Topic: What A Day !!

[reedos]

Due to car problems, I had an unexpected day off work - so spent it at the allotment.
Nuked the top end of my plot with glysophate, felt guilty cos I try to be as organic as I can, but the black plastic just hasn't worked on the Japanese knotweed. As I felt guilty I redeemed myself (in my own mind) by digging a pond for wildlife.
Harvested tomatoes, grapes, apples, brambles, turnips, courgettes and some sweetcorn.Sowed some broad beans.
Lopped down an enormous dying elderberry, came home - took kids to Beavers and went back to plot and had an enormous bonfire getting rid of said dying elderberry.
Life doesn't really get much better ;D

Back to work tomorrow, ho hum  :(

[Roy Bham UK]

;D Well done Reedos ;) A really good days graft, give yourself a well deserved drink 8)

[Mimi]

You could always pull the caps off the spark plugs again Reedos  ;)  ;D

[busy_lizzie]

Wow! Reedos what a fantastic day you have had.  You must be feeling very saintly tonight after all that hard work. You should sleep well after all that exercise and fresh air.  Well done!  :D busy_lizzie

[reedos]

Hi Wardy,

Heaps better than working, although I am posting from the office :)

I put the plastic down in February, during March, April and May it grew through the plastic, when it was about 3 feet high I cut it down again and covered it again. It is currently 8 feet high and I have a lot of holy black plastic :( I sprayed it yesterday and hopefully this'll knock it back then I'll cover it again to try to stop it resprouting.
The whole knotweed thing is a major bugbear for me as it's coming into my plot from council land. Despite numerous phone calls, a letter to my councillor and DEFRA, nothing has been done about >:(

[reedos]

When I saw pictures of the knotweed growing through tarmac and the foundations of somebodies house, I decided that maybe plastic just wasn't going to cut it.

I'd post a picture but it's far too techinical for me, this website will show what I mean though.http://www.cabi-bioscience.org/html/japanese_knotweed_alliance.htm#prob

[reedos]

Unfortunately there isn't at the moment, fortunately I've a big plot and it's only at the top end at the moment, if I can get the council to do their bit, I'll hopefully be able to keep it in check. Just as well I relish a challenge

[Merry Tiller]

If you get the good thick stuff nowt will grow through it 

Japanese Knotweed will go through 6 inches of concrete no problems, a bit of poly stands no chance :(

Luckily I don't have it  ;D but it was growing through the floor of a factory I once saw

[jennym]

This sounds like a horror story!

[wardy]

I don't think most peeps expect to find JKW on allotments - it's not one of the usual suspects

[spacehopper]

That was a good link you posted. I like the biological control idea. The other thing they said worked was "Good results have been achieved by injecting glyphosate into hollow stems immediately after cutting. " Sounds time consuming but effective.

[Derekthefox]

My neighbour used the same method for tackling marestail. He carefully sprayed with triple strength roundup on individual plants, having first bruised the leaves. It took several weeks but the marestail was removed.

Derekthefox :D

[wardy]

Give it a good trample first to bruise the foliage.  Stress busting job  :)

[beejay]

When I was investigating the control of it the advice I read said that the best time to zap it with glyphosate is just as the stems are beginning to die back as more gets taken into the plant. It did also say that for most people it would then be a bit impractical as it would have got so big. Perseverance I think will pay off.