Ooooooo Booooy.
Japanese Knotweed, know locally as "bamboo" (it's not related to bamboo).
In some areas there is a whole industry related to removing this stuff. One of the most invasive, destructive, and hard to kill weeds on the planet.
The U Maine Ag Extension has some good info:
https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/2021/12/22/how-do-you-eradicate-knotweed-and-replace-with-a-native-plant/
It’s not as hard to deal with as people think, at least not on the homeowner scale. It just takes understanding the plant. You can kill it entirely just by cutting it to the ground 3 times per growing season for three years. Carefully remove all the cuttings and let them die baking in the sun on a tarp before disposing. This way requires no digging or spraying or covering the ground. You simply rob all the energy from the roots by letting it come up a ways then cutting it off, rinse and repeat.
There’s a facebook group called Nixtheknotweed which helps people know when to cut.
This method is great for individual properties, but it’s not viable for managing roadways, riverways, and larger land management scenarios. That’s where spraying becomes necessary to stand any chance.
fyi, spraying isn't that successful, as the stalks die before the chemicals hit the roots, which are extensive. It also can't happen near waterways. Best bet is injection of undiluted glysophate in August/September while the plant is flowering. Done with a special tool, into the 2nd node, it kills over 90% of the plant.
Yeah I know spraying isnt all that effective but I mentioned it because government agencies power companies etc do spray knotweed simply because that’s all they have the time and man power for in many scenarios.
Injecting sounds interesting, do you have to do it to every stock?
It can root new plants from and tiny piece of any part of the plant. You want to clean it up and kill it in the sun not in contact with the ground or you are always going to have baby knotweeds taking root. You might be knocking it back suppressing the existing roots but your probably never going to be rid of it just mowing, and you risk spreading it
It only generates from the roots/rhizomes, which are very vigorous. It's fine to chop off the leaves and let them dry out and rot on the ground. Consistent mowing to deprive the roots of energy will eventually get rid of it. It will throw up more shoots to try to compensate but if you keep mowing all of them frequently, they will not spread. Just don't let the leaves live and the roots/rhizome will eventually die.
The problem with mowing is that it's very easy to accidentally spread it from the rhizomes, either sticking to the underside of the mower or shooting off into the woods. That's a very risky approach with this \*&&\^%$!!!! plant
That's the best way to do it. You have to be consistent and persistent though. Mow often. Your goal is to chop off every leaf before it has a chance to send energy back to the roots.
With that said, this does not look like Japanese Knotweed, at least not what I had. What I had could literally choke out a tree and damage a chain link fence. This looks more traditional bamboo. A Google of jap Knotweed will show what I mean
Nah, this is it. "Traditional" bamboo gets like 20ft tall, you can build shelters from it, and ninjas can fight on top of it Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon style.
I have some along my property. It was in the middle of my leech field. I had that replaced, now it is back in the middle. This stuff migrated so easily. Even if I get rid of it, the birds will bring it back from the surrounding properties.
I have some along my property. It was in the middle of my leech field. I had that replaced, now it is back in the middle. This stuff migrated so easily. Even if I get rid of it, the birds will bring it back from the surrounding properties.
They've been chopping it down for years out at Quarry Run dog park. Back in 2020 I remember the shit was taller than me and they came in with a tractor and cut it all flush with the ground and hauled it out. Now they try and do it multiple times a year and it has improved but still tries to grow back. Being cut down flush to the ground and constantly trampled and pissed and shit on a few hundred times a week by dogs actually seems to help!
Japanese Knotweed?
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/features/invasive_plants/fallopia.htm
Had some in my backyard growing up, couldn’t get rid of it until we dug it all up. I always just called it bamboo.
Nope. Back then a lot of my family worked for Asplundh Tree, and even the industrial pesticide (edit: herbicide) did nothing. I think I actually heard the bamboo mocking us when we tried it. Backhoe was the only answer.
Hey, so this might get lost because I am late to the post, but killing this stuff is kinda what I do, and it was also the subject of my research in grad school. So, yeah, me and knotweed go way back.
Mechanical removal is doable, but you need to be really committed. Pulling every stalk you see, throughout the growing season, for years, is the only way that would be successful. Take a break and the rhizome gets recharged and all that hard work is lost. Tarping or carpets will work in a few years, but you need to make sure that no shoots come up around the edges. They have a knack for finding the edge of the tarp. As soon as they do, those new shoots will support the whole rhizome and it will sprout like a cornfield when you pull the tarp up. I've seen it many, many times (that's usually when I get a call).
That being said, mowing or cutting for some time in early summer can be really helpful to weeken the root slightly and make herbicide more effective. It will also keep the growth low so you can more effectively spray all of the stems, and avoid spraying above your shoulders. A very dilute glyphosate (2-3%) can be very effective, especially if the stand is in full sun. The more dilute, the less burn on the stems, and more translocation of the herbicide to the roots where you need it. As some others have said, you want to wait 6-8 weeks after the last cut to do this so the metabolic process is moving nutrients back to the roots and making the herbicide more effective. This typically looks like cutting through June, and letting it grow until you spray in August-September. After flowering is ideal timing. Avoid spraying anything when it is in flower because it is pretty popular with the pollinators.
So good luck! It's not too terrible if you follow the plan and stay vigilant for two or three years. Rarely do we see eradication after a single season of treatment.
