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Japanese Knotweed Control
Ideally, if you have this invasive plant on your property, you will want to remove it as quickly as possible. Japanese knotweed control services use a variety of different approaches including herbicides and physical digging.
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A Quick Guide to Japanese Knotweed Control
One of the issues with the control of Japanese knotweed is what goes on beneath the surface of the soil. This plant spreads through a series of rhizomes that lie deep in the ground, making access difficult with normal gardening tools.
How to control Japanese knotweed will depend a lot on the location – for example, digging may not be suitable for some properties and biochemical approaches might be more appropriate. In some cases, the eradication of this invasive plant can take time and may require several visits before you can be sure it is under control.
- If you’ve found it in your garden or the surrounding land, you will probably understand how difficult Japanese knotweed control can be.
- This invasive plant not only spreads quickly but can get into important infrastructure and potentially cause a lot of damage.
- Whether you’re a homeowner or a business in the UK, hiring the expert team at Environet can help solve your problem.
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In most cases, a combination of tools will be used by your expert team. This includes the chemical control of Japanese knotweed through herbicides, something which can be very effective at attacking the rhizomes where plants are not that well established.
When it comes to Japanese knotweed control, Roundup is often used by homeowners looking for a DIY solution. For small clumps of knotweed that have just appeared, this can sometimes work but most efforts of removal in this way tend to fail. This is because it often doesn’t kill off the rhizome but just makes it dormant.
At Environet, we use specialist solutions such as targeted foliar applications and stem injection, applying the chemical in carefully controlled amounts at the right time of year bringing about effective herbicide control of Japanese knotweed. Stem injection has the added advantage of being more targeted so plants around the knotweed are not damaged or killed off.
One of the big worries for this invasive plant is how it easily spreads to adjoining land. The use of both vertical and horizontal root barriers helps prevent this and can be installed to a depth of around 2 metres. These are a good solution if you also have areas like patios and pathways or driveways (particularly if they are made from asphalt) that you want to protect.
This involves using a combination of excavation to remove Japanese knotweed and chemical herbicides. It’s most often employed for large areas such as construction sites where this invasive plant not only needs to be controlled but removed as completely as possible before the building begins, but can also be a useful solution in a garden setting where landscaping or an extension are planned.
One of the challenges with stockpile and treat is that it requires a large amount of land where the treated knotweed can be placed. Find out more about stockpile and treatment methods.
Not everyone wants to use potentially harmful herbicides to control Japanese knotweed and there has been some research into how bugs of various kinds could help keep this invasive plant from spreading and causing damage.
For Japanese knotweed, natural control could come from a group of insects called psyllids which drain the sap out of the plant. There are also natural fungi that may be effective. Several test sites around the UK are using these small bugs and other approaches to provide a more natural solution to the wider Japanese knotweed control problem.
Find out more about the biological control of Japanese knotweed here.
This is another Japanese knotweed control method that is suitable for larger areas where we partially excavate the plant and rhizomes and then cover it with a protective membrane that prevents spreading. Once we have welded together the membrane, we can then backfill the soil.
This is often done as a temporary measure but does ensure that the Japanese knotweed cannot damage overlying surfaces.
Japanese Knotweed Control Methods
When Environet first visits your property, they will survey the area to see the extent of the infestation and use this to put together a management plan. This will also take into account the location and accessibility.
A Japanese knotweed control treatment with a herbicide, for example, maybe the most appropriate way to start managing the infestation. If there is good accessibility, we might also use digging tools to physically remove rhizomes from the location.
No one property is the same and the Japanese knotweed control methods used will be appropriate and proportionate for what is needed.
Use our extensive guide to identify Japanese knotweed!
What does Japanese knotweed look like?
Japanese Knotweed Control UK
At Environet, we offer a wide range of different solutions for Japanese knotweed control including herbicide solutions and dig and dump approaches for larger areas. We operate across the entire UK which includes:
- Japanese knotweed control London
- Japanese knotweed control East of England
- Japanese knotweed control Nothern England
- Japanese knotweed control South East England
- Japanese knotweed control South West England
- Japanese knotweed control South Central England
- Japanese knotweed control Midlands
- Japanese knotweed control Wales
Residential Japanese Knotweed Control
There are several hotspots around the UK where Japanese knotweed control is required on an almost daily basis. If you own a home or are a buy-to-let landlord and come across this invasive plant either near or on your property, it’s essential to do something about it as soon as possible.
While DIY residential Japanese knotweed control can work for small infestations, it’s not normally enough to present a buyer or lender a letter from a gardener to say the problem is fixed. That’s why getting rid of this invasive species requires a professional team who can help determine the size of the problem and put together a comprehensive management plan, backed up by a guarantee.
To Start Fixing your Japanese Knotweed Problem Today
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Commercial Knotweed Control
Businesses are at just as much risk from this fast-growing plant as homes are and many of our customers at Environet over the years have been commercial enterprises. These include construction companies and property developers as well as office buildings and warehouses across the UK.
When it comes to large-scale Japanese knotweed control, our Eco-Innovative Xtract™ technology is often a great solution for large areas of land and is highly cost-effective. Whatever your business type, accessing the appropriate commercial Japanese knotweed service is essential.
At Environet, we have many years of experience in dealing with a wide range of invasive plants and that includes specialist Japanese knotweed control. With a host of different tools, our expert team quickly provide the targeted solution you need, whether you are a homeowner or a business.
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Our Credentials
We have robust systems in place for Environmental and Health & Safety management. Risk assessments are carried out for every aspect of our business to identify situations where harm could be caused. We have an ethos of continuous improvement to eliminate or reduce the risks with detailed working procedures, on-going training and monitoring.
All our staff have health and safety and emergency first aid training. We are also accredited by CHAS and Constructionline and are members of the Property Care Association (PCA).
What our clients say
Reviews
Celia
“We are so pleased that the bamboo has gone – Aiden and his team were lovely and we felt very confident that they knew exactly what they were doing. The survey beforehand was very helpful and informative and it’s reassuring to know that they will be back to follow up.”
Keith
“Since engaging Environet UK in 2020 they have been easy to deal with and very professional. They were also very helpful in prepairing the Insurance Backed Guarantee at short notice and in time for the sale of my property. I would thoroughly recommend them to anyone.
Ali
“Absolutely amazing service. Couldn’t make any changes to improve because they are simply perfect. Emails and phone calls gets a response instantly which is quite impressive. Once again thanks for removing the knotweed.”
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