How to Kill Japanese Knotweed...simple steps

Quick and easy outline of the steps to identify and kill Japanese knotweed

[@fabianpersch3498]

If you know how to kill it, why does your garden still look like that?

[@deBiezel]

Terrible advice. Never trow this in the compost! Every knot can grow out and become a new bush. This is how it spreads. Trough compost.

[@SAMZIRRA]

100% this stuff grows like it releases spores

[@hoidoei941]

This is even illegal in my country!!!! There is a duty to report this to the authorities and rightly so 😡😡😡 We have specialized brigades for this killing it with all kinds of methods like electricity.. With people who think they know better you only spread the species by one single mistake especially when you compost the damn parts. risk is waaayy to high. (Parts should be burned *safely offcourse* not composted) Also allowing the plant to develop flowers is FORBIDDEN in my country because it fertilizes spreading hybrids !! The whole damn thing is a serious plague out here. It kills complete ecosystems of rare vulnerable species especially in difficult terrain. Please leave it to professionals

[@friendsofcarlingtonhampton]

It takes only 1 mm of live growth to regrow. If you leave any behind, the nodes can resprout. I solarize it -- bake it in black plastic, then it goes to the trash. I've seen it regrow from the nodes in bags after it's been cut. Cut and cover is the best method, without resorting to chemicals. Leave the covers on for 5+ years or more, depending on the size. Lift the tarps once a year, dig out more roots. Check for regrowth at least 2-3x a year. It can grow more than 1" per day.

[@matthewfonseca4301]

not everyone has a small property. What do you do if its not burn season? you let it sit in your yard!? Every local dump has different ways they handle waste. Where is YOUR video explaining the "right" way to do it?

[@cristinakaine7432]

no. no. no. go to japanese knotweed support group. this video is allll wrong

[@walkwithrocks]

Specifics please? How is it wrong so other people know?

[@PJJ1967]

@@walkwithrocks The method of getting rid of it will work eventually, but will take years (as you are finding out). What is wrong, is taking the plants to the compost facility because it is a live plant that will grow again. The processes that take place in the compost facility will not kill it and it can be spread to all the facilities customers. If you were in the UK, it is illegal to cause the spread of knotweed and you would be procecuted for taking it to a compost facility and would be fined or even do jail time!

[@maybenot1234]

We bought a house that was infested with this stuff. We didn't realize what it was and it has spread aggressively up to our house. I've done quite a bit of research and there are a couple of things to know about this extremely invasive weed. It spreads from underground roots called rhizomes (A horizontal, usually underground stem that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes) that can grow 6 feet from the stalk. If you pull it from the ground you're only taking out a small portion of the plant and the root will continue to regrow right where you pulled it from. If you mow or week whack the stalks you are also spreading the weed because the pieces of chopped up plant can also regrow. Darn thing acts like a starfish and will regenerate wherever you cut it. Getting rid of the Japanese knotweed is nearly impossible, but with initial control measures and then routine maintenance you can keep it at bay. In June snip it off at the base, put the stalks into a contractor bag and tie securely, then place it in the sun for a few days. This will kill the rhizomes and then you can trash it. Some people burn the stalks in the burn barrel. Eight weeks later you'll cut it again (one by one, no whacking or mowing!) and apply glyphosate weed killer - the industrial stuff. Get it real good, stalks, leaves, everything. Allow to dry and reapply a second time. Many people advise you wait until after September 15th so the bees can use the flowers. My neighbor tried excavating (remember this stuff can be 6 feet below ground!) and placing a heavy tarp over the area but it didn't work. Amazingly the new shoots came up thick around the entire area he covered with tarp. You have to get ALL of it out of the ground without spreading any of the pieces about. Try to plant some native plants in the areas you successfully remove the knotweed so it will have to compete with those plants. I heard pumpkin patches work well as well as wild rye grass and snake grass. GOOD LUCK!

[@walkwithrocks]

Totally agree with all this and you can tell you've put your hours in! The only wrinkle is I can't use glyphosate because I'm in and near a wetland.

[@Townie5lax]

@@walkwithrocks You can create a glyphosate gel and apply directly to the leaves rather than spraying.

[@NicoletaWestren-jk2kg]

Very similar situation here I bulldozed a half acre and took rhizomes out and am now controlling by constant cutting at base and applying 45 percent vinegar Grows less and less but must be on top of it

[@tylerarcher2584]

Thanks for the info I just bought a house and when I viewed it a month ago the stalks were cut to the ground. Now they are almost 8 feet tall. I want to eventually get rid of them so I can garden in that area but I don't want to use a bunch of chemicals.

