Japanese Knotweed

It’s dying away now, the Japanese Knotweed that lives on a stretch of rough land the other side of the shared drive.  At least the part of the plant that lives above the surface is dying; the rest of it will remain alive and kicking beneath the ground, hiding out the winter until it takes back its powerful grip on the waste land next spring.

I’m not sure when it first took hold of this space that used to be covered with nettles.  But the nettles have all gone and now there is only this supreme invader, pushing its way through a pile of concrete and rubble that a neighbour dumped from a kitchen conversion a few years ago.  He’s moved away now but at one point he got so angry with this monster weed that he attacked it with a machete - the plant just grew back stronger and even more abundant.  This plant loves conflict.  

Japanese Knotweed was introduced to the UK by landscape gardeners as a feature for carefully crafted estates.  It might have been considered impressive in the 19th Century but there’s not much attractive about it, even the flowers are just strands of seed which attract little in the way of insect life.  But it has a taste for the rough and ready wasteland and disturbed environments, and is capable of growing through tarmac and even into the foundations of buildings.

When I contacted the local council to see if anything could be done they advised that it would be the responsibility of the landowner, and that the process of removal is a long and expensive one.  Each plant has to be individually injected with a powerful herbicide at both the start and end of the growing season.  There are also sprays that can be used, but they are so strong they kill everything else in the vicinity, including trees, shrubs and bushes.  These chemicals are the equivalent of Agent Orange.

A few days ago I breached the low fence and ventured into knotweed territory.  It was a bamboo like forest stretching some eight feet above the surface.  Using a sharp knife I cut a section through one of the plants and was surprised at the hydraulic pressure within the plant – this is what makes it capable of growing through concrete.  The powerful stem of the plant was filled with sections each of which was full of liquid that would dry away come the end of the summer.  The brittle remains of the plant would make it appear dead, but it was still very much alive below ground, in a root system that stretched down several feet.       

I have no idea who owns the land but chances are they won't spend the small fortune required to clear away the knotweed.  So the plant will remain and is best left undisturbed watching out over the space it has claimed as its own, doing little in the way of good for the natural environment, but providing a focal point for conversation about the weird looking weed that is appearing everywhere around these parts.