Japanese Knotweed in my garden affecting the sale of my flat :(

moneyistooshorttomention

GM11 wrote: »

the main problem with getting rid of it is motivation and human nature! i say this because it reminds me of something similar...friends of ours moved to scotland about 4 years ago, near to where we are moving (glenluce area) the area has a big problem with Rhododendron, our friends have around 30 acres and its smothered in the stuff! it's so bad in some parts of scotland (including glenluce) you can get pretty good grants grants to get rid of it, the catch is you have to do the work first then prove after 5 years you have completely got rid then you get the money. Our friends looked into this and to be honest eventually decided they couldn't be bothered with all the hassle and paying out first.... so they left it!!
Then skip forward a couple of years to about two years ago and said friends got a shiny new biomass wood chip/pellet boiler, they soon realised how much theese beasts can consume in wood and the cost of pellets was about £250 ton, untill one day someone pointed out to them that as long as you dry it well Rhododendron burns great!! skip forward to present day an our friends have almost no Rhododendron on there land and thriving business supplying Rhododendron woodchip and have free hot water and heating! so i guess JK will stay a problem untill a way to make/save money is found for it

Well, I did read somewhere that the amount available in a particular area had reduced visibly, since it had started to be gathered in large quantities to eat:cool: Don't know if that's true, or whether the gatherer/s were only concerned with the edible bits, so just removed top growth and left the roots there. That is the problem of course as to how to ensure that anyone gathered it very carefully and didn't (either out of laziness or the desire to keep their "cash cow providing milk") leave any root in place.

in_my_bumble_opinion

Makes quite tasty ice cream. The tastiest part is from young, short and thick stems. If you harvest it from the wild then be sure to store it in a closed tub until preparation and use it all.

moneyistooshorttomention

in_my_bumble_opinion wrote: »

Makes quite tasty ice cream. The tastiest part is from young, short and thick stems. If you harvest it from the wild then be sure to store it in a closed tub until preparation and use it all.

Oh yes, I've gathered its very nice and tastes like rhubarb (which I am quite partial too). I get that you would want to put it in a closed tub until preparation and use the lot, but just what would you do about the topmost part of the stem (ie the bit you wouldn't want to eat).

That's why I wouldn't pick any myself if I saw it, because I would feel sure there must be bits of it that would be inedible and I would be wondering just how to dispose of them safely (barbecue fuel maybe anyone and therefore burn it up?).

in_my_bumble_opinion

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Oh yes, I've gathered its very nice and tastes like rhubarb (which I am quite partial too). I get that you would want to put it in a closed tub until preparation and use the lot, but just what would you do about the topmost part of the stem (ie the bit you wouldn't want to eat).

That's why I wouldn't pick any myself if I saw it, because I would feel sure there must be bits of it that would be inedible and I would be wondering just how to dispose of them safely (barbecue fuel maybe anyone and therefore burn it up?).

Excellent site here:

http://www.gallowaywildfoods.com/?page_id=927

GM11

its the rhizome far more than the stem you need to watch out for, the stem part dies pretty quick once cut, but pop the bits in a double bin liner and it should be safe as houses. Remember it's been here a long time now and if it was the monster the hype would have it was we wouldnt be able to move for it;)
far worse and way more damaging as a plant is
Buddleja!

this plant causes way more damage to buildings and grows in the most unbelievable places! ive seen it growing hundreads of feet up brick cooling towers! it can also spread by seed wich JKW cant as there are no male plants in the uk that are fertile only the female is in the uk. so i have no idea why its not seen as bad as JKW. JKW is actualy loved by our sheep when it is young and tender!

Smith_007

If you want to do a larger-scale trial, then maybe contact a public relations type person at a suitable vinegar-manufacturing firm (eg Sarsons) with the idea and see if they might sponsor you

You think it's good public relations to make people associate a common 'foodstuff' with a toxic herbicide?
:rotfl:


Anyway, as said previously......
I'm not sure this experiment (killing JK with vinger) was scientificly rigorous or practical. Just as in the cartoon below.

Mojisola

GM11 wrote: »

its the rhizome far more than the stem you need to watch out for, the stem part dies pretty quick once cut, but pop the bits in a double bin liner and it should be safe as houses. Remember it's been here a long time now and if it was the monster the hype would have it was we wouldnt be able to move for it;)
far worse and way more damaging as a plant is
Buddleja!

Unlike JKW, buddleia is quite easy to kill. If you catch seedlings when they're small enough, you can just pull them out of the ground/wall/gutter.

mysti77

Sorry for now coming back to this thread. Going to read all the posts now but a quick update. I was so stressed that I called a specialist and took time off of work on Friday for them to come check if I did in fact have knotweed. They said it was and they felt sorry that I now have to pay for a treatment plan as its so little of it that the one off treatments they do twice a year over a few years would have done the same but the treatment plan with insurance cost loads more. i have no choice but to go for the treatment plan option as the buyer wont get a mortgage without this and even if I do the tretment plan there is no guarantee he will still not pull out.

Management company for the flat says that its not their problem as its in my garden so very unhelpful.

Going back to read posts now. thanks for all the relies.

mysti77

I found out about what it was when the neighbor was pulling his up a few years ago. I didn't really know what it was or cared to be honest. I don't know how he disposed of it but when I was going to attempt to sell last year the estate agent told asked us if there were anythings like Japanese knotweed she should know about. I said a few years back the neighbor told us they had it. I emailed the neighbor's estate agent (they rent) and they said they were aware of the problem but the new tenant was a horticulturist (something like that) and they were aware and knew how to deal with it. Didnt go ahead selling but did this year and this year I found I have it growing up the concrete pathway near my shed on the side of my garden that is in line with the neighbor's garden. emailed the estate agent and said they need to get their's sorted although i didn't see any visible signs of it. They got specialist in to look and they didn't find any in their garden. so over the last few years theirs has GONE and mine has appeared. it's a very small amount but its right next to my flat.

I asked the specialist who came to my property to check how it could end up there and they said it's one of these freaky things, a bit of compost that may have had a tiny bit of knotweed maybe, or when the neighbours were getting rid of theirs a tiny bit came into my garden. I haven't a clue and I just wish this wasn't happening

seven-day-weekend

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=japanese+knotweed&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=LTzkUdKEGKXe7AbUkoGAAg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=511

Plenty of images here so that people know what it looks like