It is that time of year again; new Japanese knotweed shoots have been spotted across the UK.

It is no co-incidence that Japanese knotweed has been described as indisputably the UK’s most aggressive and destructive invasive plant (Environment Agency). The annual spend in the UK on control and eradication is £165m, with in excess of 500,000 homes being affected.

Do you know what to look for?

Japanese knotweed in the spring

• Asparagus type shoots, typically red/purple in colour
• Fast growing hollow canes
• Canes become speckled with red flecks
• Green heart shaped leaves
• Zig zag pattern on the stems

In late summer, tiny creamy-white flowers appear, by which time the stems are up to 3m high and extremely dense.

It is important to be able to identify knotweed, as it is very difficult to obtain mortgage finance on properties with knotweed present, unless it is being tackled by a reputable firm able to provide insurance backed guarantees.

If you are a property owner looking to sell, you are obliged to declare its presence. If you don’t get it properly treated you’ll find it difficult to sell or achieve anywhere near the property’s true value. Don’t be tempted to conceal it, this will prove to be an extremely expensive mistake if your buyer decides to sue you for misrepresentation.

Take a look at our knotweed pictures gallery, for examples of Japanese knotweed throughout the year. At Environet we offer a free knotweed identification service, whatever stage of growth it’s at. Simply email your photos to [email protected] and we will let you know either way.