If you’ve ever heard of Japanese knotweed, then you probably already know that it’s never a good thing to find it growing on your property. There are several dangerous plants that grow in the UK, but is knotweed one of them?

There are many different ways in which a plant can be considered to be dangerous, so let’s break it down and answer the question is Japanese knotweed dangerous?

There are tens of thousands of recorded Japanese knotweed infestations across the UK. That’s a lot of coverage, and the plant is only growing more invasive over time.

But how exactly did this East Asian plant get here in the first place? Read on to find out.

In the UK, we have 1390 native plant species, and over 1100 non-native plant species. In total, only 36 of these species are classed as invasive plants. So, what is an invasive plant, and how do you classify an invasive plant?

Doing nothing will not make the potential problems associated with Japanese knotweed go away.

We are rapidly approaching the most effective time of year to treat Japanese knotweed. If you have knotweed within the boundary of your garden (or near the boundary on adjacent land) then you should consider putting a treatment programme in place ASAP.

Japanese knotweed is an invasive species of perennial weed, meaning it lives for longer than 2 years. Due to their robust and penetrative rhizomes (stems), their growth is difficult to control. The presence and over-growth of knotweed can cause many issues to outdoor spaces and building infrastructures surrounding the plant.