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Japanese Knotweed...

jimgoose

Right, it seems the Day Of The Triffids is here, by some accounts anyway. According to an article in the local rag this week, Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia Japonica), being a non-native invasive species hereabouts, apparently brought from Japan for the Botanic Gardens sometime in the late 19th Century, with no natural predation, is merrily in the process of knocking walls and buildings, aytin' the young and confusing the cat. In the UK mortgage lenders are kyboshing applications due to growth in the vicinity of properties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallopia_japonica

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/damien-enright/japanese-knotweed-a-real-scourge-195331.html

I'm told one needs to be careful going at it, as incorrect pruning, use of unsuitable weedkillers or incorrect disposal of cuttings can encourage even stronger growth and spread the infestation hither-and-yon.

Broad-spectrum systemic herbicides such as Roundup can control it successfully, and the Man Down The Pub Who Knows About These Things swears by drilling the roots and injecting as much diesel fuel as practical. In England there is some experimentation going on with the native Japanese insects and fungus that control it naturally.

So, good burghers the length and breadth of the Feckin' Island - have you been hearing about this in your neck of the woods? Have many people been eaten? Do tell.

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holystungun9

Well, I'm going back to bed for a while.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

jimgoose wrote: »

Right, it seems the Day Of The Triffids is here, by some accounts anyway. According to an article in the local rag this week, Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia Japonica), being a non-native invasive species hereabouts, apparently brought from Japan for the Botanic Gardens sometime in the late 19th Century, with no natural predation, is merrily in the process of knocking walls and buildings, aytin' the young and confusing the cat. In the UK mortgage lenders are kyboshing applications due to growth in the vicinity of properties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallopia_japonica

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/damien-enright/japanese-knotweed-a-real-scourge-195331.html

I'm told one needs to be careful going at it, as incorrect pruning, use of unsuitable weedkillers or incorrect disposal of cuttings can encourage even stronger growth and spread the infestation hither-and-yon.

Broad-spectrum systemic herbicides such as Roundup can control it successfully, and the Man Down The Pub Who Knows About These Things swears by drilling the roots and injecting as much diesel fuel as practical. In England there is some experimentation going on with the native Japanese insects and fungus that control it naturally.

So, good burghers the length and breadth of the Feckin' Island - have you been hearing about this in your neck of the woods? Have many people been eaten? Do tell.

Niamh Horan, that you?

miss no stars

Certainly know about it. Afaik the only way that's successful long term of getting rid of them is to cut the stalks to a foot above ground level and then inject every single one with herbicide. Spraying doesn't work, digging them up doesn't work (they'll regrow if even a tiny amount of root is left).

unto 3298 oheff

Nice, tastes like... rhubarb.

The Backwards Man

It's a real hoor's bastard. Took me years to get rid of it, pouring diesel into the open stalks. Very resilient plant.

Big Nasty

'Fallopia'

Heh, heh!

anncoates

The Backwards Man wrote: »

It's a real hoor's bastard. Took me years to get rid of it, pouring diesel into the open stalks. Very resilient plant.

Histrionically, atomic weapons have proved useful.

Uriel.

If you do decide to dig it up, then make sure that if you are transporting somewhere (e.g. a dump) for disposal that you make sure it is in a sealed container.

And for heaven sake don't burn the stuff.

Some good practical information here.

Buona Fortuna

Uriel. wrote: »

And for heaven sake don't burn the stuff.

That would be my first thought to burn the fecker so why not?

Uriel.

Buona Fortuna wrote: »

That would be my first thought to burn the fecker so why not?

it disperses the spores and spreads the problem significantly

kylith

Uriel. wrote: »

If you do decide to dig it up, then make sure that if you are transporting somewhere (e.g. a dump) for disposal that you make sure it is in a sealed container.

And for heaven sake don't burn the stuff.

Some good practical information here.

Jesus no! Do not dig it up, and do not transport it anywhere, and burn any stalks and stems after you've killed it with systemic weedkiller. It will regenerate from a bit an inch long so all it takes is for a tiny bit to fall out and you're just sewing the problem somewhere else. Sealed containers are no good either, it'll drive up through concrete. Leave it in situ, spray it with good systemic weedkiller (or get a professional in, they have access to really strong stuff), wait for it to shrivel, burn everything, wait for new shoots to appear, and repeat. It'll probably take years to be fully rid of it.

miss no stars

Japanese knotweed doesn't produce viable seeds here. It spreads by its roots, or even a bit of stem being left on the ground will produce roots and regrow. Burning the removed material on-site is a recommended course of action...

miss no stars

kylith wrote: »

Jesus no! Do not dig it up, and do not transport it anywhere, and burn any stalks and stems after you've killed it with systemic weedkiller. It will regenerate from a bit an inch long so all it takes is for a tiny bit to fall out and you're just sewing the problem somewhere else. Sealed containers are no good either, it'll drive up through concrete. Leave it in situ, spray it with good systemic weedkiller (or get a professional in, they have access to really strong stuff), wait for it to shrivel, burn everything, wait for new shoots to appear, and repeat. It'll probably take years to be fully rid of it.

