We love plants, but as any gardener will tell you, they can be a nuisance when they grow in the wrong places.
It's especially crucial to keep roads clear of vegetation. All too often, weeds are allowed to flourish on roadsides until they're actually encroaching on the highway itself.
If you have Japanese knotweed on your land, you're not obliged to destroy it, but it is your responsibility to ensure that this invasive weed doesn't spread to anybody else's property. Should the plant spread on your watch, you may find yourself liable from a legal standpoint.
So what happens when there's Japanese knotweed on land adjoining yours? Should you just sit back and relax, safe in the knowledge that you'll be entitled to compensation if the owner of the neighbouring plot allows their knotweed to encroach on your property?
Well, that's not what we recommend. Far better to take action now and make sure you're covered if the knotweed next door becomes your problem as well.
SHORT ANSWER: To kill Japanese knotweed, we recommend a three-year herbicide programme, followed by a two-year monitoring period to make sure it doesn't come back. However, we also offer excavation and removal if you need quick results.
Like old habits and Bruce Willis, Japanese knotweed dies hard. This invasive plant species is tough and versatile - it can grow in all sorts of different environments, and it's very difficult to destroy. Just when you think you've gotten rid of it once and for all, spring arrives, and those purple shoots emerge from the ground yet again.
SHORT ANSWER: Moss requires moist conditions to grow, so it tends to flourish in autumn and winter, then die back during the summer.
Moss isn't especially harmful, but it can be quite unsightly - particularly when it takes hold of your otherwise pristine lawn or your once-picturesque patio.
South Wales is one of the UK's worst-affected areas for Japanese knotweed growth.
That's according to an article published in YourMoney.com, which names South Wales alongside the likes of Bolton, Bristol and London.
These are apparently the places where this invasive species is at its most prolific.
Our Japanese Knotweed Removal Service >
According to a Wales Online article originally published in July 2019, the locations in South Wales with most Japanese knotweed infestations were:
That said, it was Conwy - in North Wales - that topped the Wales Online list in 2019, with a jaw-dropping 395 cases within a radius of just 4 kilometres.
First of all, make sure it actually is Japanese knotweed. There are several similar-looking plants that may be mistaken for knotweed at a glance - visit our Japanese Knotweed Identification page for advice.
If you do have Japanese knotweed on your property, WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND SEEKING EXPERT ADVICE instead of attempting to get rid of it on your own. Japanese knotweed has a 'rhizome' root system, and a tiny fragment of one root can turn into a whole new plant. (This should give you a pretty good idea how the plant became such a widespread problem in this country.)
Read More: How Do You Get Rid of Japanese Knotweed?
If you are worried about Japanese knotweed, please feel free to get in touch with Total Weed Control and request a FREE knotweed survey.
Photo from Pixabay
Is It Japanese Knotweed?
