Japanese knotweed and horsetail? Help!

apesxx

Hi, we have 2 separate problems really. The first is that we have been getting horsetail in our front garden for a couple of years now and don't know how to get rid of it! I've only just found out what it is called? Does anyone have any ideas how we can eradicate this for good?

My second problem is that we would like to put the house up for sale next year and next doors front garden is a jungle of Japanese knotweed! It only came up a few weeks ago ( for this year) but is already nearly as tall as their front window. It is a rented property and a couple of young chavs live there and I know they won't do anything about it! It has started coming through the wall onto our side of the steps so have sprayed with weed killer. Is there anything I can do about this as i just know it's really going to make selling our home really difficult! Is there any sort of law for the owners of the property to stop it spreading onto other properties?

DigForVictory

The knotweed is an aggressive blighter & I think the Council will want to know as a minimum. It requires intelligent, persistent destruction & in a rental property? You're dead right, it will affect the value of your house (if the buyers realise) but then so will a shindy with the neighbours. Just you're 100% in the right.

Horsetail fern? Easier, but just. Heavy duty glycophosphate, possibly over years.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=257
All the very best!

I_have_spoken

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/sep/08/japanese-knotweed-house-sale

"it is not an offence for Japanese knotweed to be present on your neighbour's land but allowing it to encroach onto your property may constitute a private nuisance under common law. A landowner affected by knotweed growth from a neighbouring property may therefore be able to apply to court for an injunction requiring the neighbouring owner to abate the nuisance."

That said, "a jungle" next door is likely to be a major headache to you as sellers as mortgage lenders are very wary when it's mentioned on surveys

Davesnave

The knotweed is your biggest problem. Would there be any chance of treating the neighbouring garden as well as your own i.e. by contacting the owner and agreeing this with them?

A Land Registry search will cost £3 if you don't know the address of the landlord for next door.

Weed killing at this level is expensive, but it is more expensive long-term to ignore the problem.
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Selling next year seems unlikely if things are as bad as you say. Many mortgage lenders are nervous about properties with JK nearby and may refuse to lend or need proof of eradication. The solicitor's questions before contract are also liable to ask about JK, and its important you give truthful answers now you know it exists.

The horsetail is most easily tackled by using Kurtail:

http://www.progreen.co.uk/Weed-killers/Total-Weed-Killers/Kurtail-0-5LT/prod_2.html

There may be folks along who'll tell you that this is a professional product which you can't buy, but as you can see, you can, at least until November 2015.

apesxx

Thanks a lot. Will have a better look at our options. To be honest I didn't even know what it was until a family member pointed it out when I mentioned about putting the house up for sale next year :-(

It hasn't spread onto our property yet, there is just a branch poking through a gap in the steps! It has spread a lot to the property the other side but there gardens are right next too each other where as we have 2 paths and the wall In between!

SailorSam

I saw this on the Internet about knotweed. I've not tried it but it appears to be a believable site.


Corn Gluten Meal (this is different than corn meal): This is an all natural product that deters weeds spreading by seed, a great source of info regarding this method can be found here: City Of Ottawa (how and when to apply it, etc.). Effective on crabgrass, dandelions, curly dock, knotweed, lambs quarters, pigweed, plantain and others. Can be used on lawns, flowerbeds, bulb beds and vegetable gardens. Make sure to use CGM that is labeled as “pre-emergent herbicide“, stuff from the feedstore doesn’t have enough protein to work. Keep in mind that using CGM affects seed growth for all types of plants, not just those you’re trying to get rid of.

City of Ottawa direct link.
http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/water-and-environment/lawn-and-garden/use-corn-gluten-meal-get-rid-weeds-0

Babafette

Unfortunately a wall will not stand in the way of Japanese Knotweed. _pale_

At present there is no environmental legislation which obliges landowners to remove or treat invasive plants, but according to the Devon County Council website, failing to prevent the spread of Japanese Knotweed is actually an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. Ideally you need to contact the owner of the property and make them aware of the extent of the problem and it may be worth calling your local council to report it as many like to keep records of where the plant has been spotted.

There's a bit more advice and information on this link from the Environment Agency: https://www.gov.uk/japanese-knotweed-giant-hogweed-and-other-invasive-plants

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Davesnave

SailorSam wrote: »

I saw this on the Internet about knotweed. I've not tried it but it appears to be a believable site.

Believable or not, there is more than one kind of knotweed.

The one mentioned on this thread isn't likely to be stopped by any pre-emergent herbicide, as it spreads primarily by runners, not seed.