Japanese knotweed! Has anyone had any success controlling it?
Question:I have undertaken a project to sort out the nursery garden at my daughter's school. It is swamped with knotweed.From what I understand it is pretty indestructible! Is it possible to keep it under control by just hacking it back every time it appears. Is it true that it is illegal to dump the stuff at a council tip,do you really have to burn it all?
Answers:
You have to get the professionals in and the soil has to be taken away as the plant is classed as a biological hazard, hence it being illegal to dump it at the council. The route system goes really deep and if one broken piece of it falls onto virgin soil it will then grow into a new plant.
The reason that its classed as a hazard as its sap if it gets on your skin make you sensitive to sunlight and people have been known to get 2nd degree burns from the stuff.
So let a person who knows what to do with it deal with it. It's better to pay for it to be cleared than doing it yourself especially if its a nursery involved...You do not want to end up in court!
We are always dealing with it on the railways, hence knowing what to do with it!
Yes! you must burn it - it is awful stuff to kill off
Best way - cut off at approx 4" from ground and pour weedkiller into the hollow stump - must be SYSTEMIC weedkiller - this kills it down to the roots. A PRODUCT CALLED ROUNDUP is ideal.
Burn all the cuttings coz it will root again if left to lie on the ground.
Check it out here
http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/knotweed/ma...
You could ask British Waterways. They are fighting it on the canals.
If this is at a school your best bet is to get the Education Authority to pay for a specialised contractor to treat it. They have access to several products not available from the garden centre.
It is true that it's roots are classified as special waste so cannot be taken to your local tip, although they may be incinerated.
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