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WHY IT CAN BE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE OR COMPLETELY INEFFECTIVE!

The beautiful bright green leaves, so typical of this impressive plant species, result from the presence and activity of a pigment known as Chlorophyll.  The role of Chlorophyll is to trap blue and red light from the sun and convert this into carbohydrates / glucose to feed the plant, this process is known as photosynthesis.  Any excess food generated is turned into starch and stored in the roots until needed. As winter approaches and days shorten Japanese Knotweed begins to shut down the food production activity. 

The plant starves the chlorophyll of water by thickening the leaf nodes and causing a blockage.  This causes the chlorophyll to die and the leaf loses its green colouring, reverting back to its base or decaying colouring of yellow, red, brown.

Application of a foliar herbicide to leaf which has changed into the autumnal colouring is unlikely to be effective because the leaf is now effectively disconnected from the body of the plant.  The herbicide will not make its way down into the root system in an effective way.

If you were to spray a specimen late in the growing season where the outer leaves are yellow and the inner still green you may see an interesting pattern the following growing season where there is almost a donut like shape of growth with little in the centre and the outer growth more robust because the yellow leaf perimeter was less affected by the herbicide application.

SMART Knotweed Solutions speak to us about low cost Japanese Knotweed management.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

With the nights drawing in and a definite autumnal feel to the weather, you will be seeing the change in unmanaged Japanese Knotweed. The white flowers will be starting to shed and you will see the outer and lower leaf’s starting to yellow or brown as the chlorophyll starts to disappear from the leaf. Its an interesting process which we will follow up on soon.

As the leaf dies the nutrients are drawn from the above ground vegetation back down into the roots where they are stored and used during the winter months to keep the roots / rhizomes alive.

This process is why a late autumn application of herbicide can be so effective in the management of Japanese Knotweed. The herbicide is drawn deep into the root network where it can cause the most damage to the rhizomes when this perennial is at its most vulnerable.

SMART Knotweed Solutions – Low cost Japanese Knotweed management.

STUNNING END TO THE GROWING SEASON

All issues aside, there is no disputing what a stunning plant species mature knotweed is, especially at this time of year. Without the intervention of trained killers like ourselves, this species works tirelessly all summer to produce stalk and leaf vegetation, extend roots and rhizomes, before putting its final energy into producing these beautiful racemes of white flowers.

Unfortunately, like many white flowers, they are short lived. As soon as they drop the plant will die back into the ground where it will wait, dormant, until the following spring to arrive and then the cycle repeats.

You have to be impressed with the work ethic of this beautiful but highly invasive non native species.

SMART Knotweed Solutions – the Japanese Knotweed Killer

GIANT KNOTWEED NEED NOT BE A GIANT PROBLEM

As we near the end of the growing season Japanese Knotweed specialists are all busy carrying out year end herbicide treatments. Did you know that when eradicating Japanese Knotweed that this is the best time of the year to treat Japanese Knotweed with herbicide?

While herbicide management is undoubtedly best carried out at the end of the growing season. Removal of Japanese Knotweed can be carried out at any time of the year.

Call SMART Knotweed Solutions

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A lot of the information we provide is about Japanese Knotweed removal however Giant Hogweed is another well known problematic plant species. Giant Hogweed is also legislated under the Wild Life and Countryside Act 1981. Many of our contracts are now managing the risk of injury from this species.

As you can see on the attached photograph as the clusters of white flowers start to drop off, literally thousands of seeds are forming in their wake. Each seed can generate another giant like this in less than 2 years.

Can you imagine how quickly this can be spread up and down the country when carried in the wind, on vehicles or washed down into the road drainage by the rain.

SMART Knotweed Solutions also remove Giant Hogweed.

Isn’t this a beautiful mature specimen of Japanese Knotweed which we were asked to appraise for removal? Removal of Japanese Knotweed near coastal environments can be tricky.  It is easy to cause spread due to rhizome fragments near water. You should always try to find the best solution for the environment as well as your client and sometimes it is better to leave infestations like this in place and treat / eradicate with herbicide instead.

It may take longer but impact on the environment especially the beautiful Welsh coast will be minimised.