FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEWales, UK - Do I have Japanese Knotweed discussed by SW Knotweed Removal Specialists
Thinking or worrying you may have Japanese Knotweed on your property is not good and it is really easy for a specialist Japanese Knotweed Company to come out and quickly establish if you do and what you should do.
Japanese Knotweed is tricky to identify if you don’t have the experience as its appearance changes over the seasons and can quite often be mistaken for other perennial plants or weeds.
Japanese knotweed is found all over the UK and surprisingly it is most common in urban areas, although it is also often found on wasteland, railways, roadsides and river banks.
How do know if you have Knotweed on your property?
Japanese knotweed leaves are identified by their shovel-shaped or heart-shaped leaves. They have a point at the tip and are staggered on the stem, with one stem per node which creates a zig-zag stem growth pattern. They are a bright and rich green colour and can grow up to 20cm long.
Japanese knotweed flowers are long clusters of creamy white flowers which appear towards the end of summer early September. The clusters can grow to around 0.5cm wide and up to 10cm long. The leaves remain as they are as the flowers grow which result in thick, dense foliage.
Japanese knotweed rhizomes are the root part of the plant which grow extensively and quickly underground. The outside of the stem is dark brown and the inside is orange/yellow. The fresh stems will be crisp and will snap easily when bent. The rhizomes can grow up to 3 metres in-depth and up to 7 metres horizontally from the plant and is how it is most likely to spread from just one tiny fragment, as little as 0.7g can create a new knotweed plant.
Japanese knotweed stems can grow up to 2 – 3 metres tall, sometimes more and they are similar to Bamboo hence why it is often referred to as bamboo. They can grow 10cm a day and 20cm at its most prolific. They have nodes and purple speckles and the leaves grow outwards from the nodes in a zig-zag type pattern. As the weed matures the stems inside become hollow making them easy to snap in two and during the winter the stems become very brittle.
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Important Knotweed Facts
If you have grazing animals, Japanese knotweed can be safely eaten by sheep, cattle, horses, and goats.
If you think you have Japanese Knotweed do not cut it back or dig it up as it spreads quickly and aggressively over and underground and makes it more difficult to manage. It is an offence to plant, disperse, allow dispersal or cause the spread of invasive plant species which applies to Japanse Knotweed. Always contact a Knotweed specialist who will come out to your property, identify if it is Japanese Knotweed and advise you of the best treatment and control method which they will be legally qualified to carry out.
Removing Japanese Knotweed yourself is possible, however, it is extremely difficult to control and prevent it from spreading, and more often than not doing it without a Japanese Knotweed specialist and the right herbicidal treatments will result in it growing back and spreading further over and underground.
You can read our full article and important knotweed facts, do's and don'ts here: southwalesknotweedremoval.co.uk/do-i-have-japanese-knotweed/
If you have or think you might have Japanese Knotweed contact us today on 01269 591651 and we will answer any questions you may have and can arrange a site visit.