New house has Japanese knotweed

[Ann3216]

Bought the house in November. Gardener showed me a growth and told me it’s Japanese knotweed. He’s come before and not seen it so must be new growth. Any experience or advice very much appreciated. I’ve been watching some horror stories on YouTube about the savage it can do,

We discovered Japanese Knotweed a few years ago. It came from the council owned field at the back of our house. Our gardener dealt with it easily, so don't panic.

I could be wrong here but the seller should have declared that they have Japanese Knotweed.
If they have lied on the declaration form then it's a Breach of Contract and you could claim damages.
Hopefully a solicitor should be able to give you the full legal picture and advise you.

RIP

It should have been declared by the seller but it is treatable. Contact a local gardener. There's a chemical which can be used successfully on it.

Did you have a knotweed survey done? I'm sure this is stressful but asking as this is something which might mean it ws def just recent. Or it was missed in the survey.

A few seasons of Roundup application will sort it. No big deal really.

I would guess that if the householder did know, just answering 'don't know' would absolve them of any responsibility in the useless conveyancing process.

I read it doesn't matter if they knew, it matters if it had it. Use some round up at the right time of year. It's scary watching it grow but later in the season is better.

All the info you need is here OP https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-japanese-knotweed-from-spreading#if-you-have-knotweed-on-your-land-or-property

Get it sprayed.
The horror stories may make for great headlines but it is fairly easy to get rid of.

I has one shoot come up repeatedly next to my tree. We dug down a s dug up a thick chunk of it, since then it's tried to put up new shoots but I just snip them off below ground and cover hole with soil and bark chippings. It hasn't had a new shoot for a month now. I think it's given up!

no idea where it's come from though. Only that one shoot in my garden and I can't see any in my neighbours garden

@XioXio where are you throwing it out? You know you’re not supposed to throw it in the garden bin right?

OP can you post a pic please

Dig it up, as much as you can, and stick it in the bin. Keep digging it up as it emerges, and keep putting it in the bin.

Don't say I told you that.

No I think its meant to be burnt

@SupermarketMum I burnt it

https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/japanese-knotweed

Buy roundup gel. Spread on the leaves about once a month. Continue until it dies. Might take a few years but you will defeat it.

Do NOT dig or chop. It is spread by fragments of plant in the soil so digging and chopping makes it worse.

worth looking into this. We had knotweed and there was evidence that the growth had been stunted by previous weed killing efforts, and by default the sellers had fibbed about knowing it was there. This was picked up by a specialist company who do surveys. We were successful in our claim for compensation due to this not being picked up on the house buyer survey. It cost us a few grand in initial outlay to get it dealt with but it was worth it. Took a few years of spraying at certain times of the year. Crucially, we now have guarantee paperwork to show it has been dealt with when we come to sell.

if this is not your forever home then get it sorted professionally, it will come back to bite you if you don’t.

And yes DO NOT dig or chop it! Spreads incredibly easily if you do this

Here’s a pic as requested.

How deep do the roots go? Is it possible just to dig a massive hole and remove it at source?

I’m not sure. I’m going to buy roundup tomorrow and spray it. Doesn’t it look like the roots are on the other side of the fence?

No not really. It looks like it’s been cut back to nothing by the previous owners and it’s sprouted.

I am sure previous owners knew, it was cut down as pp said.