 Japanese knotweed trying to grow through hardware cloth (photo from Japanese Knotweed Solutions, Ltd.) |
from Vermont Invasives
Vermont Invasives suggests a non-chemical way to kill small stands of Japanese Knotweed, Fallopia japonica. Japanese Knotweed aggresively forms dense mats of vegetation that crowds out any other plant, stealing nutrients and diversity. (the editor of GOTC calls it the "Kudzu of the north.")
If you don't have acres of knotweed to eradicate, this method has proved effective in Great Britain.
Buy hardware cloth (metal mesh) with half-inch squares. In early spring, clear off the dead stalks and detritus from previous years. Lay the hardware cloth over the growth area and stake it down firmly.
As the new shoots push up through the metal mesh, they will grow and soon be girdled and die. The plant will attempt to send up new shoots. Same result. Eventually, the carbohydrate stores in the rhizomes will be depleted and the plant will die.
Total control can still take multiple years, and you have to make sure new shoots don't escape the sides of the mesh, but it is a low-risk, and safe method of treatment.
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