Anybody else here struggling with Japanese Knotweed?

ithread

Thanks again mythreecents!

we had better get on it!

griffzinho

How likely is it that Japanese Knotweed could spread from a long time undevelpoed property across the road into my land/property?

It is approx 10 metres from my garden wall.

my3cents

griffzinho wrote: »

How likely is it that Japanese Knotweed could spread from a long time undevelpoed property across the road into my land/property?

It is approx 10 metres from my garden wall.

Unlikely to travel that sort of distance underground and come up particularly if the wall has foundations that go down any great depth but I wouldn't say it was impossible given enough time.

If the road has a poor surface and it can come up on route I'd be more worried it would make it over. The problem is if its unchecked then its going to grow and grow and the roots are normally quoted as spreading up to 7m from where you see the above ground growth and 2m down.

griffzinho

Thanks. If it was cut though I presume it could travel this distance no problem?

my3cents

griffzinho wrote: »

Thanks. If it was cut though I presume it could travel this distance no problem?

Cutting is bad if it allows the stems to spread to clean ground where they will root. For example a flail mower will fire the stems all over the place and the deep tracks of an agricultural vehicle can churn up the ground and create new colonies by taking some root material to a new site stuck on the tyres.

Kazbah

Rather than go ahead with my paving I think I'm going to do an interim step of putting down hardcore, geotextiles and gravel. How should soil likely contaminated with JK be disposed of?

Thanks!

my3cents

Kazbah wrote: »

Rather than go ahead with my paving I think I'm going to do an interim step of putting down hardcore, geotextiles and gravel. How should soil likely contaminated with JK be disposed of?

Thanks!

It wont happen because its likely to be too expensive. There is only one category afaik for waste that needs special treatment and thats the same one that asbestos falls into.

If its only small amounts then double bag it (heavy grade builders bags) and bury it under your geotextile.

Spirogyra

Can anyone recommend a firm to remove it? Munster region? Someone with good reviews? The google search doesn't yield any reviews... Thanks

my3cents

Spirogyra wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a firm to remove it? Munster region? Someone with good reviews? The google search doesn't yield any reviews... Thanks

tbh I wouldn't trust anyone in Ireland to do the job correctly. Doing anything about invasive weeds that take the place over is a new concept here.

If you must get someone in to do it see if any of the better UK contractors have an Irish operation.

Having seen the way the local Co Co are happy to truck contaminated soil from site to site I doubt there is any effective waste management control so any company removing Japanese Knotweed from one site could just as easily be dumping it on another.

Spirogyra

I do believe it was probably the council who 'infected' my property in the first place, they widened the road and piled up a mound of earth in the spot it originated. But that's about 15 years ago. I'd find it impossible to prove,surely?.

my3cents

Spirogyra wrote: »

I do believe it was probably the council who 'infected' my property in the first place, they widened the road and piled up a mound of earth in the spot it originated. But that's about 15 years ago. I'd find it impossible to prove,surely?.

If the weed is spreading from the councils property then I'd have a go at them about it and see if they can at least stop it spreading further.

Results will depend on the local coco. Check their website for any JK info, it yours has a JK policy or even information on control you can point it out to them and ask them what they are doing about it.

magicbastarder

is it there 15 years? if it was present fifteen years ago and left unchecked, you'd have a forest now.

lazybones32

Spirogyra wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a firm to remove it? Munster region? Someone with good reviews? The google search doesn't yield any reviews... Thanks

When building the Olympic village, London spent around 80 million to properly free the site of JK: according to the BBC "Contaminated soil is classed as controlled waste. It has to be buried at least 10 metres deep on site or taken away by a licensed operator to a designated landfill site and buried to a depth of five metres.

Many landfill operators do not accept it and those that do need advance warning of its arrival and charge a premium rate because of the requirement for deep burial."

The good news, from my own experience, is that it can be controlled. I began spraying an infested garden in June and after 4 sprays, it is 95% dead. The weed is travelling from an abandoned site (that was a small garden centre and then a dump-site) 40 metres away. The weed is travelling underground from the site, through the neighbours lawn, into the one I'm treating and into the next neighbour's lawn. The neighbour who is next to the site and whose lawn should be completely taken over, has a lawn completely free of it. He mows his lawn regularly and the weed gets any above soil growth cut off. The problem still exists underground but he has zero above-soil problems.

If the Council own the land that the weed is originating from, it is their responsibility (by order of Government). Don't waste your time ringing them but put it in writing and attach photos. Send it by registered mail. The Civil service have to reply to written correspondence. Be persistent and don't expect them to give a ****e initially but if you can show one stalk coming anywhere near a structure, the threat of compensation will light a fire under their asses. Keep a copy of what you send for records.

You could spend thousands on clearing your soil from JK but if it is in the surrounding soil, you're just providing fresh ground to colonise. Kill it at source.

my3cents

lazybones32 wrote: »

When building the Olympic village, London spent around 80 million to properly free the site of JK: according to the BBC "Contaminated soil is classed as controlled waste. It has to be buried at least 10 metres deep on site or taken away by a licensed operator to a designated landfill site and buried to a depth of five metres.

Many landfill operators do not accept it and those that do need advance warning of its arrival and charge a premium rate because of the requirement for deep burial."

