Japanese knotweed is known to be a cause of worry for a lot of people like builders, gardeners, land developers, and land holders themselves. It can bring a good deal of destruction to properties and structures such as roads, drains, pavements, and buildings. They are so intrusive that they impede native plants from propagating in the garden. Their earliest home ground is in the harsh hillsides of Japan. Hence, they can definitely mature and flourish in poor soils.

Due to the troubles that the plant can cause, you would certainly want to eradicate them particularly as they spread in your garden or near your properties. Although for you to dispose of them, it is of course vital that you spot them. The plant can be described as a dense clump, which grows a stem of up to two to three meters tall. It has red, truncate leaf stalks and stems. Its leaves are wide with a lighter green shade underneath. Its flowering season is from August to October, and its blossoms are white.

Don’t you know that regulations have been enforced relating to the proliferation and elimination of this perennial weed? You can even get litigated for letting it grow and proliferate onto other properties. The laws that govern this are The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, The Environmental Protection Act 1990, and The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991.

The readily obtainable ways for dealing with Japanese knotweed include herbicide application, excavation and removal from landfill, bund treatment, burial and cell burial, and the use of root barriers.

Nevertheless, this plant is such a survivor that eliminating this appears to be easier said than done. Among the things that you need to do is to contain it by using plastic or poly tarps and hiding it. Containing it earlier in spring will also help prevent its development. Ensure that you have totally concealed all parts of the plant. This is to prevent it from getting exposed to daylight.

Other methods of eliminating it is by cutting off the entire plant which, of course, consists of its roots and runners. However, be sure that you correctly dispose it in a dumpster or else it will try to grow once more right in the area from which you attempted to take it off. You can also take advantage of another eradication process that is by chopping its stem two inches beyond the ground level and applying a twenty-five percent of glyphosate and water onto the sliced part.

A survivor in nature, Japanese knotweed can be quite difficult to remove. While you can use the pointers mentioned above, you can likewise seek the assistance of a firm that specializes in the eradicartion of Japanese knotweed.

Tags: garden, Japanese Knotweed, Japanese Knotweed Solutions, Japanese Knotweeds, Knotweeds, plant, weeds

With a scientific name of Fallopia japonica, Japanese knotweed is a herbaceous plant that is native to eastern Asia, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea.  It has hollow stems with distinct nodules, making it look like a bamboo, although the two plants are not closely associated.

Even if the most often used scientific name of the plant nowadays is Fallopia japonica, it is also known in other scientific names: Polygonum cuspidatum and Reynoutria japonica.  The latter is its oldest name, which was given in 1777 by a Dutch botanist.  Furthermore, its other English names include elephant ears, donkey rhubarb, fleeceflower, Himalayan fleece vine, Hancock’s curse, and pea shooters.

There are many applications for Japanese knotweed.  Beekeepers value the plant as it is a significant supplier of nectar for honeybees during a certain time of the year when there is little flowering.  It produces monofloral honey, which is also called as bamboo honey.  Moreover, the plant’s young stems are safe to eat, which taste similar to mild rhubarb.  It is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.

Another known application of the plant is that it is an origin of resveratol, the same substance found in the red wine and skin of grapes.  The substance helps lower bad cholesterol, hence lowering the possibility of heart attacks.  One more helpful compound obtained from this plant is emodin, which helps normalize bowel motility.  Likewise, the plant is in particular useful because of its capacity to stay alive at whatever time of the year and in severe situation.

However, in so far as Japanese knotweed has many uses, it is considered as horrible plant particularly in North America and in Europe.  During the 19th century, the plant was brought to Europe and the United States, and it was used to give food to animals, as an decorative plant, and to stop soil erosion.  The plant has been discovered to be a problem, nevertheless.

It is regarded as one of the world’s one hundred most horrible invasive species.  It is considered as a serious threat to land developers, builders, and gardeners.  Moreover, the problems it might cause include mutilation to pavements, roads, drains, walls, and even buildings.  It may also occupy river banks, therefore preventing entry to rivers.  Another Japanese knotweed problem is that it spreads quickly and easily.  It can expand from small parts of root cuttings, and it can grow to three to four inches a day.  As a result of the damage that this kinds of plant can cause, the UK for instance has created the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.  The Act prohibits its growth in the wild.

The Japanese knotweed, definitely, has two qualities. It is a benefit and a burden all at once. And, it cannot be immediately disregarded as a good or a bad weed at the same time.

Tags: garden, Japanese Knotweed, Japanese Knotweed Solutions, Japanese Knotweeds, Knotweeds, plant, weeds

Also known in other names like monkeyweed, elephant ears, fleeceflower, pea shooters, and Himalayan fleece vine, Japanese knotweed is a nonwoody perennial plant that is a member of the species of Polygonaceae.  It is native to lands in eastern Asia like Japan, China, and Korea.

The plant is known to have a lot of uses.  These include being a great origin of vitamins and minerals such as the vitamins A and C, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, and zinc.  It is likewise known to be an origin of reservatol, a substance that helps lessen LDL or bad cholesterol and hinder the inception of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Despite its uses, however, why is it that attempts are made to eliminate the Japanese knotweed? 

This can be passed on to the real habitat of the plant, which is of volcanic and harsh conditions.  It was then introduced to the United States and Europe in the 19th century and it was used as decorative plants and likewise to prevent soil erosion.  But, what was supposed to be a useful plant has been established to be actually destructive.  Besides, laws have been applied relating to this infamous plant genus.  These include the Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended) 1981, The Environmental Protection Act 1990, The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991, and the Third party litigation, where payment can be required from someone that allows the plant to thrive onto other land properties.

The World Conservation Union has chosen Japanese knotweed as one of the world’s 100 most horrible plants.  And, the group has all the reasons to do so.  Once it is introduced to a specific place or property, getting rid of it can be such a complicated job.  It reproduces through small pieces of stem and root cuttings.  This indicates that if you get to dump just a tiny part of the roots underground that part can continue to grow as a new plant.

Furthermore, this plant has the power to grow through drains, walls, and even solid walls.  Apparently, it can cause a great deal of damage to properties.  Land value has a tendency to decrease when a particular ground is occupied by this invasive plant.  It likewise causes troubles to gardeners as it can invade the garden and prevent other plants from breeding.

It is then no surprise why a lot of individuals invest on the removal of Japanese knotweed.  But, proper caution should be exercised when trying to eliminate the plant.  Rather than eradicating it, you may be helping its propagation.  To make certain that you do not do this, ask for recommendations from experts or obtain the assistance of a company that narrows down on the correct removal of the invasive plant.

Tags: garden, invasive weeds, Japanese Knotweed, Japanese Knotweed Solutions, Japanese Knotweeds, Knotweeds, plant, weeds