No two sites or infestations are ever the same and therefore a tailored approach is essential. This may mean you use one or a selection of the treatments:
Herbicide treatment – cost effective if the property risk is deemed low
Herbicide treatment is the lower cost option, and suitable where:
- a small amount of regrowth is tolerable
- where ground is unlikely to be substantially disturbed in the future
It takes at best a single growing season but this could extend to two to three years depending upon the circumstances. In particular if previous treatment of the knotweed has induced dormancy it may prove very difficult or impossible to achieve complete eradication.
Our treatment programme usually consists of four applications (it can be more or less depending upon the plant’s uptake of the herbicide), using DEFRA approved herbicides applied as a foliar spray at suitable times during the knotweed growing season (May to October).
Once treatment is complete, the dead canes can be left to rot on site, or you can burn them on a bonfire (subject to local byelaws). Please do not burn canes over the treatment area as this can affect the efficacy of any herbicide remaining in the soil.
We can collect the dead canes and dispose of them off-site at an extra cost if you prefer. This is carried out fully in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 “duty of care”. We are an Environment Agency registered waste carrier, a legal requirement for anyone transporting knotweed waste.
Please note that removing knotweed from a property other than in accordance with the above legislation is a criminal offence. Please also note that you MUST NOT add knotweed to your green waste collection.
Stem injection – highly effective knotweed control
Contrasting from traditional Japanese Knotweed herbicidal treatment methods which are applied to the surface of the leaves of the plant, stem injection targets the application of a controlled quantity of herbicide directly into the core of the plant. This direct targeting of the herbicidal application enables stem injection to be the least insidious method of remediating of Japanese Knotweed.
Stem injection is not weather dependant - traditional spraying methods are severely compromised by weather conditions and cannot be applied during heavy winds or rain.
Stem injection can 100% be safely applied in an area where TPO’s (Tree Preservation Orders) have been issued - traditional spraying and mechanical removal methods are not suitable and will result in severe damage. Stem injection is accepted and authorised by the Environment Agency for use on organic approved farms, without causing the loss of their organic status. Due to the labour intensiveness of stem injecting it is really only used on smaller sites or sites that carry environmental issues for example water courses and TPO’s
The ECS herbicidal spraying methodology can severely damage any vegetation within 2-3 meters of the target Japanese Knotweed. Whilst ECS take every precaution to reduce spray drift and collateral damage it is sometimes unavoidable when treating this hardy plant. The client will take responsibility for any collateral damage caused by ECS whilst acting under the client’s instruction.
Excavation – on and off-site treatment
The only way to practically remove the risk of knotweed affecting a property is to excavate and dispose of its root system, which can result in a large volume of waste being produced due to the plants’ deep and extensive roots. However, as a result of increased legal action, particularly following a landmark ruling against Network Rail1, many property owners see excavation as the preferred method to return their land to a knotweed-free state as soon as practically possible (excavation usually takes only a few days to complete).
As knotweed regenerates from very small root fragments, and it is often very difficult to ensure that all fragments are removed during excavation works, a herbicide monitoring programme should subsequently be carried out in order for appropriate guarantees to be issued.
With current environmental and health concerns surrounding the unnecessary use of pesticides, it should be noted that knotweed excavation treatments can avoid any herbicide use, or at least require much less chemical to be used than in a herbicide-only approach.
Some customers prefer to pay a premium to accelerate the process using our Resi-Dig-Out™ method.
Resi-Dig-Out™ is our residential equivalent to our patented Xtract™ method used on larger commercial sites. It is a physical removal method that provides quicker and more reliable results than herbicide methods. The aim, to remove all viable rhizome, is a very difficult goal to achieve, so some regrowth may be expected. The regrowth is however relatively easy to deal with as it originates from small fragments with limited energy reserves.
The excavation process takes a few days, which is followed with monitoring visit(s) to deal with any regrowth.
Another advantage is that where it is apparent that knotweed has crossed a property boundary a vertical root barrier can be installed, at relatively low additional cost, prior to backfilling to prevent future encroachment.
Where possible a mechanical excavator is used but for very small areas where access prevents the use of an excavator the process may be carried out manually.
Upon completion we will take all equipment and the bagged up rhizome and leave your property in a tidy state. Please note that unless identified in the quote we will not reinstate soft or hard landscaping, including fences, walls etc. to their prior condition.
Please note that during excavations, should obstructions below or above the ground (e.g. concrete, fence posts, tree roots, services etc.) stop us from accessing and removing the rhizome then additional costs may be incurred in order to remove the obstruction.
Root barriers – stop knotweed spreading with a barrier
Sifting and screening – cost effective on-site shifting and screening