What is this? from nothing 3 weeks ago to 6 foot tall today!

[cordyman]

[Mr List]

run!

[TOP BANANA]

Cordy its Japanese knotweed , very invasive and not to be planted in your garden and hard to eradicate unless you use Glyphosate weedkiller.

[nige pook]

Trust me,even with weedkiller it's still very difficult to get rid of!! It used to be a notifiable weed,not sure if it still is and you certainly DONT want it in or anywhere near your garden!! N

[redsquirrel]

oh pooh,someones got a minor problem. be very careful before you go ripping it out,get some proper advice.it resprouts from just about anything left behind. we noticed it was coming back in a controlled site in cornwall last year,they have been clearing this patch for nearly 3 years and its still cordoned off

[kata]

OMG!!!

I would'nt have known the plant by just looking, never seen Knotweed before but sure as heck heard the nightmare stories.

I had the white bell flower weed at an old address, I thought that was bad, well it was cus it strangled with its tendrils. I was advised get down to the footings and cement in the roots.

I hope you manage to get rid of it Cordy.


Thinking about it. Don't you have to report Knotweed if you find it, especially if its in hedgerows?

[Mr List]

in an open area like that it is never going to finished off.

[kata]

Yes it is Mr List,

If it *is Knotweed the authorities need to know about its existence.

They will have a more powerful weed killer.......resolve, or Tumbleweed won't do it I don't think

[cordyman]

I thought it looked a bit tropical

Was impressed how fast it grew

Wondered if it had an impressive flower

Considered getting a cutting

....posted on here to check, glad i did!!! LOL

ps. its on a local bridlepath - i may report it

[kata]

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO Cordy,

Thanks God its not yours. I thought maybe you had a farm, knew it was hedgerow.

Report it Cordy, I am almost sure its the law...maybe..

WIKIPEDIA

The species is also common in Europe. In the UK it was made illegal to spread Japanese knotweed by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is also classed as "controlled waste" in Britain under part 2 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This requires disposal at licensed landfill sites.

Two biological pest control agents that show promise in the control of the plant are the psyllid Aphalara itadori[8] and a leaf spot fungus from genus Mycosphaerella.

IT DOES FLOWER:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_knotweed

[Dave Brown]

How close is it to you If under half a mile you could have it by next year anyway. One site had 40 tones of topsoil removed down to 4 feet and it still came back.

[cordyman]

a 10 minute drive

[sooty]

I've assisted in the clearance of this stuff on waterways . interestingly it was introduced by the Victorians as a hardy exotic (t-rex the next contender?)and it "got out". There are a number of varieties in the UK including giant knotweed which reaches 15 feet plus! looks magnificent but they're all a nightmare and an offence to introduce to the wild and the waste is considered a "controlled substance".
It can regenerate a new plant from a penny-size section of rhizome or stem - whatever you do, don't try and cut or dig it up - sustained use of herbicide is the only way (or burying it a minimum of 2 metres, ideally 5 metres, deep). The one god-send is that it only very rarely regenerates by seed.

[kata]

Too near cordy to be comfortable,

C**t gets carried by the wind like them manure smells on motorways

interestingly it was introduced by the Victorians

What thickos

Japanese Knotweed.

[Dave Brown]

Not heard of Giant Knotweed. Giant Hogweed is notifiable due to seeding everywhere and having irritants in the sap.