Japanese Knotweed - a growing problem

[doofaloofa]

A large un cut plant

i will start the process on this one next spring and update the progress with pics

Here are my thoughts

There are two factors to take into account when dealing with JKW

Land use and Plant use

It colonises land that is not being tilled or is otherwise neglected

so change the land use to promote the weeding out of the plant, for instance, aforestation

If JKN is used for a pupose then it is easier to erradicate. The issue with composting is a minor one IMO

i have made several compost heaps with dried JKW, At worst there were one or two rooted stems in the heap, and these were easy enough to remove and re process

[diggernotdreamer]

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When I look at a large uncut plant, this is more what I see lol

[Green Aura]

Blimey! Although you can see why they brought it over, it's really pretty like that.

[doofaloofa]

Do the alpaca's like it DnD?

[diggernotdreamer]

I dunno if they like it, I saw some cattle today in a stand breaking it up and eating bits, I don't want it anywhere near me

[Marc]

I've heard that goats love it ...

[doofaloofa]

[doofaloofa]

This image shows the problem with using herbicides to kill JKW



The roadside of this forestry plantation have been sprayed every year for the last 9 years or so

The willows and gorse are dead, but on the left of the frame you can see the JKW going strong

One problem with spraying is the dead tops impede the spray getting to the new growth, so the dead growth must be cleared away any way