So what are the basic facts about Japanese Knotweed that creates such alarm and fear within the media?

Japanese Knotweed is simply a plant that was imported by the Victorians because it was aesthetically pleasing and robust. As it turns out, its root or more correctly its “rhizome” system is very vigorous and can potentially penetrate structures if it can gain entry via existing cracks. Other than that, it can’t spread by seed in this country, it won’t spread voraciously unless it is fiddled with and despite reports from some parts of the press, it won’t chase your dog down the road.

Currently, there is very little legislation governing this plant and if you have it on your property, you do not necessarily have to do anything to control it. It is, however, an offence to cause it to spread.

So why does it create such terror??

I think it is simply because of the wild articles that are created and this means that some people feel that they can charge obscene amounts of money to control it.

In truth, Knotweed control is no different to that of many plants, it’s just that it sometimes takes a few years to weaken the rhizome system to the point that it gives up! We use a variety of methods to get herbicides into the plant system, either stem injection, foliar spraying or weed wiping. The timing is important in making sure that we get the best effect from the chemistry but otherwise it is a basic process so don’t panic if you think you have this problem. Need help? Get in touch!

As a last resort, you could always do what a restaurant in Brighton does – just eat it!