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
Wreford are able to offer a range of root barriers, which may be used in different ways for differing needs. We have a porous root barrier, which has a thin copper foil in the middle, so allowing water and gases to percolate through, but still preventing roots and rhizomes from spreading and non-porous barriers, which are UV resistant. We are able to supply large pre-fabricated sheets to form cells for underground burial and can heat weld the root barrier together and to hard surfaces such as concrete or brickwork.
What can’t we offer? We can’t offer root barrier that would breach Health and Safety regulations or contaminate the environment. For instance one common myth is the ‘chemically impregnated root barrier’… so what would this be? Presumably (as there is no specification and we are talking about containing invasive weeds) it would impregnated with a residual herbicide. This might be effective in some circumstances, but this is not an approved use of an herbicide, additionally as this would be used underground, the herbicide would probably leach into the ground water table! The efficacy of this technique would be no better than using a specific and appropriate root barrier, correctly installed.
We are at Wreford have years of experience in supplying and installing root barriers, specific for the job and can supply teams to install such barriers correctly. We supply root barrier to many clients for large or small jobs.
So why not give us a call, or visit our Root Barrier page here