This,

although injecting each stem can be a more effective and quicker solution to spraying.

kylith

Uriel. wrote: »

it disperses the spores and spreads the problem significantly

It doesn't propagate by spores. All the plants in the country, AFAIK, are female. It reproduces by spreading underground and through cuttings. If someone takes off a bit of a branch then drops that somewhere it's a new plant. If you dig it up and a tiny bit of root falls, that's a new plant.

Uriel.

kylith wrote: »

Jesus no! Do not dig it up, and do not transport it anywhere, and burn any stalks and stems after you've killed it with systemic weedkiller. It will regenerate from a bit an inch long so all it takes is for a tiny bit to fall out and you're just sewing the problem somewhere else. Sealed containers are no good either, it'll drive up through concrete. Leave it in situ, spray it with good systemic weedkiller (or get a professional in, they have access to really strong stuff), wait for it to shrivel, burn everything, wait for new shoots to appear, and repeat. It'll probably take years to be fully rid of it.

If you ask me, if you have no experience in dealing with it, then you are better off getting professionals in to manage the problem (though they can be expensive).

If using burial method, then most landfill operators etc. highly recommend 5m deep burial.

Some approaches in the UK are becoming extreme, e.g. banks not providing a mortgage for property (including residential property) with a history of JK.

Allegedly some suicides as a result.

Uriel.

kylith wrote: »

It doesn't propagate by spores. All the plants in the country, AFAIK, are female. It reproduces by spreading underground and through cuttings. If someone takes off a bit of a branch then drops that somewhere it's a new plant. If you dig it up and a tiny bit of root falls, that's a new plant.

I thought rhizomes were spores, but they're not. my bad.

Uriel.

This was one of the more recent stories... extreme reaction no doubt and there may have been other issues going on as well...

In a suicide note found by his body he wrote that fear over the damage the plant could cause to the value of his mortgage-free property had convinced him he had no option but to take his life.
He added that he had decided to kill his wife because he did not want to leave her a widow without an income.

kylith

Uriel. wrote: »

If you ask me, if you have no experience in dealing with it, then you are better off getting professionals in to manage the problem (though they can be expensive).

If using burial method, then most landfill operators etc. highly recommend 5m deep burial.

Some approaches in the UK are becoming extreme, e.g. banks not providing a mortgage for property (including residential property) with a history of JK.

Allegedly some suicides as a result.

I'm surprised that landfill operators would take it. I wouldn't recommend transporting it at all because it would only take one or two pieces to fall out of the bucket/bag/boot of the car to spread the problem. I know that in the UK it is an offence to transport any part of it off of your property.

miss no stars

Uriel. wrote: »

This was one of the more recent stories... extreme reaction no doubt and there may have been other issues going on as well...

May have been? :eek: I think a murder-suicide does hint at that yea!

Uriel.

miss no stars wrote: »

May have been? :eek: I think a murder-suicide does hint at that yea!

Well the article doesn't quote the coroner/authorities of offering any info about the guy's mental health generally... but then a story about an evil plant causing people to commit murder and suicide probably sells better

Uriel.

kylith wrote: »

I'm surprised that landfill operators would take it. I wouldn't recommend transporting it at all because it would only take one or two pieces to fall out of the bucket/bag/boot of the car to spread the problem. I know that in the UK it is an offence to transport any part of it off of your property.

You have to have a licence here to transport it. As I said, best leaving it to the professionals if you have no experience of dealing with it, IMO.

I was at a landfill last summer (Offaly I think) and they had a notice up about the conditions in which they'd take JK - can't remember them all but stuff like having to be in a sealed container, must be removed from the transport vehicle by the landfill operators themselves etc.

Robbo

anncoates wrote: »

Histrionically, atomic weapons have proved useful.

Do you want Godzilla? Because that's how you get Godzilla.

Dyr

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!

SEPT 23 1989

Watched a programme about this before the local councils in the UK treat the contaminated area like a nuclear fallout zone

jimgoose

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Watched a programme about this before the local councils in the UK treat the contaminated area like a nuclear fallout zone

I wouldn't take too much notice of that. If someone falls on their arse over there there's a phalanx of clipboarded and hi-vized warriors clucking over it for six months, with questions asked in parliament and the whole lot! :pac:

jimgoose

Robbo wrote: »

Do you want Godzilla? Because that's how you get Godzilla.

At last - someone who properly understands!!

Pinch Flat

Cleared a site of this for a project in Dublin. Herbicide treatment with regular follow ups required, can take 2-3 years to ensure it's eradicated. Do not dig it up, burn it or prune it - waste of time and makes it worse

http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/786446050.pdf

Uriel.

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Cleared a site of this for a project in Dublin. Herbicide treatment with regular follow ups required, can take 2-3 years to ensure it's eradicated. Do not dig it up, burn it or prune it - waste of time and makes it worse

http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/786446050.pdf

Great little leaflet that.

Shows the cost of the problem too. £88m for the olympic site in England. Mad.

Mr. CooL ICE

Jaysus. Sounds like the plot to C&C Tiberian Sun

Chorcai

I have this cúnting thing out the back, pain in my hole with it

http://invasivespeciesireland.com/toolkit/invasive-plant-management/terrestrial-plants/himalayan-balsam/