Anybody positively identify this as Knotweed?

ManuelG

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Yep...it looks like bindweed to me as well. Troublesome enough in its own right - as the roots go some distance - but its not a "wrecker" of a weed like JK is.

Yeah, just been reading up. I might sneak around with some weedkiller

Hoof_Hearted

Eejay wrote: »

The pictures of Japanese knotweed that I've looked at, the veins seem to go toward the centre vein of the plant. This seems to have all the veins heading towards the bottom (if that makes sense).

By veins, do you mean the leaf veins?

Unfortunately, I am too fat to get behind the shed but I will get a close up in my neighbour's garden tomorrow. He has a small patch of it, too.

We are going to kill it off, whatever it is.

Thank you all for your help.

moneyistooshorttomention

Bindweed

I'd just be pulling it off the plants its growing on and then pulling it up in your position. At least it doesn't need the blimmin' careful disposal JK does.

I understand continual pulling of it will cause it to eventually give up the ghost. Mind you - I'd like to see anything very much clamber through from an adjacent plot now. The depth of my wall foundations alone now would mean it would have to go down, then turn right, then pop back up again my side and I've arranged things that it would have great difficulty in doing the "pop up my side" bit.

OP
Do read up how to dispose appropriately of JK - as its definitely not possible to compost it or chuck it out in the rubbish.

Eejay

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

By veins, do you mean the leaf veins?

Unfortunately, I am too fat to get behind the shed but I will get a close up in my neighbour's garden tomorrow. He has a small patch of it, too.

We are going to kill it off, whatever it is.

Thank you all for your help.

Yep. I'm no expert and I can see why people are saying JK as the stems look similar etc, but the veins on the leaves are apparently like this:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/905628

But yours look more like this:

https://pixilatedtoo.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/heart-of-the-matter.jpg

moneyistooshorttomention

Eejay wrote: »

Yep. I'm no expert and I can see why people are saying JK as the stems look similar etc, but the veins on the leaves are apparently like this:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/905628

But yours look more like this:

https://pixilatedtoo.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/heart-of-the-matter.jpg

One of my main identifiers I use is that JK has quite a flat line type base of leaf and OP's plant looks as if it has - as far as I can tell from the photos.

The very first thing of all I notice is the leaf colour - as in = any time I spot what I think of as light lime green leaves I'm there having a closer look. Then I check the leaf shape and that curling of younger leaves. Then look at the stem.

The JK I've spotted round here at least has a little sort of pointy tip to the very end of the leaf that goes just very slightly at an angle to the rest of the leaf.

Hoof_Hearted

I'll get a close-up of the leaf tomorrow. It looks as though it is in a small area and not near the house. No idea how it got there, if that is what it is.

Gingernutty

Yup. That's the dreaded JK.

Red stems that become speckled as they grow and big ivy type leaves.

Bane of my existence at the moment.

Davesnave

It does look like knotweed, but if that is the size of it, then it's just got going and there's no need for panic. That picture shows very spindly growth. Established knotweed is thicker.

There are many scare stories. You'd think it was new to the UK!

The most important thing is that you and the neighbour work together and systematically from a full understanding of the weed, as it can be defeated by non-superhumans.

The biggest problem is when there is a f e c k less person involved, who neither cares, nor has the ability to work as above.

Loads of info out there among all the Daily Mail type nonsense. For example:

http://www.devon.gov.uk/knotweedbooklet.pdf

Good luck (with the neighbour, that is.) I'm sure you are sensible.

Rosetinted

That looks like bindweed to me. The leaves are more heart-shaped than JK, in my inexpert opinion. My parents have bindweed in their garden and it's a bit of a voracious grower, but nothing to be concerned about.

ManuelG

The OP now has me snapping photos of all kinds of red stemmed plants while going for a walk People giving me odd looks outside Lidl and the bus stop when I stop to take photos.

Think I need a plant forum!