Japanese Knotweed

alistairstubbs

dc197 wrote: »

I hope you mean to say spray it AFTER it has finished flowering.
Applying pesticides while blooming is irresponsible and, if the manufacturer's instructions tell you not to do it, possibly illegal.

Glyphosate is a herbicide not a pesticide.

daveyjp

dc197 wrote: »

I hope you mean to say spray it AFTER it has finished flowering.
Applying pesticides while blooming is irresponsible and, if the manufacturer's instructions tell you not to do it, possibly illegal.

Another post demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge about this particular species of plant.

You can't spray after flowering as it flowers right at the end of its growing season. Spraying will have very little effect once it has flowered as that season's growth dies off immediately aftwerwards.

Spraying in late July, mid August and early September is the usual approach. It flowers in mid to late September into early October then dies off above ground.

m0bov

Jk grows through concrete and spreads undergroumd bia a huge root system. Whats ontop is only a tiny percentage of whats underneath!

moneyistooshorttomention

D00gie72 wrote: »

OP is talking about JK in their neighbours garden. I know they may be absent but are you all really recommending they trespass to spray weed killer on someone else's garden?? I can understand getting an expert to confirm if it definitely is JK - but surely then its the owners responsibility to remove - the OP can't go in and get rid of it themselves surely?

Well - I certainly would be in there personally and I'm guessing most people would. I think you'd be (unpleasantly) surprised to discover just how many irresponsible people there are around.

Attitudes may vary in different parts of the country. But - I've been absolutely shocked to find that any time I've informed a property owner that has lived here some time that they have JK = they have clearly already known what it was and their attitude boils down to "So what?" and they do precisely nothing. :eek:

Hence - I would just get straight in there personally and deal with it...knowing just how good the chances were that the owner was going to be too lazy?/mean?/who knows? to do so themselves and meanwhile the darn stuff would be growing away.

nobodyspecial

If you are happy tresspassing on someone else's land, and committing criminal damage, by all means follow the advice above. Some people advocating that you do are the very ones that wouldn't want these chemicals sprayed haphazardly on their land, and would be screaming if it was done to them. By all means contact the owner and state your fears, but they may well want it dealt with by a professional. Also it's not illegal to have this on your own land, the op states it's not in their garden.

mufi

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Hence - I would just get straight in there personally and deal with it...knowing just how good the chances were that the owner was going to be too lazy?/mean?/who knows? to do so themselves and meanwhile the darn stuff would be growing away.

Aren't you an organic gardener? If I'm right, how would you deal with it?

moneyistooshorttomention

mufi wrote: »

Aren't you an organic gardener? If I'm right, how would you deal with it?

Correct.

I am indeed an organic gardener. Japanese Knotweed (or leylandii) are, however, the only exceptions I can think of to that - as being so disruptive that I can think of where the "nuclear option" is justified. Whereas - other (more ordinary) weeds get dealt with organically of course (ie pulled-up, smothered by weedproof membrane, etc).

So - yep...I've had absolutely loads of "ordinary" weeds in my garden since moving here - but I've not used chemicals on them once (because pulling up, smothering and pouring boiling hot water over them work perfectly adequately on them and stuff like couchgrass, creeping buttercup, dandelion, bindweed, etc are "no big deal"). Anything that moves (slugs/snails) just gets whacked with something heavy, snipped with scissors or salt put on it - again = natural methods only and no slug pellets.

Davesnave

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Correct.

I am indeed an organic gardener. Japanese Knotweed (or leylandii) are, however, the only exceptions I can think of to that - as being so disruptive that I can think of where the "nuclear option" is justified.

Leylandii are one of the easiest trees to kill. You cut them down at the base and they don't re-grow. Indeed, if anyone trims the sides back to brown wood, they don't re-shoot either.

So, why would anyone need to put chemical weedkiller on them?

halfone

Davesnave wrote: »

Leylandii are one of the easiest trees to kill. You cut them down at the base and they don't re-grow. Indeed, if anyone trims the sides back to brown wood, they don't re-shoot either.

So, why would anyone need to put chemical weedkiller on them?

Can you not also kill them by simply widdling on them? I'm sure I read a story about someone being prosecuted for that...

Anyway, cheers - that's helpful info as I have a leylandii hedge out front that has seen better days. Good to know it's a bit easier to get rid of than I was anticipating (by cutting it back, not the other )

chris_m

halfone wrote: »

Anyway, cheers - that's helpful info as I have a leylandii hedge out front that has seen better days. Good to know it's a bit easier to get rid of than I was anticipating (by cutting it back, not the other )

Maybe it's seen better days because that is what drunks have been doing to it :rotfl: