Japanese Knotweed Cardiff: Removal, Treatment and Control

By Professionals: Green Leaf Remediation

Do you have knotweed at your property or home? Have you read on the internet how it is an invasive weed and will set you back £1,000’s? Will it impact your mortgage or your potential to sell your own home as a property owner? Don’t worry! Green Leaf Remediation supplies expert services for the treatment and management of knotweed in Cardiff, and you can be reassured that a Japanese knotweed management plan does not cost as much as you might think. Using our knotweed services means you will have peace of mind knowing that you are managing and controlling the knotweed at your home or business.

Japanese Knotweed are invasive non-native plants, a perennial weed that will grow and spread fairly quickly if not controlled. The weed suppresses other plant life growing around it from its crown and knotweed rhizomes (underground root systems) that spread extensively underground. The shoots die out above ground in the winter, looking like dead stems, and re-emerge above ground once more in the late spring and early summer months, looking very much like bamboo-like stems. They have hollow stems and their effectively established shoots can grow more than 9 feet high and colonise the soil within a few years. There are plenty of articles that say it is possible to kill the roots with chemicals; however, you need an NPTC-qualified Japanese knotweed specialist to utilise any chemical substances resulting from new legislation that covers the control and removal of knotweed growth.

There are plenty of myths that say you can remove knotweed yourself; however, it is an extremely difficult and intricate procedure that is not successful unless you use a knotweed consultant who uses a herbicide treatment plan that is specific to your growth and site. In the peak of the growing season, 60% of the Knotweed plant has its roots underground, so removal is incredibly challenging, and it spreads wildly from one tiny fragment of crown or rhizome. In our extensive experience, removing knotweed material without considerable knowledge carries a very high chance of the weed spreading to other parts of the soil that were previously unaffected and sometimes onto neighbouring properties or into the wild which is an offence for which you could be prosecuted.

If you think you may have Japanese knotweed in Cardiff at your home or business, then contact us today to arrange a free and no-obligation site survey. With over a decade of experience, we understand the invasive nature of this weed and how it will spread. We carry out detailed site surveys before we advise you on the most effective treatment for complete eradication, and the treatments are sometimes needed over several growing seasons. Our knowledge and understanding of knotweed Cardiff means we always use the most effective method for control and removal when we are providing a knotweed management plan, and our removal services come with a 10-year insurance-backed guarantee.

How do I get rid of knotweed Cardiff?

There are many methods of eliminating knotweed, and a knotweed specialist will be able to advise you of the best and most effective Japanese knotweed treatment:

Stem-Injection is a low-impact herbicide treatment, and there is little probability of disturbing or killing the plants and flowers growing around them. The stem injection method is used for smaller areas of knotweed where it has established itself between plants and vegetation that you might want to keep. It is also an approach generally used when knotweed is near a watercourse and the stems are established enough to be injected. The stem-injection process may be used in dry or inclement weather conditions, and the soil can’t be disturbed following a treatment.

Foliar Spray Application is frequently used and is probably the most favourable control method along with stem injection. The process can be used to manage the knotweed over several growing seasons. The knotweed is often 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 the soil to remain undisturbed in subsequent years to be effective.

Weed Wiping Method involves the leaves of the plant being wiped with a sponge that is soaked with the necessary herbicide. It’s a low-impact treatment and doesn’t kill or bother the foliage encircling it; even so, its use depends on the size of the area of knotweed.

Bund/ Stockpiling Method is a combined treatment that makes use of stem injection or foliar application, followed by excavating the underground stems, underground rhizome material, and Japanese knotweed waste to a different location of waste ground where the emergence of ‘new shoots’ can be subjected to further herbicide application. This method is used on sites where you need the removal of the knotweed to be quick and not done over several seasons, so it is especially good for commercial removal, and development sites as work can proceed without delay.

The cell Burial/Root Barrier Method is a treatment applied when there is enough space on site to make a cell burial or utilise a root barrier to avoid the considerable costs of transporting the soil and waste to a 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, this is a method that is frequently used on commercial sites when the building work has to start immediately.

Excavation & Removal Off-Site is a legitimate and quick control option that has its advantages for development sites if done correctly. Having said that, a great many knotweed industry experts are not advocates of it, mainly because it raises significant logistical difficulties. The challenges are that there is an extremely high chance of knotweed spreading and also the cost of securely transporting the controlled waste to a designated licenced landfill site. There’s also a considerable duty of care requirement under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) of 1990. In conclusion, excavation & removal should only be used as an absolute last measure.

Is knotweed harmful to dogs, cats, and people?

Essentially, Japanese Knotweed is not toxic or harmful to dogs, cats, people, or any other animals like some other extremely invasive plants. It is not harmful to touch; nevertheless, always use extreme care when near it to avoid inadvertently allowing it to spread. Japanese knotweed is classified as controlled waste.

Japanese knotweed is often referred to as ‘poisonous’ because of its invasive growth tendency, its ability to spread from a tiny particle left, and the difficulty of eliminating it without specialist help.

Knotweed Myths (often used by a few companies for financial gain)

• • “It will grow through solid concrete.”
  • “It will destabilise foundations and cause damage to property.”
  • “It will cause structural damage.”
  • “Property affected by Japanese knotweed is not mortgageable.”
  • ” You can remove Japanese knotweed with bleach.”

Essentially, if the previous groundwork or construction has been performed to an acceptable standard, then knotweed will not grow ‘through solid concrete’, it does not destabilise solid foundations, and it is highly unlikely to ‘cause’ architectural damage. These claims are deceptive, to say the least, and, in some cases, totally untrue.

Nevertheless, in certain situations, if the foundations or concrete are old, badly constructed, and have pre-existing cracks or fractures within, knotweed will certainly manipulate any weak spot in its quest for light and water and will swiftly establish itself while exacerbating the original fracture and possibly causing the structure to disintegrate.

Green Leaf Remediation Specialists cover the whole of South Wales (including Cardiff, Swansea, 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 and Birmingham areas.

We are a fully qualified Japanese Knotweed Certified Surveyor (JKCS) and a family-run business. We specialise in Japanese knotweed eradication and control, as well as other invasive plant species, and ‘general nuisance weeds’ that are found in the UK on residential premises, commercial properties, and property development sites. We are an accredited surveyor in Japanese knotweed and provide an insurance-backed guarantee for every treatment plan we carry out.

We also provide tree services, such as pollarding, crowning, pruning, and felling, through our NPTC chainsaw operators, all of whom possess a vast amount of practical experience within the forestry industry.

Our Qualifications & Accreditations Knotweed Cardiff:

• • 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

While many contractors operating within the UK weed control industry are legitimate, knowledgeable, and thorough experts, there are regrettably plenty of businesses that claim to have the experience, qualifications, and accreditations to ‘eradicate or ‘eliminate’ Japanese knotweed at a low cost. Nevertheless, we would advise anyone to exercise caution and ensure the service provider/business you enlist to carry out the control programme is qualified to do so and abides by the industry codes of practice, including waste disposal for any plant material and their competence for herbicide use.

Give us a call at 01269 591651 or 07531 142316 and one of our experts at Green Leaf Remediation will be able to answer any questions you may have and also arrange a site visit if you think you have Japanese Knotweed in Cardiff.

Customer service is at the core of our business, and we come highly recommended by homeowners and businesses in Cardiff and across South Wales. We have grown our business in South Wales over the last 10 years, and we are a reputable and trusted name in the industry.