[@peterson6824]

@@NicoletaWestren-jk2kg GREAT IDEA! Vinegar and/or salt are much better alternatives than glyphosate. Vinegar or salt will probably kill all other plants that soak it up nearby, but that's just temporary, BUT glyphosate is a TOXIC POISON to all living things, including humans.

[@Townie5lax]

This lady is just spreading it!

[@walkwithrocks]

Specifics, please? We are battling the same beast, so I appreciate the shared knowledge! This is working for me... slowly but surely.

[@Townie5lax]

@@walkwithrocks You need to treat it with a 2% glyphosate mixture on the leaves after they bloom about a month before 1st frost and then again 2 week before first frost. This will deliver the agent to the core that can be meters under ground. While cutting it temporarily solves the problem it's always going to come back. You need to kill the underground portion. I've cut for years and it keeps growing and coming back. I have a neighbor that keeps cutting that spreads it.

[@walkwithrocks]

I'd love to be able to do it that way, but I'm in/abutting a protected wetland so no glyphosate allowed. On the parts of my land where it was seriously threatening our septic , I did use small glyphosate injections into the cut stems and it worked SO fast!

[@hoidoei941]

One piece of surviving node or rhizome can start a whole new plague

[@0ngelovige]

DO NOT TAKE IT TO THE COMPOST!!! YOU WILL SPREAD IT ALL OVER THE USA

[@Bos_Taurus]

Britain treat it as toxic waste because every node is capable of forming roots, so don't leave it at unlicensed cimposts because that helps spreading it. Compost than sells it and spreads the invasive plant, think of it as trowing its seds in the compost.

[@walkwithrocks]

I hear you and understand this. Our town compost site is loaded with knotweed on the edges. They produce good compost from meat, bones, paper and green waste from our town. They produce a commercially available compost. I'm guessing that their temperatures are high enough to eliminate ANY re-seeding or rhizome concerns, or else they'd have a lot of unhappy customers!

[@DylanStJohn]

@@walkwithrocksI agree with the other guy, why add it to the compost? Just trash it - there’s plenty else that can be composted. No need to risk spreading knotweed to someone else. The compost likely does not get hot enough for long enough to actually kill the knotweed, but it may go dormant and then come back to life in someone else’s garden

[@walkwithrocks]

​@@DylanStJohnHonestly, I think I could do it that way now that I've beaten it back to a manageable amount. When I first started, it was HUGE, HUGE quantities of biomass... probably 80-120 large trash bags packed full, if I had used bags. It becomes a storage issue pretty quickly and my town charges $6/medium sized trash bag.

[@MeerWald]

​@walkwithirocks i ask me, when the nodes are the problem, but you are cutting above the nodes, then there is no node on the compost, or? Or does the upper part of the plant do have nodes as well?

[@Downloader77]

Let me guess, your infestation started after composted your plants?

[@nicksharpe7924]

Despite the worries in comments below, especially regarding disposal of what you pull up or cut, this method worked for me. I first became aware of JK about 5 years ago and was horrified to see I had a patch about 4 m2 in my garden. I cut that down, and each new shoot I let grow to about 40-50cm before gently pulling it up which usually brings some rhizome with it. There must have been 20-30 new shoots that first year. Each year has produced fewer shoots, and this year only one got to about 40cm high before I pulled it up in April, and none have come up since. I'm convinced allowing the new shoots to grow to 40 cm stresses the rhizome more than the young leaves contribute to the underground growth. Let them come up, waste energy, then gently pull them up! The worst problem is if you have JK on a boundary where you can't access the other side of the hedge/fence, or if your neighbour won't do their bit.

[@jessikared6318]

Enjoy your house and yard while you can, Cuz this plant could make you lose BOTH. Sorry not trying to sound mean, but this is ABSOLUTELY NOT how you handle Knotweed. Its a beautiful plant, but its ONLY meant to be in japan. Thankfully I dont have it on my property, but a nearby county there has been three spottings of this plant. Even with a fair distance to where it was spotted, its too close for me. I NEVER report on my neighbours EVER... however, If i spotted this plant in their yard, I wouldnt hesitate. STOP taking it to the compost. Make DAMN sure you pay attention to what you cut, And Burn it. Call someone to dig it up and burn the soil too. I am an avid gardener but This plant scares me to death. What the UK is going thru is absolutely AWFUL. People cannot sell their homes cuz of this stuff, or have to pay thousands in damages. This plant was never meant to be anywhere, but in its natural ecosystem which is japan. I hope NOBODY listens to your video. Im sorry. Yes its a beautiful plant, but i want it NO WHERE near CANADA!

[@bialy100k]

This video says in short: "People who studied biology and make a living from it for years are dumbs. Look what I do and I'm happy with it."

