bikers near glasgow – japanese knotweed

public service announcement, for those that might use the cycle paths east of strathblane/lennoxtown particularly near kirkintilloch. there is LOADS of japanese knotweed close to the trail, or right beside it in places. i have informed east dun council, but it will still pose an issue. in particular i would avoid the area on the community woodland directly east of the farm area at the bottom of the old lennoxtown trails. please pass this info on if you know of folk who might use it and consider informing the council as well – the more voices, the more likely they are to do something about it.

the significance of knotweed being?

If you get it on your wheels and growing at your house you are in deep doo doo

Very invasive plant that’s on the axis of evil list, so if you get any growing in your garden it’s an offence to let it grow. It can also be a big problem due to mortgage companies refusing to lend where the stuff exists.

Can stop you being able to get insurance too I believe.

the significance of knotweed being?

any fragment of it picked up wheels / clothes / shoes will start growing again wherever it lands so where its by a busy path / trail / road it will spread rapidly along the route and to other places those people visit and as said above if you take bits home with you and it takes hold it can compromise insurance or mortgage-abililty or yours and your neighbours houses.

Once you have it on your property getting rid of it is very effort intensive – it takes year and years of treatment – you can be fined and face criminal prosecutions for not dealing with it, you can face prosecution for dealing with it incorrectly and if in trying to dispose of it you ‘allow it to spread’, for instance by transporting it and losing any of it on the way, can result in bigger fines and even prison.

On the plus side the young shoots can be cooked and eaten in a similar manner to asparagus. 🙂 All be it with a bit of tang of several years dousing with glyphosate.

Mac you have you fact wrong unless the law is different in Scotland

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-the-spread-of-harmful-invasive-and-non-native-plants

the part of the plant above ground isn’t a problem,its the rhizome you need to be wary about only a few mm is enough to start a new plant. If you picked a piece up on a ride and by chance it dropped off and sprouted in your garden so long as you either mowed it out or cut it down as soon as it sprouts it will die.

Council tends to be of little use.
Download the app[/url] here and use it to report the infestation. The big guns from the Environment Agency (Scottish Chapter) will come and nuke it into oblivion.

thanks Sandwich. I’ll do that.

Until of course glyphosate is banned…

Then we’ll be turning to vinegar and crushed vit c tablets to get rid of invasive weeds.

😉

Hmm, why get rid of it? It sounds perfect, super fast growing and young shoots are edible? Have we just solved our impending economic crisis?

Very invasive plant that’s on the axis of evil list, so if you get any growing in your garden it’s an offence to let it grow.

Not quite true, this is what is said on .gov site about Knotweed

You don’t have to remove these plants or control them on your land but you could be prosecuted or given a community protection notice for causing a nuisance if you allow Japanese knotweed to grow on anyone else’s property.

Edit:f
Oops sorry, already posted above by mikeypies

🙂 JKW has been here for years. The council don’t need to do anything about it. It’s not toxic/poisonous and therefore it’s not dangerous to ride near it!

There are a lot of hyped and panic headlines about JKW. It’s not Audrey2.

It covers a huge area all around the old railway line.

Are you new to the area?

me? nope.

my understanding was that the root system extends far from the plant ‘bush’ and spread is possible from soil containing rhizome. i’m not too concerned about it being where it is (i was aware of the railways) my concern is bringing it home with me!

the more there is where i ride, i guess the more likely that is.

or is that too paranoid?

found some more in Mugdock today. near Drumclog and (i think) on the westie – the rangers are going to have a look and commence treatment, if confirmed.

I couldn’t believe how much of the stuff there is around Fort William, miles and miles of thick hedgerows of it, I suspect it’s too late for manual control without poisoning the waterways.

Ah, but it was the EU that was going to ban it. In good old blighty well be free to give ourselves cancer forever more now. Monsanto will be pleased.

I suspect it’s too late for manual control without poisoning the waterways.

Glyphosate is one of few herbicides licenced for use adjacent to waterways.