The Fire Analogy A great analogy is to
liken Japanese knotweed to fire.
The small ember. (A
piece of knotweed root)
A tiny ember from a
fire can be transported from one place to another by accident and as
long as it has sufficient opportunity, it�ll stay alight and start
a new fire in a new location.
In the same way, a
small chunk of Japanese knotweed root material (rhizome) can be dug
up and transported to a new location and as long as it has sufficient
opportunity, can re-establish itself and grow in a new location.
The first flame (a
small shoot of Japanese knotweed)
As the ember ignites
surrounding flammable material, the knotweed is establishing itself
in the soil and building a root system and the first shoot appears.
The flame becomes a
fire (Japanese knotweed as a bush)
The embers turn into a
small fire, with its flames building, spreading and consuming the
land around it. It seeks out combustible material in its hunger to
grow. In the same way, Japanese knotweed establishes itself and out
competes its neighboring environment, by growing tall strong stems
blocking out the sun light to other plants, and its roots exploiting
any space, including weak pipes and cracks in building foundations,
so it can to establish dominance in the environment it finds itself
in.
The inferno is
taking control (A well-established stand of Japanese knotweed)
The fire becomes very
strong with dense flames of super-heated material, is able to resist
attempts to put it out and its strength increases the longer it is
allowed to grow � Knotweed builds in
strength every year, building its root (rhizome) system into dense
blocks of material able to resist attack from chemicals. Its stems
become thicker and taller, consuming its surrounding environment.
Both fire and knotweed have a dominant, run-away, element at this
point which makes them a very destructive force, causing damage to
their surroundings and takes a lot of effort to control.
The fire brigade
arrives (Roots Shoots Leaves treatment starts)
Like Japanese knotweed,
fire will take more than just a bucket of water to put out a raging
inferno. Clever tactics need to be employed and specialist fire crews
need to be brought in. It takes time to control knotweed and fire,
but with a clear management plan and application of control measures,
the situation can be resolved.
The aftermath
(Revegetation)
Once the fire has been
brought under control, assessments of the damage will be made,
assurances that this won�t happen again will be expected, with the
repair and re-establishment of the environment thought of. In the
same way, Japanese knotweed is controlled, detailed Management Plan
provided to ensure mortgages and insurances won�t be effected and
ways to re-establish the environment through planting, will be
provided.
Japanese
knotweed. Is the reputation it has, justified?
The message is, that
if you catch the fire early, it is easier to put out. Allowing
Japanese knotweed to take hold and establish itself, will make it
harder to deal with later. However, treatment and eradication is
possible and with the right tactics, Roots shoots leaves will soon
have your land back to the way it should be or even an improved
version of it!
Roots shoots leaves Ltd was established in 2006 to provide grounds maintenance, Japanese knotweed control and tree surgery.
A great analogy is to liken Japanese knotweed to the rapid spread of fire. Starting With a small ember which in turn can cause a large fire with the right conditions.
Our qualified surveyors, trained by the Property Care Association, will visit your property and a full environmental survey will be carried out.
Japanese knotweed is a large ornamental plant that is not unattractive and this is the reason it not only made its way into this country in the first place...