[@tf2368]

Keep being scared

[@SEaudiofan]

I would not place in compost, especially if it hasnt dried to the point of looking burnt

[@walkwithrocks]

I hear you and understand this. Our town compost site is loaded with knotweed on the edges. They produce good compost from meat, bones, paper and green waste from our town. They produce a commercially available compost. I'm guessing that their temperatures are high enough to eliminate ANY re-seeding or rhizome concerns, or else they'd have a lot of unhappy customers!

[@PJJ1967]

Knotweed doesn't need to re-seed, any of the rhysomes can grow into a new plant so any tiny pieces that are left in the compost can re-grow. If your local facility is producing compost commercially, then taking knotweed to this facility will potentially be helping spread knotweed to any and all of their customers. The processing of compost does not generate sufficient heat to kill knotweed. If it did, it would also kill all the good bacteria that creates the compost.@@walkwithrocks

[@action963]

burn the above ground parts of the plant, dont add it to compost. Then treat anything that reshoots yr on yr with glyphosate roundup. It'll eventually disappear but be religious yr on yr

[@milohenry1233]

Omg u have to burn it , total wrong approach u need to spray it with professional weed killer, and by the way if you cut it like this it can go dormant for years

[@fabianpersch3498]

Tried to burn it. It sounds like a machine gun.

[@JimEpcotLive]

Dumb question, can u also just pull up the entire plant stalk by stalk ?

[@remodelassets6523]

I’ve tried digging up the tap root and when you get down to it “I was at 2’ and the root goes way deeper like 6’ Just keep cutting it back 3x a year

[@walkwithrocks]

Yes! It's the most satisfying weed pull EVER, but only when it's weakened in the second year of treating it this way, in my experience. When it's thriving, it's like trying to pull a stop sign out of the road.

[@kaswhite1380]

I found all but impossible to pull this plant out especially the mature plants. Just keep cutting it down. After you first cut it down it is then easy to weed wack the new growth. Cut it every two weeks. This way you will eventually kill it. Might take a few years but it will work.

[@MikeOrazzi]

It has crazy roots that travel everywhere. We've been cutting, burning and digging it out, also put a rake on the back of the tractor, that seemed to get some of the roots. We have some sections that we just keep mowing. It's going to take some time.

[@brianhess3970]

How's that working out for you? lol

[@catalickconverta6823]

Your just spreading it around😂

[@ericphelps1796]

Eat the japanese notweed It's very very good 9

[@hmartin751]

Yup I ageee..I make herbal tinctures it has natural resveratrol in it and it's great for Lyme disease I let mine grow I am herbalist so I don't care about a cookie cutter lawn!

[@walkwithrocks]

It is soooo good! And the dried rhizomes have such a beautiful smell too!

[@hmartin751]

@@walkwithrocks reminds me of camp

[@BizarroLanigirod]

Wow. I guess ppl that don't know about the harmful effects would add it to compost. I guess.

[@walkwithrocks]

I'd LOVE to hear the specific details of the harm that it does in a compost facility that also processes meat, bones, etc, like mine does. What temperature DOES kill knotweed? I can't imagine that it's higher than the temperature requirements to process meat? Can you share what you know?

[@kaswhite1380]

I pretty much agree with Nicole. As I had a good size patch of it on my property. It was four years ago that in mid summer I cut it all down and cleaned up all the old plants from last year, etc. Then say ten days later after it started coming up again I went at it with my weed eater. A few weeks later same thing all over again. Come next spring I went at it with weed eater before it got over say two feet high and after that I weed wacked it down every ten days or so. Next year same thing. Come 2023 and can I see the results. I only had a few places where it has come up and again I just cut what little there was down by hand. After four years it is pretty much beat. However come spring 2024 will not let my guard down. This stuff can be beaten so the main thing is don't let it get ahead of you...just keep at it. OK

[@walkwithrocks]

I think that sounds like a better solution because weed whacking small sprouts is easier than chopping down the massive beasts they grow into (a month later)! The only heavy patch I have left is IN the "protected" wetland (they don't protect it from invasives), and there's a ton of natives growing amongst them, especially before they shade everything out. I need to get better at weed whacking.

[@philmatthews3537]

Goats get rid of knotweed, and just about everything else including washing hung out to dry.

[@ghulamdustgir3081]

The day of the Triffids who remembers that movie

[@davidboyd2127]

The book is insane. Hope they remake it soon

[@walkwithrocks]

Specify how it's wrong? It'll help other people in case this doesn't work for them...which it has for me. And by "work" i mean that the huge patch is finally getting smaller and some natives are actually crowding it out!

[@0ngelovige]

It's residual waste! NEVER bring it to the compost or you will spread it everywhere!

[@JimEpcotLive]

Great video

[@walkwithrocks]

Thank you!