The internet is filled with masses of information regarding Japanese Knotweed, and some of it can be particularly frightening. We receive dozens of phone calls every day, and many people as us to debunk myths that they have read online. Here are some of the most common, and why they are incorrect.
“You kill Japanese Knotweed by cutting it down and pouring bleach into it”
There are many different versions of this one using various different substances, but the answer to them all is no. The only substance we know to kill Japanese Knotweed is a glyphosate-based herbicide. Unfortunately, the herbicides which are available to the public are also not strong enough to do the job. The herbicide experts will use is 300x stronger than anything available for purchase by the public.
“You cannot get a mortgage on a property if it has Japanese Knotweed”
We receive many panicked telephone calls from people on both sides of the purchase who believe this to be true, but worry not, because we can help. We can support your enquiry with a Site Survey and Management Plan by an accredited firm, coupled with an insurance backed guarantee. If you have these documents in place from an accredited company, mortgage lenders will typically release the funds.
“Japanese Knotweed can break through concrete”
There are many horror stories littered across the internet regarding Japanese Knotweed, often about its strength and the damage it is capable of doing. Japanese Knotweed cannot break through a solid piece of concrete in a normal way. It will, however, seek out any cracks or weaknesses in any structure, and many properties will have small cracks or movements below ground caused by various things including subsidence and foundation settling. Like all plants, Japanese Knotweed seeks light when underground. Its rapid growth means that a small piece could find its way through a crack, and then push it open as it grows.
Japanese Knotweed is not a superhero, but should still be taken seriously.