Birmingham – a well known knotweed hotspot!
Japanese knotweed is a problem for homeowners, property developers and land owners across the UK, but in this article we’ll focus on the North of England, and in particular the busy expanding city of Birmingham, which is well known in the invasive weed industry for being a particular knotweed hotspot.
why is knotweed such a problem in cities?
One of the main reasons that Japanese knotweed growth is more prevalent in cities is to do with the way it grows. At the heart of knotweed is its underground root system which is difficult to spot in winter when the above ground growth has gone into a dormant leafless state. Also the fact that disturbance of this root system encourages new growth. Even a tiny fragment smaller than a 50p coin will create a new plant.
With most cities constantly under development this means more construction going on, which means more disturbance of the ground and if not identified at the time of land purchase or development, will result in more knotweed. We help most major UK house builders and many land investors in the Midlands to avoid this scenario by providing a pre-purchase survey to avoid the presence of knotweed putting their projects on hold. The knock-on effect for homeowners finding knotweed growing through their brand new driveway or patio is they can face devaluation of property and issues with selling if they do not deal with the infestation properly.
As the image above shows, the roots have fine hair like structures that form new roots, and new shoots that can quickly form new plants in the growing season. Knotweed can easily be spread by excavation or even homeowners digging their garden unknowingly encouraging growth or worse – transporting fragments further afield.
Getting rid of Birmingham’s knotweed
If you suspect you have Japanese knotweed on your property or land you can send us some pictures using our free identification service and you’ll quickly get an answer. A more secure answer would be provided from having a survey carried out by one of our CSJK qualified surveyors. If you do have knotweed you may be initially concerned about what to do and how it may affect your property, but having identified the issue we will help resolve it.
Our surveyors and operatives work in Birmingham to get knotweed under control, or simply get rid of it. There are many myths about “killing” knotweed, but the truth is this plant can only be controlled or removed. Herbicides applied to the plant at the right time(s) of the year over a 3-5 year period will control its above ground growth however the rhizomes underneath remain viable for many years, so the best solution is to have it completely removed by excavating the ground and removing all knotweed material from site so no fragments are left to generate new plants.
knotweed control services in the Midlands
With an office based in the Midlands we’re ideally placed to serve Birmingham. Get in touch today to kick start the process of finding out if your property has a knotweed infestation.