Friend has found she has Japanese Knotweed

moneyistooshorttomention

I think we can safely conclude that my views on the vendor that recently sold that house to my friend arent printable:eek:,

Anyway, my friend is panicking (understandably) at finding they landed her with this problem and said that about the only word she has taken in so far in relation to the conventional treatment of glyphosate injection is "expensive".

Does anyone know whether this natural predator bug from Japan is now available to purchase anywhere? and/or natural low-cost methods of dealing with this.

Other thoughts on this are can she sue the vendors for the cost of dealing with this? They had had the house some years and my friend realised so soon after buying it that the vendors must have known about it...

RAS

It is perfectly manageable as long as you treat it yourself and do not use expensive contractors

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3389896

The friend also needs to ensure that any affected neighbours take action at the same time.

Do not cut it back or pull it up until it is treated in August.

PasturesNew

It was up to your friend to check anything/everything when they bought the house .... no suing... unless they were specifically asked and said "No" in writing, or hid it. And, even then, the costs of suing might not be financially viable -v- the hassle/cost of achieving it.

It's just one of those "I wish I'd thought/knew of that ....." or "You'd think the solicitor would have it in their standard questions" moments.

freezspirit

Friend needs to go back to her solicitor to see if possible to claim back from sellers.


Is it in any other neighbour gardens? I think by law you have to tell them or if they knew could show proof seller knew?

Did your friend have a full home survey done, sometimes it gets reported?

https://www.gov.uk/japanese-knotweed-giant-hogweed-and-other-invasive-plants


http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=218


http://www.japaneseknotweeddomestic.com/how-do-i-get-rid-of-it


http://www.channel4.com/4homes/build-renovate/structural-problems/japanese-knotweed-identifying-and-removing


http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/environmentplanning/natural_environment/biodiversity/japanese_knotweed/knotweed_dos_and_donts.htm

If going to do go weedkiller option try a commercial rosate 360, roundup 450 or Scotts Tree Stump & Rootkiller basically something strong not the domestic weedkiller in the shops. Will need to start in May.

moneyistooshorttomention

RAS wrote: »

It is perfectly manageable as long as you treat it yourself and do not use expensive contractors

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3389896

The friend also needs to ensure that any affected neighbours take action at the same time.

Do not cut it back or pull it up until it is treated in August.

RAS,

I know you are a very experienced gardener, so can I ask why you think it shouldnt be cut back or pulled up until August please? Understandably, her husband is also panicking and is pulling it up as he spots it....and I'd be inclined to make that the 2nd thing I did in those circumstances (the first would involve paying the vendors a visit...:cool: - which I doubt she would do, as she has a different temperament to myself...).

RAS

Hi

They need good strong stems which they can cut and inject in August (or even September if down south). then the glysophate is drawn down into the roots as the plant dies back in the autumn.

If he pulls it up there is nothing to inject.

This is how the RHS and National Trust manage JK removal in gardens and sensitive areas.

We did it on the plots and the only area that we failed to clear was where one twerp kept pulling up the stems.

It took two years concerted effort, spraying or painting the regrowth 3/4 times a summer after the first treatment but in year three t'Ctte let the main area as a plot.

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

... pulling it up as he spots it....

Needs to have a decontamination area .... don't walk it up the garden, change shoes ... the stuff's lethal if you walk up the garden with it you can spread it.

Really strict what you should/can/can't do.!

RAS

Not sure I would go quite that far, but to give you a clue, when the fence was renewed, the contractors dug 3 or 4 posts in along the edge of the JK patch. JK then appeared for the first time at intervals all along the fenceline. We suspect that the contractors relocated tiny pieces on boot, tools and equipment.

Make sure no-one digs the area in the immediate vicinity as they can then spread it.

antrobus

freezspirit wrote: »

Friend needs to go back to her solicitor to see if possible to claim back from sellers........

The answer may well be 'no'.

See Sykes v Taylor Rose (2004). The vendors failed to tell their buyer that a previous owner of the property had butchered a 13-year-old girl there, and hidden her body parts around the house and garden. The buyer sued the vendor and lost.

What's worse, dismembered body parts or japanese knotweed?

moneyistooshorttomention

That's promptly had me thinking "Now which footwear was I wearing when I walked round her garden?".

Think it was one of two pairs I can think of and have taken them off shoe rack and wondering whether I need to scrub the soles of them. Do I?

I wasnt walking on any earth in her garden - just paving stones. As at that time, none of us knew it was there.

Actually, out of dismembered body parts or Japanese Knotweed - I'd gag at the thought of either, but I think my personal preference would be the body parts, as in once they'd gone they'd gone and no cost or possible future trouble to me. Can't speak for my friend, but suspect she'd have the same priorities...

ALIBOBSY

Just as a little aside OH used to work with a guy who bought a house where someone had killed their wife previously.

He reckoned they got it for around £30k less than other simular houses because this was putting people off, but it never worried them.
In fact he used to wind guillible people up by telling them about ghostly noises or how he found blood stains on the wall when he took the radiator off to paint behind it. He did have a bit of an odd sense of humour tbh.

Sorry to the OP, but I suspect these days more and more gardens will be prone to the dreaded knotweed. I think RAS and PN have it correct. Try cordening off the effected area till later in the year and treat. Then keep watching and treating until no more comes up.

Also check around to see if there is any around the edge of the garden ie its coming from other gardens/wasteland yours edges onto as the owners of those need to get treating as well.

It is possible that there wasn't any JK when the vendors sold and some has been accidentally trodden into the garden by someone, or spread from elsewhere this year. I suspect without proof it may well be very hard to prove one way or the other. Also as soon as it is made "official" so to speak won't that mean when they come to sell some record of it might appear and mess a sale up-not sure if the sol.s have to notify some kind of official body or not.

Ali x

NB he bought the house from the bank not the guilty party so to speak.