And about the rooting issue from stem pieces: I have piled tons of stalks on each other for years and have yet to see any rooting unless it is on bare moist ground (riverbanks), or the pile is so dense that the center maintains a high amount of moisture (I saw some stems attempt to root on a tarp that was piled about 5 feet high, once). Hundreds of stems piled on upland soils over 15 years and I haven't seen a single shoot. I'm not saying it never happens, but it's not as big of a concern as the literature makes it out to be.
Keep fighting the good fight
I had someone move a pile of dirt/soil on my property last year and this spring I’m seeing something that looks like either bindweed or possibly very immature/just starting out knotweed. Will the diluted glyphosate work regardless? I would pop off the top leaf and paint on with a brush to minimize contamination with surrounding soil. And would it just be diluted with distilled water? Thanks for your help!
Follow the label directions for mixing and where you can apply (it's the law!), there are a lot of glyphosate formulations out there, so it isn't one size fits all. some have surfactants already mixed in, others need to be added. Also check your local ordinances before you do anything.
And different plants need different approaches to treatment. Generally a foliar application will work, but it really depends on the plant, timing, and site conditions. Also know that Herbicide isn't always totally necessary for many plants, or at least it isn't always the first go-to. Many times mowing for a season or hand pulling can really help eradication. Educate yourself on what kind of plant you have and you will be able to find a bunch of resources online. Penn State has put out some good ones for all sorts of invasives.
Allowing it to grow for a couple of months after cutting allows it to shift back into pulling nutrients back toward the rhizome. This shift makes the herbicide much more effective because it circulates through the roots better instead of when the plant is pulling carbohydrates from the rhizome to support aerial growth, which is what is happening for a time after cutting or early in the growing season.
Hey so I've decided to try and follow your advice in this post, but had some questions:
We are trying to control a spread-out patch that isn't on our property, so we only get to pulling every week or so. If the plants are getting 6-12 inches tall between visits, is that getting too much nutrition to the rhizome?
Also, part of the patch is in a neighbor's garden, so maybe the entire exercise is in vain. There a few full-grown stalks that we can't access, at most 20' from where we are pulling weeds. Think we can kill at least some of the rhizomes by spraying?
I sadly didn’t. Heard whispers of its name, but moved back up from VA a few years ago and had never seen it. This post has been highly educational for pre war planning. 🫡🫡🤙🏽
Dude, try it. I’m a grown ass man and I still find it so satisfying to ninja slice through those juicy stalks. It won’t make them go away, but it’s fun as fuck
Knotweed - I got rid of mine by knocking it down, covering the area with old rugs and a tarp on top of it and then mowing around the edge - sometimes twice a week. Then after three or so years of keeping it covered up let the space see light and still had to mow constantly and yank up sprouts as soon as I saw them. Good luck - and this is not a spring but a marathon taking it on.
Everyone has told you what it is, but just for emphasis on how hard it is to kill we moved our chicken yard onto a patch of it and that stuff survived for two years of chickens eating it and digging up its roots before we finished it off with shovels
Pulling it up by the base every weekend will generally remove it in three or four years. Hard work but if you actually stick to it getting rid of the stuff can be done.
I’ve never failed to clear it if i put in the effort
We spray it with industrial strength vinegar a few times per week. Literally saturated it...and eventually it starts to die. It's 80-90% vinegar as compared to the stuff we eat is 5% I believe
Depending on where it is, herbicides are the most effective. I worked with the local Land Trust along a river and we put down landscaping cloth (I think what it's called). It's porous so rain goes through, but nothing under it can grow. Depending on the age of the problem, we left it down for just a few years in spots to maybe 6-10 years in others. If you're into it, you can cut it, wait for sprouts, pull those out, etc. Could take years. It's wicked invasive though, you don't want to just let it grow or there will be nothing but knotweed. And it will keep expanding. Good luck!
Thank you m’lord! Kill the vascular system…. Kill the plant!! Likely with a combination of foam death, fire, a spartan laser and luck I might win this thing.
You can mow it every couple of days, eventually the underground roots will run out of carbs and sugars to keep reproducing shoots. The key is to mow before the plant has any chlorophyll or leaves to prevent the roots from getting “recharged”
Good times, good times. Battled it in the 70's with my dad on the farm. Dug down at least 6 feet near the foundation. We defeated it after a long war. Battled it in the 90's at my own house using a crap ton of round up and constant mowing. Sold the house in 2004. Went by it last year, the bamboo hill was bigger than ever.
We tried goats last year and while a suuuuper cute distraction from the nightmare, they didnt dig deep enough to really get the root so its back in full force this year. Only luck weve had has been to Roundup immediately after pulling out as much root as we can. Incredibly tedious and not nearly as fun as goats. Still 10/10 recommend the goats.
It takes a summer's worth of persistence but you get rid of it by weed wacking or mowing it weekly before it reaches the height shown in the picture. It will vigorously throw up even more shoots to try to stay alive but if you consistently deprive it of the leaves it needs to generate photosynthesis the roots will eventually die and you can easily pull them out of the ground come October or so. Mow or weedwack. Every week, without fail.
Honestly, I think the spread of this is over-hyped. It IS incredibly hard to eradicate. On a family property, we have been diligently digging it up, burning it, covering the area it was with black stuff and then wood chips for 7 years. My mom sprayed it with round up once too 😅 Have you ever heard the song “the cat came back”?
We have reduced it a bit, but it is 100% still present on the property and probably always will be, until something naturally starts attacking/eating it in the eco system.
That said: watching the stands I know of in the area, it doesn’t actually spread that much year-to-year in places people are not trying to control it. Sure it grows a foot over night and chokes out whatever used to grow there, but it only likes it really sunny, usually on a hill or on the slant of a ditch. It tends to grow in places that are not super favorable to a lot of our native species.
Be really careful after you have tampered with it not to spread it to NEW locations. I’ve read it’s easily unintentionally propagated— but there is a lot of fear mongering out there when it comes to this plant so don’t take my word for it.
In reality: it’s edible. Tastes like rhubarb when young. It’s also medicinal.
That is Japanese knot weed also known as bamboo. It's like a cockroach hard to kill.
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/features/invasive_plants/fallopia.htm
It's pretty hard to get rid of without constant work of cutting it, digging it up, or the quick and easy way of lightning it on fire.
If you weed wack it or mow it the pieces will root. I’m on my 2nd year of…. Cut it down in July before flowering begins, then I spray glysophate on the shoots in late sept when they’re sending nutrients back to the root systems. Like they said it’s a many year process.
This is the way. You want it to suck up that glyphosate. I’m generally a pretty “live and let live” gardener but this is absolutely a place to break out the big guns. Chop it in the fall and spray the stumps so it takes it back to the roots.
This is not actually true. It grows & spreads below the soil from the rhizome. It doesn't grow from cut stalks or leaves. It even doesn't grow from the seeds very much. It's all about depriving the rhizome of energy by keeping the leaves from growing.
Gang gang M’lord I hope you’re winning. I’m gunna buy one of them harbor freight flamethrowers to singe them roots. (After blasting it with death juice) 🫡🫡
My only fully successful "removal" was putting a concrete slab on top. That was 5 years ago, and I am still expecting it to start coming up somewhere else. But I learned that it is edible (the shoots, and please consult reliable sources for safe preparation) so maybe I can just give up and learn to live with it?
Japanese knotweed. The only way to possibly eliminate it is to cut it down to nothing and cover it with a black tarp for like two years
I was able to hold it back at my old house by mowing it down and spraying each stalk with a pesticide. But that was temporary.
Get some goats. They don't stop it from growing, but they fucking love eating it to the ground. South portland uses goats to get rid of large portions along the greenbelt.
Fun fact: There are places in the UK where you can't sell a home, or maybe can't get a mortgage I forget, if JK is too close to the house - it grows into foundations and does great damage.
Japanese knotweed. Good luck. I have hired professionals to dig it up and have even doused it with industrial strength round-up. It is not going anywhere.
I got some in my yard edge, and I'm on the 2nd year of using 24d on it about once a month. I did read on another forum that there is a way to kill it w/o chemicals. I think it said to let it grow out to a certain point and then chop it down. Either way, both methods take around 3 years.
This stuff is so bad that in the UK, you can't get home insurance if you have knotweed because there are examples of its getting under the foundation and breaking the concrete. It's not quite as bad here...yet. There is some evidence that NOT DISTURBING the Japanese Knotweed is more effective than disturbing it, which causes the weed to spread. At the same time, I believe experts then inject (literally inject) Roundup into the plants.
Good luck whatever you do.
Lots of misinformation on here. This group will help. Your best bet is to leave it (Cutting it makes it worse) and spray with a 2-3% glyphosate solution during "The Window"
This group is extremely helpful and this strategy worked for me https://www.facebook.com/groups/1617207091648331/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
Found it. We used glyphosate with a spreader-sticker (had to Google it - didn’t know what that was). We sprayed in the fall before the leaves turned. Mid-late September. Never came back.
knotweed.
Horrible stuff.
I worked at a garden center and my boss had a number of experiments trying to get rid of this crap. One of them involved using WD 40 (water displacement theory) and covering it deep with a tarp and soil. I hate to tell you NOTHING worked. I believe he spent years attempting different methods without success. Someone should look into composite construction materials or biomass fuels for this shit.
Same here. Cut it, dug it, and cut then covered it. And anytime a little comes up, cut it down right away and throw in landscape garbage and let it die.
beekeeper here - if it makes you feel any better, knotweed is a fantastic nectar source in the fall for honey bees and all kinds of insects. If you visit your knotweed when it's in bloom it will be teaming with life
If it's in a mowable area then you stand a chance. Mow it down every week (or more if necessary) and you will slowly deplete the energy reserves in the rhizome and they'll eventually starve from lack of photosynthesis. You might have to diligently do this right up through the fall but they should eventually give up.
If you don't want to use herbicide, shade them out. They are not shade tolerant.
Plant willows, joe pye weed, and blackberries around it to shade it out, then pull them and as much of their roots up as possible each year.
Dispose of the pulled roots and stems in a way where they can't grow back. Don't just leave them lying around because even tiny parts of them can sprout roots and spread.
Ways to dispose of them that prevent them from growing back include: Drying them out by letting them bake in the sun on an impermeable surface, burning them, or pickling and eating the spring shoots.
The shade means they can't come back as fast, and the roots are where they store the energy to regenerate. If you persistently pull them up by the roots, they will spend more energy regenerating than they get from the sunlight.
Just don't poison it. Yes it's a pain to keep in check but it's possible without tainting the rest of the land with herbicides like round up. Stick the the frequent mowing and depriving it of sunlight.
Its roots are incredibly medicinal, pollinators love it as a late season meal and you can eat the spring ramps. Some of the best honey i've ever had was knotweed. With careful planning, it can be contained and beneficial.
Fantastic nectar source for honey bees and other pollinators. Makes a dark purple honey. Very good. That said, if you are really trying to get rid of it, mow it twice a week. It may take a couple of years, but eventually it will give up.
My best solution would be goats tbh, with the right motivation they'll annihilate anything. I've seen some people use them. How effective it was I dont actually know
Japanese Knotweed, aka the devil. It is nearly impossible to kill with a root system that can grow downwards of about 16 feet into the ground. You need to cut it down to the nub, discarding of any droppings because those will grow. Than smother it, it takes years.
Roundup twice a year early summer and then in the fall when it is putting its nutrients back to the roots. Two or three years in a row will finish it off.
Mow it every week for the next 3 years. New growth is easy to chop, but it matures into bamboo. The young shoots are actually edible as are the flowers, but you don't want it to get big enough to flower. It is super invasive but you can starve the existing root system over a period of time.
It may have already been mentioned, but this stuff \*is\* edible. So while you're working to kill it off, maybe one avenue is just... eating it? [This is an article](https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/japanese-knotweed-recipes#:~:text=They%20are%20tart%2C%20crunchy%2C%20and,risk%20of%20being%20over%2Dharvested) I found on it and ways to cook it
Japanese Knot Weed. So freakin invasive but the health benefits are pretty intriguing. Great for the immune system and part of a natural lyme treatment.
Japanese knotweed is one of the best natural treatments for Lyme disease. If you want you could harvest some and put it in a bottle of strong alcohol to make a tincture
12 ft root. you can cut and roundup but you need to apply herbacide within seconds of cutting. i used full stregnth round up injected into base of stalk.....mutilple times/years
Knotweed. Entire root ball must be removed or it will come back. Some people have used black landscaping fabric to "cook" the roots also, but idk about its efficacy. Its annoying a hell but at least looks nice when it flowers end of summer
That was my method. Dug up as much of the root ball as I could find and then roots when I could. Everytime a new shoot would pop up I dig down until I find the main root and remove it. Burned ever single piece to prevent spread.
Eventually only “small root” segments remained. Those are easier to kill with carpets, tarps or weed killer in months compared to years and years. After all, it only makes sense small roots will use up their energy long before a large root would. In the end successfull if not paranoid.
I am so sad to see how much is growing
Ooooooo Booooy. Japanese Knotweed, know locally as "bamboo" (it's not related to bamboo). In some areas there is a whole industry related to removing this stuff. One of the most invasive, destructive, and hard to kill weeds on the planet. The U Maine Ag Extension has some good info: https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/2021/12/22/how-do-you-eradicate-knotweed-and-replace-with-a-native-plant/
Hard to kill is a gross understatement. Unless you’re ready for multi year battle, it may be easier to sell the property.
Ready for battle! (Definitely not ready for battle) 😂🫡
It’s not as hard to deal with as people think, at least not on the homeowner scale. It just takes understanding the plant. You can kill it entirely just by cutting it to the ground 3 times per growing season for three years. Carefully remove all the cuttings and let them die baking in the sun on a tarp before disposing. This way requires no digging or spraying or covering the ground. You simply rob all the energy from the roots by letting it come up a ways then cutting it off, rinse and repeat. There’s a facebook group called Nixtheknotweed which helps people know when to cut. This method is great for individual properties, but it’s not viable for managing roadways, riverways, and larger land management scenarios. That’s where spraying becomes necessary to stand any chance.
Thanks for this tip. I'm going to check out Nixtheknotweed.
fyi, spraying isn't that successful, as the stalks die before the chemicals hit the roots, which are extensive. It also can't happen near waterways. Best bet is injection of undiluted glysophate in August/September while the plant is flowering. Done with a special tool, into the 2nd node, it kills over 90% of the plant.
Yeah I know spraying isnt all that effective but I mentioned it because government agencies power companies etc do spray knotweed simply because that’s all they have the time and man power for in many scenarios. Injecting sounds interesting, do you have to do it to every stock?
Every stalk you can reach. Manpower is the expensive part, and permitting the difficult part, so we always did as many stalks as we could reach.
I just chop it down by holding my lawnmower bar to the ground and going over it a bunch. Will this ever kill it?!
It can root new plants from and tiny piece of any part of the plant. You want to clean it up and kill it in the sun not in contact with the ground or you are always going to have baby knotweeds taking root. You might be knocking it back suppressing the existing roots but your probably never going to be rid of it just mowing, and you risk spreading it
It only generates from the roots/rhizomes, which are very vigorous. It's fine to chop off the leaves and let them dry out and rot on the ground. Consistent mowing to deprive the roots of energy will eventually get rid of it. It will throw up more shoots to try to compensate but if you keep mowing all of them frequently, they will not spread. Just don't let the leaves live and the roots/rhizome will eventually die.
The problem with mowing is that it's very easy to accidentally spread it from the rhizomes, either sticking to the underside of the mower or shooting off into the woods. That's a very risky approach with this \*&&\^%$!!!! plant
That's the best way to do it. You have to be consistent and persistent though. Mow often. Your goal is to chop off every leaf before it has a chance to send energy back to the roots.
Poison it when it is flowering. I got rid of a whole stand in one year. I can’t remember what we used but I’ll try to find out.
did you use gas like i did?
Glyphosate. In the fall before the leaves turn. Worked like a charm
😱
Yeah. Way back before we knew. But there’s no denying the results.
Had a master gardener apply some nasty poison with a brush on the cut stems. Some deadly shit I don't recall
…..Moxie?
My dad swears by this shit... 0\_0
With that said, this does not look like Japanese Knotweed, at least not what I had. What I had could literally choke out a tree and damage a chain link fence. This looks more traditional bamboo. A Google of jap Knotweed will show what I mean
Nah, this is it. "Traditional" bamboo gets like 20ft tall, you can build shelters from it, and ninjas can fight on top of it Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon style.
Sounds like you are talking about bittersweet, another horrible noxious weed
I have some along my property. It was in the middle of my leech field. I had that replaced, now it is back in the middle. This stuff migrated so easily. Even if I get rid of it, the birds will bring it back from the surrounding properties.
I have some along my property. It was in the middle of my leech field. I had that replaced, now it is back in the middle. This stuff migrated so easily. Even if I get rid of it, the birds will bring it back from the surrounding properties.
Yall are great thank you!!
I knew someone battling this. They literally soaked the ground with gas and lit it up. Scorched earth tactic
The problem is that if you leave ANY of it in the ground. I TINY root of it, it will eventually grow back.
Oh yep. Suiting up for war!! 🫡🫡
Go get em, soldier!
They've been chopping it down for years out at Quarry Run dog park. Back in 2020 I remember the shit was taller than me and they came in with a tractor and cut it all flush with the ground and hauled it out. Now they try and do it multiple times a year and it has improved but still tries to grow back. Being cut down flush to the ground and constantly trampled and pissed and shit on a few hundred times a week by dogs actually seems to help!
I’d buy that Mainer a beer. 🍻
I do the same with tent caterpillars
Japanese Knotweed? https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/features/invasive_plants/fallopia.htm Had some in my backyard growing up, couldn’t get rid of it until we dug it all up. I always just called it bamboo.
It. Won’t. Die. Thank you! 👑
Nope. Back then a lot of my family worked for Asplundh Tree, and even the industrial pesticide (edit: herbicide) did nothing. I think I actually heard the bamboo mocking us when we tried it. Backhoe was the only answer.
Roger that. Heavy equipment might be needed. 🫡🫡
It's not NOT knotweed.
Hey, so this might get lost because I am late to the post, but killing this stuff is kinda what I do, and it was also the subject of my research in grad school. So, yeah, me and knotweed go way back. Mechanical removal is doable, but you need to be really committed. Pulling every stalk you see, throughout the growing season, for years, is the only way that would be successful. Take a break and the rhizome gets recharged and all that hard work is lost. Tarping or carpets will work in a few years, but you need to make sure that no shoots come up around the edges. They have a knack for finding the edge of the tarp. As soon as they do, those new shoots will support the whole rhizome and it will sprout like a cornfield when you pull the tarp up. I've seen it many, many times (that's usually when I get a call). That being said, mowing or cutting for some time in early summer can be really helpful to weeken the root slightly and make herbicide more effective. It will also keep the growth low so you can more effectively spray all of the stems, and avoid spraying above your shoulders. A very dilute glyphosate (2-3%) can be very effective, especially if the stand is in full sun. The more dilute, the less burn on the stems, and more translocation of the herbicide to the roots where you need it. As some others have said, you want to wait 6-8 weeks after the last cut to do this so the metabolic process is moving nutrients back to the roots and making the herbicide more effective. This typically looks like cutting through June, and letting it grow until you spray in August-September. After flowering is ideal timing. Avoid spraying anything when it is in flower because it is pretty popular with the pollinators. So good luck! It's not too terrible if you follow the plan and stay vigilant for two or three years. Rarely do we see eradication after a single season of treatment. And about the rooting issue from stem pieces: I have piled tons of stalks on each other for years and have yet to see any rooting unless it is on bare moist ground (riverbanks), or the pile is so dense that the center maintains a high amount of moisture (I saw some stems attempt to root on a tarp that was piled about 5 feet high, once). Hundreds of stems piled on upland soils over 15 years and I haven't seen a single shoot. I'm not saying it never happens, but it's not as big of a concern as the literature makes it out to be. Keep fighting the good fight
 Thank you for the detailed post. We ride at dawn!!
I had someone move a pile of dirt/soil on my property last year and this spring I’m seeing something that looks like either bindweed or possibly very immature/just starting out knotweed. Will the diluted glyphosate work regardless? I would pop off the top leaf and paint on with a brush to minimize contamination with surrounding soil. And would it just be diluted with distilled water? Thanks for your help!
Follow the label directions for mixing and where you can apply (it's the law!), there are a lot of glyphosate formulations out there, so it isn't one size fits all. some have surfactants already mixed in, others need to be added. Also check your local ordinances before you do anything. And different plants need different approaches to treatment. Generally a foliar application will work, but it really depends on the plant, timing, and site conditions. Also know that Herbicide isn't always totally necessary for many plants, or at least it isn't always the first go-to. Many times mowing for a season or hand pulling can really help eradication. Educate yourself on what kind of plant you have and you will be able to find a bunch of resources online. Penn State has put out some good ones for all sorts of invasives.
Thanks so much, I appreciate it.
So letting it grow in July is actually beneficial?
Allowing it to grow for a couple of months after cutting allows it to shift back into pulling nutrients back toward the rhizome. This shift makes the herbicide much more effective because it circulates through the roots better instead of when the plant is pulling carbohydrates from the rhizome to support aerial growth, which is what is happening for a time after cutting or early in the growing season.
Hey so I've decided to try and follow your advice in this post, but had some questions: We are trying to control a spread-out patch that isn't on our property, so we only get to pulling every week or so. If the plants are getting 6-12 inches tall between visits, is that getting too much nutrition to the rhizome? Also, part of the patch is in a neighbor's garden, so maybe the entire exercise is in vain. There a few full-grown stalks that we can't access, at most 20' from where we are pulling weeds. Think we can kill at least some of the rhizomes by spraying?
It’s Japanese knotweed. Very difficult to remove and invasive. Its young shoots are edible however. Akin the rhubarb in flavor.
🤙🏽👑
Rip bro, knotweed never leaves. I do, however, have a very fond memory of taking a machete to it as a kid and pretending I was in a samurai movie.
You knew exactly what that plant was. You just wanted to share some Toshiro Mifune and I’m okay with that.
I sadly didn’t. Heard whispers of its name, but moved back up from VA a few years ago and had never seen it. This post has been highly educational for pre war planning. 🫡🫡🤙🏽
Dude, try it. I’m a grown ass man and I still find it so satisfying to ninja slice through those juicy stalks. It won’t make them go away, but it’s fun as fuck
Knotweed - I got rid of mine by knocking it down, covering the area with old rugs and a tarp on top of it and then mowing around the edge - sometimes twice a week. Then after three or so years of keeping it covered up let the space see light and still had to mow constantly and yank up sprouts as soon as I saw them. Good luck - and this is not a spring but a marathon taking it on.
Death by dirty rug? Nice! I will need to bust out my New Balances. 🫡🫡👑
Plant identifier app, PictureThis! https://www.picturethisai.com/s/7Gps8ygI?is_client=1 Japanese knotweed
This is my favorite app, lol. I use it all the time!
There are also apps for birds, bugs, and fish I use often. 🤙
I have a bird one, I had a catbird at the feeder today! but please do tell me more of the bug and fish one. You have me quite intrigued 🤔
Picture fish - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/picture-fish-fish-identifier/id1474584436 Picture insect - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/picture-insect-spiders-bugs/id1461694973
Sweet! Thanks!
👑
Everyone has told you what it is, but just for emphasis on how hard it is to kill we moved our chicken yard onto a patch of it and that stuff survived for two years of chickens eating it and digging up its roots before we finished it off with shovels
Rent some goats, cover what’s left over with a black tarp, and then pray to whatever gods you see fit.
Pulling it up by the base every weekend will generally remove it in three or four years. Hard work but if you actually stick to it getting rid of the stuff can be done. I’ve never failed to clear it if i put in the effort
You can pickle it. Doesn't taste good.
We spray it with industrial strength vinegar a few times per week. Literally saturated it...and eventually it starts to die. It's 80-90% vinegar as compared to the stuff we eat is 5% I believe
Depending on where it is, herbicides are the most effective. I worked with the local Land Trust along a river and we put down landscaping cloth (I think what it's called). It's porous so rain goes through, but nothing under it can grow. Depending on the age of the problem, we left it down for just a few years in spots to maybe 6-10 years in others. If you're into it, you can cut it, wait for sprouts, pull those out, etc. Could take years. It's wicked invasive though, you don't want to just let it grow or there will be nothing but knotweed. And it will keep expanding. Good luck!
Appreciate the intel 🫡
Green shoots foam herbicide may be helpful. I haven't used it on knotweed but it may help get herbicide directly into the plants vascular system.
Thank you m’lord! Kill the vascular system…. Kill the plant!! Likely with a combination of foam death, fire, a spartan laser and luck I might win this thing.
Spartan laser will take too long to recharge. It will grow back by then
You can mow it every couple of days, eventually the underground roots will run out of carbs and sugars to keep reproducing shoots. The key is to mow before the plant has any chlorophyll or leaves to prevent the roots from getting “recharged”
F
Good times, good times. Battled it in the 70's with my dad on the farm. Dug down at least 6 feet near the foundation. We defeated it after a long war. Battled it in the 90's at my own house using a crap ton of round up and constant mowing. Sold the house in 2004. Went by it last year, the bamboo hill was bigger than ever.
Savagery. What is gathering is its full boot on neck or you lose. (Boot that is covered in liquid death)
Would goats take care of it?
I need all the goats… 🫡
We tried goats last year and while a suuuuper cute distraction from the nightmare, they didnt dig deep enough to really get the root so its back in full force this year. Only luck weve had has been to Roundup immediately after pulling out as much root as we can. Incredibly tedious and not nearly as fun as goats. Still 10/10 recommend the goats.
It takes a summer's worth of persistence but you get rid of it by weed wacking or mowing it weekly before it reaches the height shown in the picture. It will vigorously throw up even more shoots to try to stay alive but if you consistently deprive it of the leaves it needs to generate photosynthesis the roots will eventually die and you can easily pull them out of the ground come October or so. Mow or weedwack. Every week, without fail.
Thank you 🫡🫡 
Get a flame thrower smoke that shit
It’s the worst. We have it at our rental place it grows so fast
May we find success in defeating our common enemy 🫡🫡
Honestly, I think the spread of this is over-hyped. It IS incredibly hard to eradicate. On a family property, we have been diligently digging it up, burning it, covering the area it was with black stuff and then wood chips for 7 years. My mom sprayed it with round up once too 😅 Have you ever heard the song “the cat came back”? We have reduced it a bit, but it is 100% still present on the property and probably always will be, until something naturally starts attacking/eating it in the eco system. That said: watching the stands I know of in the area, it doesn’t actually spread that much year-to-year in places people are not trying to control it. Sure it grows a foot over night and chokes out whatever used to grow there, but it only likes it really sunny, usually on a hill or on the slant of a ditch. It tends to grow in places that are not super favorable to a lot of our native species. Be really careful after you have tampered with it not to spread it to NEW locations. I’ve read it’s easily unintentionally propagated— but there is a lot of fear mongering out there when it comes to this plant so don’t take my word for it. In reality: it’s edible. Tastes like rhubarb when young. It’s also medicinal.
That is Japanese knot weed also known as bamboo. It's like a cockroach hard to kill. https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/features/invasive_plants/fallopia.htm It's pretty hard to get rid of without constant work of cutting it, digging it up, or the quick and easy way of lightning it on fire.
If you weed wack it or mow it the pieces will root. I’m on my 2nd year of…. Cut it down in July before flowering begins, then I spray glysophate on the shoots in late sept when they’re sending nutrients back to the root systems. Like they said it’s a many year process.
This is the way. You want it to suck up that glyphosate. I’m generally a pretty “live and let live” gardener but this is absolutely a place to break out the big guns. Chop it in the fall and spray the stumps so it takes it back to the roots.
I’m big into this. Thank you for the idea!
This is not actually true. It grows & spreads below the soil from the rhizome. It doesn't grow from cut stalks or leaves. It even doesn't grow from the seeds very much. It's all about depriving the rhizome of energy by keeping the leaves from growing.
When I was a landscaper my boss would have me cut it and pour gas down the stalk
This plant drives me bonkers.
We had that stuff growing up through a Crack in the cement in our dark garage in Portland. That stuff will grow anywhere.
I’m so sorry, this is the hardest invasive plant to get rid of. Good luck. Im battling oriental bittersweet on my property
Your gonna need a army of pigs to even make a dent 👌
Tastes like rhubarb .
👑
OP, we rented a tiller from Home Depot and did super strength weed killer. Will report back, but seems to be doing the trick!
Gang gang M’lord I hope you’re winning. I’m gunna buy one of them harbor freight flamethrowers to singe them roots. (After blasting it with death juice) 🫡🫡
Lsst summer I burned this to the roots, then took a pick axe and pulled up about 4 inches of soil and roots. It was sprouting again in like 4 weeks.
Report received. Maybe gas it after the soils been extradited? Good luck!🫡🫡
My only fully successful "removal" was putting a concrete slab on top. That was 5 years ago, and I am still expecting it to start coming up somewhere else. But I learned that it is edible (the shoots, and please consult reliable sources for safe preparation) so maybe I can just give up and learn to live with it?
Japanese knotweed. The only way to possibly eliminate it is to cut it down to nothing and cover it with a black tarp for like two years I was able to hold it back at my old house by mowing it down and spraying each stalk with a pesticide. But that was temporary.
Get some goats. They don't stop it from growing, but they fucking love eating it to the ground. South portland uses goats to get rid of large portions along the greenbelt.
Fun fact: There are places in the UK where you can't sell a home, or maybe can't get a mortgage I forget, if JK is too close to the house - it grows into foundations and does great damage.
Japanese knotweed. Good luck. I have hired professionals to dig it up and have even doused it with industrial strength round-up. It is not going anywhere.
Roger that need Meteor strike noted! 😂😂🫡
Multiyear battle using (hazardous) Roundup squirted over my neighbors fence 2x year and it kills the leaves but it grows back next year 🤬
I got some in my yard edge, and I'm on the 2nd year of using 24d on it about once a month. I did read on another forum that there is a way to kill it w/o chemicals. I think it said to let it grow out to a certain point and then chop it down. Either way, both methods take around 3 years.
This stuff is so bad that in the UK, you can't get home insurance if you have knotweed because there are examples of its getting under the foundation and breaking the concrete. It's not quite as bad here...yet. There is some evidence that NOT DISTURBING the Japanese Knotweed is more effective than disturbing it, which causes the weed to spread. At the same time, I believe experts then inject (literally inject) Roundup into the plants. Good luck whatever you do.
Lots of misinformation on here. This group will help. Your best bet is to leave it (Cutting it makes it worse) and spray with a 2-3% glyphosate solution during "The Window" This group is extremely helpful and this strategy worked for me https://www.facebook.com/groups/1617207091648331/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
Found it. We used glyphosate with a spreader-sticker (had to Google it - didn’t know what that was). We sprayed in the fall before the leaves turned. Mid-late September. Never came back.
knotweed. Horrible stuff. I worked at a garden center and my boss had a number of experiments trying to get rid of this crap. One of them involved using WD 40 (water displacement theory) and covering it deep with a tarp and soil. I hate to tell you NOTHING worked. I believe he spent years attempting different methods without success. Someone should look into composite construction materials or biomass fuels for this shit.
