Possible Japanese knotweed on Oglander Road

[flocker spotter]

There is a house with a very overgrown garden on Oglander between Marsden and Muschamp and I think it has Japanese knotweed. Can anyoone tell from these pictures? If yes, what happens next?

[Robert Poste's Child]

If it is, I believe the owners have a duty to stop it spreading onto anyone else's land, which must mean you can refer it to the council if they refuse or are negligent.

[Townleygreen]

looks like knotweed to me

[KidKruger]

Yes it's KW.

[Milan05]

http://www.2.southwark.gov.uk/info/530/green_and_garden_waste/2119/japanese_knotweed

Southwark say on their website they will treat it between March and October for a payment to them.

[Sally Eva]

sounds like the owner needs this:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-japanese-knotweed-from-spreading

[Nigello]

There are plants that look similar to JKW. Is this definitely it? You have to look for alternating leaves on the stem and I cannot quite see whether this is the case.

http://www.phlorum.com/services/japanese-knotweed/plants-that-look-like-japanese-knotweed/

[louisemurray]

I have reported this knotweed to the council in the past. It has been sprayed, but keeps coming back - nature of the beast. I know that I am not the only one to report it.

Noone wants to see it spreading any further.

[lilolil]

James Barber has helped with this before in my road.

[DrinkingBuddy]

Fairly sure this in bindweed rather than knotweed. Knotweed genuinely grows into thick stalks that stand up by themselves like bamboo, whereas bindweed is a climber. It does grow incredibly fast, particularly during the spring and summer, but to the best of my knowledge doesn?t have any ill effects on anything other than other plants which it can strangle.

[kford]

+1 for bindweed. Knotweed its stalk-like, as DrinkingBuddy says. It can be killed by chopping back and then funnelling weedkiller into the stalk base. The off-cuts will need to be burnt.

[Sue]

Doesn't look like bindweed to me.

The flowers are completely different. Bindweed has Convolvulus type flowers.

https://goo.gl/images/PoSRoc

Those flowers look a bit like Russian Vine ( but not the leaves I don't think).

https://goo.gl/images/CZoZsf

Japanese knotweed image

https://goo.gl/images/AWsteF

ETA: Very sorry trying to do this on my phone!

[kford]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Doesn't look like bindweed to me.

>

> The flowers are completely different. Bindweed has

> Convolvulus type flowers.

>

> https://goo.gl/images/PoSRoc

>

> Those flowers look a bit like Russian Vine ( but

> not the leaves I don't think).

>

> https://goo.gl/images/CZoZsf

Skills. Yes, it's that!

[Sue]

I've edited my post above several times sorry, got the pics in the wrong place!

They are right now!

[Blackcurrant]

It's definitely knotweed. You can spray it yourself with any glyohosphate weedkiller but it takes about 3 years of repeated spraying (ideally in spring) to kill it. Or get a licensed picloram sprayer to treat it with picloram (tordon) and you can kill it in one season. If trees or other large plants are nearby, picloram isn't allowed as it can kill those too.

Don't believe all the nonsense about knotweed destroying houses. The only real damage it can do is to the conveyancing process when selling/buying properties, as mortgage offers may be withdrawn without proof of a knotweed treatment plan. It's not as hard to kill as people think.

[KidKruger]

it's not bindweed.

[Sue]

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> it's not bindweed.

Keep up, KK :))

[SebsC]

I had a plant growing in my garden which i was unsure about so I emailed a photo to environet uk who are knotweed specialists and they replied a day later to say it wasnt knotweed. Maybe you could email it to them. [email protected]

[flocker spotter]

So I contacted the council about the knotweed on Oglander and the response is, it is for the homeowner to request for it to be dealt with as it is a chargeable service.

It's so bad, the owner (no idea who it is) is either absent or does not care? Where does this leave everyone at risk of contamination?

[dirac]

flocker spotter Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> So I contacted the council about the knotweed on

> Oglander and the response is, it is for the

> homeowner to request for it to be dealt with as it

> is a chargeable service.

>

> It's so bad, the owner (no idea who it is) is

> either absent or does not care? Where does this

> leave everyone at risk of contamination?

I was going to report some knotweed we had in our garden on behalf of my landlord and mentioned it to my neighbor who was horrified and begged me not to contact the council...He said that if you report knotweed to the council it makes the surrounding properties worth less in value due to having to disclose it when you sell, which I believe he is planning to do. In the end we worked on it ourselves and got rid of it. Not sure if that's a bit of an old wives tale though!

[B&G]

There is also Knotweed at the corner of Henslowe and Upland Road. I've reported it to the council already but if you live in neighbouring houses you might want to be vigilant.

It is a horrible thing to have (we lost a house because of it), but the council will assist with its removal.

[Penguin68]

Knotweed is a pest but can be cleared. If you are doing it yourself it may take 3-4 growing seasons - with it coming back weaker each year, but it will clear even with herbicides available to the general public. Professional killing is generally quicker. Its impact on the built environment has been somewhat exaggerated in my opinion. But unless treated it is both spreading and insistent. The structure of its stems, which are segmented (like bamboo), means that it takes time for the roots to be poisoned.

[B&G]

I agree Penguin - it's impact has been exaggerated. But lenders don't lend on a house with it (as we found out at great expense), so it's something that does need to be taken seriously when found.

[Penguin68]

Absolutely B&G - like 'subsidence' it is used by insurers (and hence lenders) to avoid risks which are frequently much exaggerated. At some time the 'scam' of reporting and then charging for clearing up numerous 'risks' - damp, woodworm etc. will be exposed - though not I fear in my lifetime. Of course each and every one of these might, on some occasions, be genuine worries, but the blanket knee-jerk risk aversion response to even the hint of these (and thus the lucrative 'cures' forced on house buyers) is a nice little earner for that claque of agents, surveyors etc. that make property buying such a misery.

[B&G]

Tis a misery. I felt awful for the woman trying to sell the place we wanted.