This is a very topical subject indeed. More people are reporting issues with knotweed, when Japanese knotweed is discovered on property when either buying or selling. Typically mortgage offers are either refused or have strict conditions placed on them.

We have always been consistent in our advice to home owners, when talking about Japanese knotweed. The first option (often the only option) is a 3 year herbicide programme (possibly longer). This is not only the cheapest option; it is also the most environmentally sustainable option. Other options may be considered as well (if feasible).

Herbicide programmes, need time to be effective. We believe in being honest and saying to potential customers that the herbicide programme may take 3+ years to be effective.
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Japanese knotweed is no respecter of boundaries. It is a common issue amongst neighbours, when one party refuses or is unwilling to treat their Japanese knotweed, and it starts to invade a new property.

In our experience, once you have mature Japanese knotweed on one side of a boundary the likelihood is that the rhizomes have already spread into the previously untreated garden. The question is what can you do in the event that this is happening?

The Law.
The principle law relating to Japanese knotweed is covered by the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981). The relevant quotation is:
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There are some things that you discover in life, that just don’t mix or shouldn’t be put together – oil and water; politicians and your money…they either don’t mix or mix a bit too well!

Unfortunately the same is often true of Japanese knotweed and mortgages. Some banks and Building Societies hear the words Japanese knotweed and refuse to lend money on that property. Essentially they won’t take the risk. We have seen this scenario with a number of properties in the last 12 months; even where the knotweed is 30m or more from the buildings (possibly on a neighbour’s land) and poses no significant risk whatsoever to the property’s structural integrity. Sales fall through on this point. Yet normally there is no/little risk for the mortgage company, the main issues that they are concerned about are obviously damage to the asset and implications on the subsequent re-sale of the property (if the house is repossessed). However it is often an overreaction by the mortgage company, as a simple herbicide programme will manage the knotweed and for little relative expense eradicate it completely over a number of years. For more money, we could excavate the knotweed and remove it from site completely; however this is not always necessary and is costly and is not the best solution when considering the environment.
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If you are considering buying a property, there are lots of things that you will need to consider. Number and size of bedrooms; whether you really like that avocado bathroom suite or not; presence of a good school; etc.

However, you probably won’t be looking at the plants in the property’s garden or even neighbouring properties gardens either, perhaps you should! Japanese knotweed is no respecter of boundaries.
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It has been announced earlier this week that the Psyllid is to be released into Southern England, later this year. The psyllids are intended to act as a biological control of Japanese knotweed and the hybrid Fallopia x Bohemica. We are mainly supportive of this initiative as Japanese knotweed continues to spread unchecked throughout the British Isles. There is simply no funding or compulsion on landowners to treat their Japanese knotweed problems, so if we do not take more action, we will continue to see knotweed gaining on us. This is not without a cost both financially and for our environment.
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To release the psyllid or not release the psyllid, that is the question.

The Government will be announcing their decision later this month on this biological control. There are many factors to consider in making this decision, including the robustness of the science underpinning the application to release the psyllid, the level of control that can be expected and the risk to the environment. There is of course a risk to the environment in not releasing it! Japanese knotweed continues to spread and invade our urban and rural areas, most of it is still not undergoing a control programme! The release of the psyllid may go some way to redressing the ecological balance and to reduce the amount of future spread, but will not however eradicate the knotweed.
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So what is a root barrier? Well in terms of Japanese knotweed, the Environment Agency make a number of specific recommendations, these are:

It must be capable of being used without damage to the root barrier
It must be provided in large sizes, to minimise the need for seals
It must be sealed securely
It must have the physical properties to remain intact for 50 years
If exposed to sunlight, it must be able to resist UV damage
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Japanese knotweed is an invasive weed and by its very nature is difficult to get rid of. In domestic gardens this problem can be exacerbated due to limited access for machinery and the knotweeds close proximity to buildings and neighbouring properties. This leaves us with the most cost effective and environmentally sustainable option, which is to treat the plant under an Herbicide Application Programme. (more…)

The recent weather has enabled us to make a good start on the winter brush cuts. This work is to enable us to carry out herbicide applications later in the year, without wasting most of the herbicide on the dead (previous years) stems. If we were to treat stands without brush cutting, the efficacy of the herbicide application would drop accordingly. We also take advantage of the brush cut to apply a granular nitrogen based fertiliser (!) to the knotweed. (more…)

On development sites, there is always interest in on site solutions, which manage the knotweed on site, while permitting development to happen. There a number of solutions approved by the Environment Agency in their Code of Practice, use of these may permit the developer to claim Land Remediation Tax Relief. (more…)