The good news, from my own experience, is that it can be controlled. I began spraying an infested garden in June and after 4 sprays, it is 95% dead. The weed is travelling from an abandoned site (that was a small garden centre and then a dump-site) 40 metres away. The weed is travelling underground from the site, through the neighbours lawn, into the one I'm treating and into the next neighbour's lawn. The neighbour who is next to the site and whose lawn should be completely taken over, has a lawn completely free of it. He mows his lawn regularly and the weed gets any above soil growth cut off. The problem still exists underground but he has zero above-soil problems.

If the Council own the land that the weed is originating from, it is their responsibility (by order of Government). Don't waste your time ringing them but put it in writing and attach photos. Send it by registered mail. The Civil service have to reply to written correspondence. Be persistent and don't expect them to give a ****e initially but if you can show one stalk coming anywhere near a structure, the threat of compensation will light a fire under their asses. Keep a copy of what you send for records.

You could spend thousands on clearing your soil from JK but if it is in the surrounding soil, you're just providing fresh ground to colonise. Kill it at source.

The problem is that if you turned up at any coco recycling center with a trailer load of contaminated soil you could dump it for the required fee with no questions asked.

Contaminated soil is classed the same way here but no one checks if the soil is contaminated.

mayo.mick

Mayo Co Co have in recent weeks erected warning sings here on property that they own. I suspect its been brought in by them dumping soil from other areas. This is the first time its been found here in town.

my3cents

mayo.mick wrote: »

Mayo Co Co have in recent weeks erected warning sings here on property that they own. I suspect its been brought in by them dumping soil from other areas. This is the first time its been found here in town.

What do the signs say?

I noticed only this week Waterford coco have put up signs saying iirc "Do not cut. Japanese Knotweed" One was on a roadside site and another on a site they own.

Just wondering if all the coco's are doing the same?

mayo.mick

my3cents wrote: »

What do the signs say?

I noticed only this week Waterford coco have put up signs saying iirc "Do not cut. Japanese Knotweed"

Just wondering if all the coco's are doing the same?

Yip, same as that. There is a site no. too but that's blank at the moment.

my3cents

Well lets hope they are finally getting around to doing something about Japanese Knotweed.

lazybones32

my3cents wrote: »

The problem is that if you turned up at any coco recycling center with a trailer load of contaminated soil you could dump it for the required fee with no questions asked.

Contaminated soil is classed the same way here but no one checks if the soil is contaminated.

I guess the onus is on the one delivering the soil to inform them it is contaminated and with what. I can easily see a person being turned away from any centre if they bring some contaminant that the centre isn't equipped to deal with. People, being people, would go to the next nearest site and omit certain details...

mayo.mick

my3cents wrote: »

Well lets hope they are finally getting around to doing something about Japanese Knotweed.

Markcheese

Supposed to be edible ( between rhubarb and asparagus ?? ) ...
If only it was to become a valuable commodity some fungus would appear and it would dissapear over night...

my3cents

I'm hoping the bug that eats it blows over from the UK. Must look up the results of trials they were having with it.

Uriel.

my3cents wrote: »

It is an offence http://invasivespeciesireland.com/background/legislation/ireland/section-50/ and the list of plants and the full act is at http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2011/si/477/made/en/print

That Regulation has not been commenced yet. So it is not an offence to trade.

my3cents

Uriel. wrote: »

That Regulation has not been commenced yet. So it is not an offence to trade.

Where does it say that? it does say

These Regulations shall come into operation on 21 September 2011.

so what am I missing?

taxusbaccata

I very much suspect that councils inadvertently spread Japanese Knotweed as it is along the most rural country roadways - spread by cutting hedges.

It would seem nature is fighting back against our destruction by letting loose its most rapid species...It will never be eliminated chemically. We need a competitor (maybe Poplar) that would grow faster and shade it out?

my3cents

taxusbaccata wrote: »

I very much suspect that councils inadvertently spread Japanese Knotweed as it is along the most rural country roadways - spread by cutting hedges.

It would seem nature is fighting back against our destruction by letting loose its most rapid species...It will never be eliminated chemically. We need a competitor (maybe Poplar) that would grow faster and shade it out?

You can certainly restrict its growth with competition and shade but I have one perfectly healthy single stemmed plant growing up through a split in a weed barrier material in the deep shade of coppiced willow. I know if I don't treat it (due in a couple of weeks) it will eventually, all be it slowly, build up enough strength to come up outside the area of competition and shade.

Uriel.

my3cents wrote: »

Where does it say that? it does say so what am I missing?

It tells you in regulation 50... Subject to regulation 74... Read regulation 74 - it's important to read and understand a full legal provision. I can't link to it at the moment I'm afraid.

Uriel.

There you go now

Transitional provisions in relation to Regulations 49 and 50

74. (1)Regulation 50 shall come into effect on the date on which the Minister gives public notice of its coming into effect.

my3cents

Uriel. wrote: »

It tells you in regulation 50... Subject to regulation 74... Read regulation 74 - it's important to read and understand a full legal provision. I can't link to it at the moment I'm afraid.

I really don't know how these things work so excuse my ignorance but how can the regulations be consolidated and amended (including schedules) and still not be in force?

Uriel.

my3cents wrote: »

I really don't know how these things work so excuse my ignorance but how can the regulations be consolidated and amended (including schedules) and still not be in force?

Because for that particular part of the Regulations to enter into force the Minister must decide to do so and give public notice of it. Lots of legislation has such provisions

It's almost like a mini commencement order