method.

Stem-Injection

Stem-injection is a low impact approach to removal and there is little risk of disturbing or killing the plants and flowers growing about it. The stem injection method is used for smaller sized areas of Knotweed where it has established itself amongst plants and vegetation that you want to keep. It’s also a method often utilised when Knotweed is near to a watercourse. The stem injection approach works extremely well in dry or inclement weather conditions and the soil can’t be disturbed following a treatment.

Foliar Spray Application

Foliar Spray Application is often employed and is amongst the most favourable control methods along with stem-injection. The method can be used to manage the Knotweed over numerous growing seasons. Dependent on the size of the area of Knotweed, it is usually sprayed 2-3 times in the first year and once in the following year. The chemical used is an Environment Agency approved herbicide and needs dry weather conditions and for the soil to remain undisturbed in subsequent years in order to work.

Weed Wiping Method

Weed Wiping Method is where the leaves of the plant are wiped with a sponge that’s soaked with the required herbicide. This is a low impact treatment method and doesn’t kill or disturb the plants adjoining or surrounding it, even so, its use depends upon the size of the area of knotweed.

Bund/Stockpiling Method

Bund/Stockpiling Method is a combined treatment using stem-injection or foliar application, then excavation of the underground material and removal of the soil and material to a different location in which the emergence of ‘new shoots’ can be subjected to further herbicide application. This approach is used on sites where the removal of the knotweed needs to be fast and not done over several seasons so is consequently particularly good for building plots and development sites as work can continue immediately.

Cell Burial/Root Barrier Method

Cell Burial/Root Barrier Method is a treatment employed if you have sufficient space on site to create a cell burial area or make use of a root barrier to prevent the considerable expenses of transporting the soil and waste to landfill. Cell burial buries the Knotweed waste to a minimum depth, or if encapsulated within 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 has to commence promptly.

Excavation & Removal Off-Site

Excavation & Removal Off-Site is a legitimate and fast control option which has its advantages for development sites if performed correctly, however, a great deal of Knotweed Professionals are not advocates of it as it raises substantial logistical complications. The challenges being that there is an extremely high risk of the Knotweed spreading and also the cost to safely 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 absolutely final option.

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 invasive plants can be. It is not harmful to touch, nonetheless, use extreme caution when close to it to avoid inadvertently allowing it to spread.

Japanese Knotweed could possibly be known as ‘poisonous’ by developers and homeowners due to its invasive growth, with the capacity to spread from a tiny particle left and then how difficult it is to remove completely.

Some Knotweed Common Myths

Several of which are taken advantage of by some companies 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 completed to a sufficient standard and is in good order then Knotweed will not grow ‘through solid concrete’, it does not destabilise solid foundations and it is highly, highly unlikely to ‘cause’ structural damage. In fact, these claims are deceptive, to say the least.

On the other hand, in certain situations, if your foundations or concrete are old or poorly constructed and have pre-existing cracks or fractures within, then Knotweed will certainly take advantage of any weak point in its search for light and water, and can rapidly establish itself whilst exacerbating the initial crack resulting in further damage to the structure.

Knotweed Treatment and Control Port Talbot

Green Leaf Remediation Specialists

Green Leaf Remediation Specialists covers the whole of South Wales (including Port Talbot, 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 treating and controlling Japanese Knotweed, as well as other invasive plant varieties and ‘general nuisance weeds’ that are found in the United Kingdom both for residential premises and property 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 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, Treatment and Management of Japanese Knotweed Surveyor’s Training Course
  • Qualified Technician (PCAQT) in Japanese Knotweed
  • Accredited Surveyor in Japanese Knotweed

Although there are many companies who operate within the United Kingdom Weed Control Industry who definitely are respectable, knowledgeable and thorough specialists, you can regrettably find a lot of companies who claim to have the experience, qualifications and accreditations to remove and eliminate Japanese Knotweed at a low cost. We always recommend you to exercise extreme caution and to make sure that the service provider or company you enlist to carry out the control programme are qualified to do so and they comply with the industry codes of practice.

If you have Japanese Knotweed in Port Talbot then call us on 01269 591651 or 07531142316 and one of our experts can answer any questions you may have and arrange a no obligation site visit.

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