For many of us, our English country garden is our pride and joy, with many hours spent throughout the seasons keeping it looking picture perfect, but what happens if we find Japanese knotweed in our garden? Is it harmful to the other plants and flowers we know, nurture and love?
Unfortunately, YES is the answer to that question but continue reading to find out the 3 ways in which your plants will be affected by the presence of Japanese knotweed in your garden:
Stopping sunlight
Japanese knotweed will harm other plants in your garden by stopping sunlight from reaching smaller, lower-to-the-ground plants. This is less of a problem in autumn, winter or spring, but in the summer Japanese knotweed can grow up to 10cm a day. Plants and flowers under knotweed’s canopy have little to no chance of photosynthesizing, poor things!
Suffocation by allelopathy
Suffocation by allelopathy sounds like torture, and for plants we suppose it is! Japanese knotweed can harm other plants in a nearby vicinity by releasing toxic substances into the air, hindering their growth. These substances are called allelochemicals and they poison the air in your garden, but thankfully they’re not toxic to people or pets.
Pushing out other plants
The mere presence of Japanese knotweed is enough to harm other plants in your garden – or stop them growing altogether. This is because Japanese knotweed takes up a lot of space in the soil, pushing out other growth with its extensive root network. Sadly, other greenery will struggle to take root. And even if it does, it may risk being uprooted in the future by this invasive bully!
Spot Japanese knotweed this spring!
Japanese knotweed is easy to spot in the spring and summer, as this is when the plant is most distinctive. So, this spring, identify Japanese knotweed – look for asparagus-like stems emerging from the ground – and get it removed before it can take over your garden in the summer.
Start protecting your garden today, send us your Japanese knotweed photos for official identification - simply complete the contact form on the website and attach your images.
