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Japanese Knotweed's Origin
As the name would suggest, Japanese Knotweed originates from Japan. It was introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant during the Victorian age and has gone on to cause widespread destruction throughout the UK.
In Japan, Japanese Knotweed is an aggressive plant, but there are other plants that are stronger contenders and help to control the growth of Japanese Knotweed. Unfortunately, here in the UK, we do not have any plants that can compete with Japanese Knotweed; it suffocates other vegetation and spreads rapidly.
How to Identify
At first glance, Japanese Knotweed may be mistaken for a similar plant such as bamboo. However, there are some clear differences that can help you to identify Japanese Knotweed.
Distinctive Features
During spring, Japanese Knotweed appears as bright red buds emerging from the crown of the plant in the ground. It grows up to 10cm a day and its shoots are red/purple in colour.
Spring is the best time to identify Japanese Knotweed as this is when the plant displays its most distinctive features. As leaves begin to appear, they are initially red or light green in colour and the plant quickly reaches two or three meters tall.
As we head into summer time, Japanese Knotweed can be distinguished by the purple or red speckles that present on its bright green leaves.
Creating bigger issues
The production of white flowers towards the end of summer can confirm any suspicions that this “bamboo” is in fact Japanese Knotweed. During late autumn, the leaves fall off and in winter, the plant dies back, leaving brown canes that resemble dead bamboo.
It may be tempting to try to pull up Japanese Knotweed when it reaches this stage in its lifecycle, but beware that this decisive action can actually create an even bigger problem.
