Garden centres all over the country have long been inundated with requests about how to deal with the issue of Japanese knotweed. Since the highly invasive plant was introduced to this country from, yes, Japan, in the late 1840s (it was deemed ornamental at the time) it has gone on to create problems all around the UK.
Japanese knotweed is not only a rapid grower (up to 20cm a day sometimes), but it’s incredibly tough and very little stands in its way. It’s been called one of the most destructive plants in Britain and it can be hard to get a mortgage on a property that houses ? or is even close to ? knotweed. If there’s any hint of Japanese knotweed around, mortgage providers will typically want professional extermination and clearance carried out before they will consider an application for a new mortgage.
For a long time with Japanese knotweed and its rapid spread, it seemed like a tough battle to control it. It’s so tenacious that just cutting it down won’t get rid of the problem. Down in the soil is an entrenched system of roots that are ready to shoot back up at any time, and dealing with them is another story entirely.
Tackling the Problem of Japanese Knotweed
Thankfully, in the UK today, there exists specialised firms that deal exclusively with Japanese knotweed ? and it’s not surprising to learn that they are generally run off their feet. It’s important to note that property and landowners are responsible under the law for ensuring any non-native plants do not spread to neighbouring sites. Should this happen, and even if they don’t carry out extermination and removal of the plants properly, they may be fined up to ?5,000 or be jailed for as much as two years.
Specialist Japanese knotweed removal companies such as Environet have studied the problem and come up with innovative and effective solutions to wipe the scourge off any residential or commercial property. They do it with an array of techniques, methods and proprietary machinery that ensure even patches of soil infested with roots networks are neutralised.
Environet has even purchased a plot of land, in Sussex, to conduct in-depth research and field trials into how to better eradicate the pest of Japanese knotweed. It has invented its own method, called Xtract, to eliminate Japanese knotweed from commercial areas such as construction and development sites. For residential sites, it?s a herbicide treatment plan or physical removal, or both.
Extermination Guarantee
These kind of reputable Japanese knotweed removal companies don?t just do the job and that?s it. They provide insurance-backed guarantees that the plant will not return; but if it does happen to, they will cover further work. In the case of Environet, extermination is guaranteed for either five or 10 years, under a ?100,000 limit of liability policy underwritten by a Lloyd’s syndicate. It is one of the few Japanese knotweed removal companies in the UK to hold such insurance and providing ultimate peace of mind to customers.
Additionally, the best Japanese knotweed removal companies employ eco-friendly ways of working to remove the weed, so that the immediate environment is protected. After all, Japanese knotweed causes enough destruction of its own; going in and bulldozing an infested site and leaving it worse off is not an option.
Is it safe to say the threat of invasion onto a property is now over? No. The plant is still in existence around the UK and will creep into any place it can. But by utilising the latest methods of control and extermination, it is possible to say that it is no longer the uncontrollable plague it once was.
