Japanese knotweed has started
Comments
-
Head_The_Ball wrote: »
That report claims that very low doses of glyphosate were used. Surely if you used the proper amounts recommended, that would work.
Otherwise, it is like breaking a painkiller tablet into 8 pieces, taking just one piece and then claiming that headaches cannot be cured by tablets.0 -
usefulmale wrote: »That report claims that very low doses of glyphosate were used. Surely if you used the proper amounts recommended, that would work.
Otherwise, it is like breaking a painkiller tablet into 8 pieces, taking just one piece and then claiming that headaches cannot be cured by tablets.
Again - thinking "There MUST be a way that works - even if it's one I personally don't approve of (ie chemicals)".
Followed by second cynical thought of wondering just what level house insurance premiums would rise to if rather more houses landed up accidentally going up in flames (complete with their gardens).
I'm only semi-joking when that thought crossed my mind....:cool: - though I have a feeling insurance companies insist houses destroyed by fire get rebuilt - rather than "buying them off you" in effect - by giving you enough money to start up again elsewhere and forget House No. 1 existed.0 -
Head_The_Ball wrote: »
Dr Dan Jones said "Off the back of the first three years of data we've found that eradication is not possible..."
I expect the actual report is a little more nuanced than that and talks about 'real world situations' and the like. It's still a very bold claim for a scientist. I wonder how he feels about the headline. Eradication is obviously possible (1000 gallons of herbicide, atom bomb, expansion of the sun etc).0 -
Err....I would expect complete eradication to take longer than 3 years. I would also think that after maybe 4 or 5 years it might not matter too much. Perhaps it would be like the horsetail in my old garden; a remnant from earlier times when there was a pond and a stream. Odd pieces came up, I zapped them and that was that....for a year.shortcrust wrote: »Dr Dan Jones said "Off the back of the first three years of data we've found that eradication is not possible..."
I don't see that it's a big issue, and certainly not a cause for panic measures and silliness. Even the best managed field will probably have ragwort, docks, creeping buttercup and thistles somewhere, so why do people get so precious about their gardens? Ah, yes, mortgages and so forth. Well, that's for sensible legislation, and I can't help you there.
Once JK is under control, zap any bit that appears (at the appropriate time) and get on with your life. Maybe, like my old horsetail, there may eventually be a year when it doesn't appear.0 -
shortcrust wrote: »Hope it's ok to jump on this thread.
I've got knotweed springing up at the edges of my garden (not unexpected:() and my immediate problem is that it's in weed and rubble filled borders that I really want to clear and plant asap. There are hedges behind the borders so I'm guessing I can't use a herbicide. Is digging and sieving the only option?
You can get Roundup Gel. There's even an extra-concentrated "tough" version. You don't need to spray that, but I would recommend rubber gloves.
But don't assume one treatment will kill it all. You could find new knotweed popping up among your new planting.If it sticks, force it.
If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.0 -
Thanks for all the replies. Very helpful and reassuring. I’m now strangely excited about managing the knotweed! Can’t wait to do some injecting in August on the areas I can leave and will watch the growth with grim fascination.:D
Perhaps a naive question. On the ground I’m not disturbing will new shoots continue to pop up throughout the rest of the spring and summer or do you mainly just get a flurry of spring shoots?0 -
You will get a few smaller shoots close to the taller stands. You may also, by late summer, see some small, low-down clumps, which may show roof modules protruding.
When you inject glyphosate into the stems in the autumn, you may well see these outlying clumps collapse as well. However, it may be advisable to spray with glyphosate a week after injecting. Gives the injected stuff time to translocate through the roof system, if it can get that far.
Well after spraying, when it's all really showing signs of death, you can excavate these outlying roots and chase them back. Play "Time Team" and use a small trowel. Burn the roots where you find them, don't throw in bin, certainly not on compost heap!
It is great fun (if not a Daily Mail reader) so long as it's not near your house. The second year, it will surely be back. Mark where it was with pegs, and spend the winter being a fireside warrior, planning solution strengths and spray directions for maximum efficacy.
I did write a great long list on that "eradication " article, which doesn't mean what the Beeb imply, even got bored with myself, and deleted it!
"Eradication", in the research project, means countrywide. Kill ALL Knotweed in the Uk. Eliminate! Eliminate!
No sane scientist believes it is difficult to kill knotweed, and even some insane ones like me would concur! Knotweed is actually quite easy to kill, doesn't seed, and certainly isn't immortal. It's the way it grows, where it is found, that causes the problems.
Remember, it was introduced as a bedding plant in the 1800's, prior to clever sprayers and toxins, and the grand houses growing it didn't fall down. Servile gardeners may have got more backache, had to tug a few forelocks and mumble "cernly, sirr, oil toidy up thar bush rightways" but Bertie and Rupert could still bash the croquet ball around billiard-flat lawns!0 -
You will get a few smaller shoots close to the taller stands. You may also, by late summer, see some small, low-down clumps, which may show roof modules protruding.
When you inject glyphosate into the stems in the autumn, you may well see these outlying clumps collapse as well. However, it may be advisable to spray with glyphosate a week after injecting. Gives the injected stuff time to translocate through the roof system, if it can get that far.
Well after spraying, when it's all really showing signs of death, you can excavate these outlying roots and chase them back. Play "Time Team" and use a small trowel. Burn the roots where you find them, don't throw in bin, certainly not on compost heap!
It is great fun (if not a Daily Mail reader) so long as it's not near your house. The second year, it will surely be back. Mark where it was with pegs, and spend the winter being a fireside warrior, planning solution strengths and spray directions for maximum efficacy.
I did write a great long list on that "eradication " article, which doesn't mean what the Beeb imply, even got bored with myself, and deleted it!
"Eradication", in the research project, means countrywide. Kill ALL Knotweed in the Uk. Eliminate! Eliminate!
No sane scientist believes it is difficult to kill knotweed, and even some insane ones like me would concur! Knotweed is actually quite easy to kill, doesn't seed, and certainly isn't immortal. It's the way it grows, where it is found, that causes the problems.
Remember, it was introduced as a bedding plant in the 1800's, prior to clever sprayers and toxins, and the grand houses growing it didn't fall down. Servile gardeners may have got more backache, had to tug a few forelocks and mumble "cernly, sirr, oil toidy up thar bush rightways" but Bertie and Rupert could still bash the croquet ball around billiard-flat lawns!
Useful and entertaining! What more could I want?!:D0 -
0
-
That's the appallingly-written article we are referring to above. I would expect such trash from the Mail or Express, but hope the Beeb would do better.
I repeat: Japanese Knotweed is easily killed, more easily than many other plants.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.1K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.7K Spending & Discounts
- 235.2K Work, Benefits & Business
- 607.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173K Life & Family
- 247.8K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards