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Anyone with any experiences of knotweed at their house?
We've just had a call from our mortgage company saying they won't provide a mortgage on a house we like as knotweed was found.
There seems to be a load of horror stories on t'interweb but then nobody takes the time to put 'it wasn't a problem really' so not sure if I'm getting a skewed view or not.
Bottom line is should we walk away now or is it just a problem that needs sorting by throwing money at it?
TIA
Matt
If it is on company property then it must be dug up and removed. Must also be disposed of as special waste. I suppose that you can't do much about it if the mortgage depends on it being removed unless the current owners are either prepared to get rid of it or if you really really really want the place, you could get it done yourself
I'd walk, very nasty stuff, difficult to get rid and can force its way through concrete.
You can rely on this forum answering a question before.
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/japanese-knotweed-arrgh
can force its way through concrete
...which is why the mortgage company want nothing to do with it!
From the Gardens question time website:
Use a total weedkiller, such as glyphosate. For best results, cut away old stems in winter and spray the plant in late summer when the weed is flowering. You will need to re-apply in midsummer, then check in September and spray again if needed. Check again in spring. It can take 3 or 4 seasons to eradicate using glyphosate. Avoid spraying on a windy day and near other desirable plants.
and from the BBC
Treating the weed with chemicals is cheaper but can take years, according to experts. Removing it has delayed the completion of a £1.5m road near Fareham in Hampshire for three years because the county council has decided to poison it at a cost of £5,000. Removing it would have been quicker but would have cost £250,000.
Best to avoid as it will take years to get rid of if you are lucky and persistent.
Thanks all,
Drac - I did a search for knotweed but nowt came up, so cheers for posting that.
My hopes of avoiding estate agents for the next few years are dashed then 😥
Goes back to find property pages....
My brother had it in his garden, a new house when they moved in.
Took a while to get rid, he then had the whole garden re-landscaped, which helped.
To look at the garden now you would never know it had had a problem.
If you haven't found it already the Environment Agency is a good place to start:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/sectors/31364.aspx
HTH
Drac - I did a search for knotweed but nowt came up, so cheers for posting that
No worries wasn't suggesting a search just I remembered from last time, if you search and nothing comes up click advanced and expand the time of teh search.
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Our survey said there was knotweed in the garden, though it didn't seem to bother the mortgage provider. We've been in 2 years now I still haven't found any.
I'd walk, very nasty stuff, difficult to get rid and can force its way through concrete.
Whilst I've seen it on a number of sites and it has, at times, disturbed tarmac paths etc I think this is a bit of an over-statement.
It's not great stuff but folks tend to over-react about it. Nightmare if your brownfield site has it admittedly. But if it's a patch in the corner of the garden then it's not the end of the world.
Who found and reported it? A building survey? Get a professional to survey it if you really like the property and come up with recommendations on how to deal with it. Google for contractors or a jobbing landscaper might be able to help. Afterall, it was introduced as an ornamental plant for gardens so I imagine there's plenty of housese in the UK who have it that aren't falling down or at risk of immediate, catastrophic collapse 😉
EA stuff is good starting place but bear in mind it's often construction / waterways management biased i.e. focused on the "bigger" problem areas. Encapsulation criteria etc are all a bit much in your instance I imagine.
BTW, it's a offence to spread or cultivate it (IIRC) so I'd suggest you don't chuck it over the "prospective" neighbour's fence 😉
This thread sums up my thinking on knotweed - according to the stuff I've read there is no 6 mile square plot of land in the UK that is free of it. So it's a problem that needs to be managed and according to the eradication companies it can be managed - it's just that this management is time consuming and might be costly.
So you have the 'nuke it from orbit' and the 'no problem' camps and never the twain shall meet.
Either way I've got to deal with a poisonous weed - an estate agent or the plant - it's just a shame I can't legally eradicate both!
EDIT: Thanks for that Cheekymonkey. I've seen some recommendations of companies from the thread Drac linked to so I'll phone a few and find out.