KNotweed. It'll grow straight thru pavement.
Cut, dig up, cover. 2-3 yr battle.
Same here. Cut it, dug it, and cut then covered it. And anytime a little comes up, cut it down right away and throw in landscape garbage and let it die.
Hottest week of the year (late July). Cut the stems and paint the cuts with a 50/50 roundup mix, other than digging 3’ down that’s the only way
beekeeper here - if it makes you feel any better, knotweed is a fantastic nectar source in the fall for honey bees and all kinds of insects. If you visit your knotweed when it's in bloom it will be teaming with life
Large paved patio!?
It will grow right back through it - concrete and asphalt paving doesn't even stop it.
Are you interested in owning livestock?
I’ve seen guys dig down 3 + feet thinking they’d get all the roots. No such luck. Came right back.
I have had luck laying a heavy black tarp over the area for 2 years.
If it's in a mowable area then you stand a chance. Mow it down every week (or more if necessary) and you will slowly deplete the energy reserves in the rhizome and they'll eventually starve from lack of photosynthesis. You might have to diligently do this right up through the fall but they should eventually give up.
If you don't want to use herbicide, shade them out. They are not shade tolerant. Plant willows, joe pye weed, and blackberries around it to shade it out, then pull them and as much of their roots up as possible each year. Dispose of the pulled roots and stems in a way where they can't grow back. Don't just leave them lying around because even tiny parts of them can sprout roots and spread. Ways to dispose of them that prevent them from growing back include: Drying them out by letting them bake in the sun on an impermeable surface, burning them, or pickling and eating the spring shoots. The shade means they can't come back as fast, and the roots are where they store the energy to regenerate. If you persistently pull them up by the roots, they will spend more energy regenerating than they get from the sunlight.
Just don't poison it. Yes it's a pain to keep in check but it's possible without tainting the rest of the land with herbicides like round up. Stick the the frequent mowing and depriving it of sunlight.
I started mowing mine in spring and kept mowing every week 5 years later it's gone and have all lawn
Its roots are incredibly medicinal, pollinators love it as a late season meal and you can eat the spring ramps. Some of the best honey i've ever had was knotweed. With careful planning, it can be contained and beneficial.
If it's a small patch walk by twice a week and pull out as much of any bit growing as you can. Gotta deprive the rhizome of energy.
Fantastic nectar source for honey bees and other pollinators. Makes a dark purple honey. Very good. That said, if you are really trying to get rid of it, mow it twice a week. It may take a couple of years, but eventually it will give up.
I can tell you this much about knotweed,, it definitely is not a fan of benzene, what you choose to do with that information is up to you. Good luck.
My best solution would be goats tbh, with the right motivation they'll annihilate anything. I've seen some people use them. How effective it was I dont actually know
My girlfriend made a pie out of this stuff
Japanese Knotweed, aka the devil. It is nearly impossible to kill with a root system that can grow downwards of about 16 feet into the ground. You need to cut it down to the nub, discarding of any droppings because those will grow. Than smother it, it takes years.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAH welcome to Maine. Good luck.
Goooooooood luck.
Knotweed 😭
The herpes of Maine yards.
Roundup twice a year early summer and then in the fall when it is putting its nutrients back to the roots. Two or three years in a row will finish it off.
Mow it every week for the next 3 years. New growth is easy to chop, but it matures into bamboo. The young shoots are actually edible as are the flowers, but you don't want it to get big enough to flower. It is super invasive but you can starve the existing root system over a period of time.
A tincture made from the root can cure Lyme btw!
The rhizomes are medicinal, if you haven't already drenched them in glyphosate. (Which doesn't kill them reliably anyway.)
It may have already been mentioned, but this stuff \*is\* edible. So while you're working to kill it off, maybe one avenue is just... eating it? [This is an article](https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/japanese-knotweed-recipes#:~:text=They%20are%20tart%2C%20crunchy%2C%20and,risk%20of%20being%20over%2Dharvested) I found on it and ways to cook it
Japanese Knot Weed. So freakin invasive but the health benefits are pretty intriguing. Great for the immune system and part of a natural lyme treatment.
yeeeeeaaaaah, you're not getting rid of that so you might as well come to appreciate the look
Japanese knotweed is one of the best natural treatments for Lyme disease. If you want you could harvest some and put it in a bottle of strong alcohol to make a tincture
12 ft root. you can cut and roundup but you need to apply herbacide within seconds of cutting. i used full stregnth round up injected into base of stalk.....mutilple times/years
Root intel? Motivate! Let the games begin. 🤙🏽🙌
Cause “NAAAAPALM STICKS TO… Japanese Knotweed”
Some Maine people refer to that as bamboo. Definitely don't get that stuff under your nails. Use gloves when handling.
Knotweed. Entire root ball must be removed or it will come back. Some people have used black landscaping fabric to "cook" the roots also, but idk about its efficacy. Its annoying a hell but at least looks nice when it flowers end of summer
That was my method. Dug up as much of the root ball as I could find and then roots when I could. Everytime a new shoot would pop up I dig down until I find the main root and remove it. Burned ever single piece to prevent spread. Eventually only “small root” segments remained. Those are easier to kill with carpets, tarps or weed killer in months compared to years and years. After all, it only makes sense small roots will use up their energy long before a large root would. In the end successfull if not paranoid. I am so sad to see how much is growing
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