Knotweed nightmare

[Townleygreen]

TD,

they definitely WILL start spreading if they are left alone. They will likely spread into your garden and beyond unless they are zapped.

[Jeremy]

TD - if it's possible to get access to the land, it might be worth just biting the bullet and paying someone to sort it out. Even if access isn't possible, they may be able to spray it if it's immediately adjacent to your property. Alternatively you could get a pressurised sprayer and some powerful weedkiller, and have a go at it yourself.

Don't just leave it alone, it spreads like crazy.

[Salsaboy]

Random spraying results in random killing of other plants.

[Guest]

Thanks, I've spoken to Southwark council again just then and I'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks (ie if the issue is progressing). Otherwise I might take your suggestions and pay for it myself.

Although - Would I need to verify and get authority of who owns the land? It's right next to ED station. I don't know if it's council or Network Rail. It's probably only assessible via my property or my neighbours.

It's a good 40m away from any structural buildings.

[grumpy]

Rosate 36 & some patience is what you need, or Roundup 3000 if you can't get the Rosate. Use it in its strongest recommended form & spray on the leaves 1 or 2 times this year. It should start to die back pretty quickly & any new shoots that come through, and there will be some, wait until they are about 3 ft tall and with nice big leaves and then spray them. Do this a couple of times this summer & you'll notice a big difference next spring, you won't kill it all in one year but you should get 70-80% of it, and what is left will be very weak & spindly in comparison. Simply repeat again next spring / summer. I would think after 3 years it will be all but a distant memory.

If it is growing amongst flowers I would suggest injecting the stems first, simply pierce a hole in the top of one of the sections of the stem, just above ground level & inject some diluted weedkiller into the stem, I used a couple of cheap, plastics syringes I bought off eBay. Another possibility is to wipe the weedkiller on the leaves but I don't have any experience of doing that so it would be a try it & see job.

This stuff is nasty & if left alone will happily take over your gardens, but it can be stopped. Good luck

[Jeremy]

grumpy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If it is growing amongst flowers I would suggest injecting the stems first

cutting it back and filling the hollow stem up with weedkiller is more effective (but then you have to figure out how to dispose of the off cuts!)

[malumbu]

I've had go deal with Giant Hogweed and suggest injecting the stem with reasonably concentrated glycol phosphate (ie roundup). I got strange looks asking in pharmacists, dentists, GPs, vets etc for a large syringe and needle.

Seach on Google and you can buy some kit from the US

[KidKruger]

I am commencing battle on the JKW in my front garden tomorrow, wish me luck.

Gulp.

[KidKruger]

Pics:

1. rubber gloves, skewer & stair rod for shafting the stalks, funnel for pouring poison, knife/scissors for cutting-back stalks.

2. mix a sachet of the product with litre (or less, to concentrate) of water.

5. you can use an old detergent bottle to squirt the poison directly into stalk.

Cut-back stalks and shaft with skewer, making a route for poison into base of plant.

[KidKruger]

Pics:

3. shafting (big) stalk with a stair rod.

4. shafting the (small) stalk with a BBQ skewer.

6. pouring poison via detergent bottle.

[Guest]

How did you dispose of the stalks you cut off?

[KidKruger]

TD I have not disposed of the stalks they are laying on the concrete in my yard baking dry in the sun.

then I will grind them to a fine powder, then I will mix that powder with Spirits of Salts (37% hydrochloric acid) in a jar. After a cople of days I will flush the sludge down the loo.

[Ted Max]

- stalks

+ bones

[Jeremy]

Apparently you can compost the stuff, as long as it's not in with all your other compost. So you can leave it in a plastic container - ideally sprayed with weedkiller - until it's completely decomposed.

[KidKruger]

I got tired of reading about the rules/regs regarding disposal, there seemed to be a lot of effort involved so I've opted for a low effort method which is completely within my control / limits of experience. Segregating compost etc. is too much hassle (or it would be, if I had a compost heap).

[Guest]

I had Complete Weed Control come over the other day and they recommended that I wait till end of summer to spray the knotweed. So when the knotweed dies down for the winter, it takes in all the chemicals. He quoted ?150 for a large bunch that is growing just outside my fence.

However, I'm in discussions with network rail as the council said it's not their land. Network rail said they would send someone out within a few weeks. The council took 2 months to even acknowledge my request.

[Jeremy]

TD - Network Rail aren't particularly proactive with knotweed. If you can, it's much better to deal with it yourself, at least you'll have peace of mind and you'll know what's going on.

[SebsC]

Read this in today's Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2358599/Alien-eating-garden-home--And-dont-dare-try-kill-dreaded-Japanese-knotweed.html

[Guest]

So after phoning Network rail a few weeks ago. They just called to say they've sprayed the knotweed I reported and will come back in 8 weeks to re-spray it and also next year.

They actually were quite helpful (surprisingly). Only thing they didn't do was spray the 3 or 4 stalks that crept into my property because it's their policy not to spray private property as it's not always clear where it originated from.

Will do what KidKrudger did with the few stalks on my side.