Knotweed

[DiyNutJob]

You cant dig it as any bits left in the ground will keep on growing.

Then don't leave anything in the ground. They cannot keep growing without energy, otherwise the UK could use them to generate free electricity. Like any other free energy, it's a con. Nature doesn't work like that.

The plant can certainly hibernate and retain energy. Every time it buds, energy is used. If this is not replenished, it will die. This is why a continuous attack on it will cause it to die. This is also the reason the treatment companies don't want you to touch it because they would be out of business.

 

[Odds]

Then don't leave anything in the ground. They cannot keep growing without energy, otherwise the UK could use them to generate free electricity. Like any other free energy, it's a con. Nature doesn't work like that.

The plant can certainly hibernate and retain energy. Every time it buds, energy is used. If this is not replenished, it will die. This is why a continuous attack on it will cause it to die. This is also the reason the treatment companies don't want you to touch it because they would be out of business.

Treatment companies don't want people who don't know what they're doing to mess around with the weed as the whole plant has to be eradicated with professional attention to the root, destroying every last shred of it otherwise it willl regrow from the smallest sliver of root if it's left in the ground.

 

[DiyNutJob]

Treatment companies don't want people who don't know what they're doing to mess around with the weed as the whole plant has to be eradicated with professional attention to the root, destroying every last shred of it otherwise it willl regrow from the smallest sliver of root if it's left in the ground.

You sound like someone from one of those companies. How much for the nuking?

 

[Munroast]

Agent Orange and or Napalm is the only real solution.

 

[Odds]

Agent Orange and or Napalm is the only real solution.

"Can't beat the smell of napalm in the mornin' - smells like victory."
Only good knotweed, is a dead one.

 

[Koolpc]

Knotweed must be treated with zero tolerance. Forget waiting 3-5 years. Forget fencing it off. Nuke it. Now.

Japanese Knotweed Law in the UK.

A pro company is involved. Treating it yearly with potent stuff apparently.

If it were me, i would be looking to get the strongest weed killer on the market and smother the knotweed with it!

 

[Odds]

A pro company is involved. Treating it yearly with potent stuff apparently.

If it were me, i would be looking to get the strongest weed killer on the market and smother the knotweed with it!

Yeah, i know what you mean but they use specialist gear and know exactly where and when to hit the damn stuff. I like to tackle most jobs around a garden but sometimes only a specialist will do the job right. You can't fiddle about with it.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

This is a plant we're talking about here, not radioactive waste.

 

[Mottie]

I spilled a drop of petrol on my lawn at the beginning of the summer when I turned my lawnmower over to adjust the wheels. Nothing has grown there since. Looks like petrol is a good weed killer.

 

[bernardgreen]

If it were me, i would be looking to get the strongest weed killer on the market and smother the knotweed with it!

The visible green bits can be killed but the poison does not affect the roots which remain able to produce new growth after a few years of no new growth.

 

[Koolpc]

The visible green bits can be killed but the poison does not affect the roots which remain able to produce new growth after a few years of no new growth.

This is why the pro companies spray in October as that is when the plant draws all the nutrients down into the root system. Taking the weedkiller with it.

 

[DiyNutJob]

This is why the pro companies spray in October as that is when the plant draws all the nutrients down into the root system. Taking the weedkiller with it.

This is why pro DIYers would dig. No root, no grow.

To push itself out of the ground costs the plant the greatest amount of energy. If it is dug out then, what remains of the plant root cannot replenish the expended energy. After multiple cycle of that, the plant would have no energy left and die.

 

[Koolpc]

This is why pro DIYers would dig. No root, no grow.

To push itself out of the ground costs the plant the greatest amount of energy. If it is dug out then, what remains of the plant root cannot replenish the expended energy. After multiple cycle of that, the plant would have no energy left and die.

It can go down quite deep!

 

[RandomGrinch]

This is why pro DIYers would dig. No root, no grow.

...and then dispose of contaminated soil as controlled waste...

How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading

How to identify, stop the spread and dispose of Japanese knotweed in England.

www.gov.uk

 

[DiyNutJob]

It can go down quite deep!

Pro DIYers can dig quite deep. Deeper it is, more energy it needs to come up, sooner it dies.

...and then dispose of contaminated soil as controlled waste...

You mad? Soil costs money. I'd keep them. Also, soil with dead and decaying knotweed will be fertile. I think people have been scared witless by these treatment companies and lost all their ability to reason. If the weed grows from loose and known soil, it could be taken out even more easily.