Our Japanese Knotweed Removal Process
Discovering Japanese Knotweed on your property can be worrying, especially if you’re unsure where to start.
At Invasive Land Remediation, we make the process straightforward. Our experienced team will assess your property or site, explain the options clearly, and guide you through each stage of removal and aftercare -ensuring the problem is dealt with safely, effectively, and in full compliance with current regulations.
To start let’s break down the process into 4 easy to understand steps that we can go through together to ensure we put in place the best cost-effective solution for your needs. We know you also need to feel confident that you’re in the safest of hands so we thought you might like to check out our reviews on Trustpilot.
We’re certainly very proud of what our clients have to say about us.
Step 1
Identification and Consultation
First off, our team are fully accredited and experienced when it comes identifying Japanese Knotweed so feel free to talk to one of our friendly specialists today and send through your pictures of suspected Japanese Knotweed growth for instant identification.
Early and accurate identification is key to effective Japanese Knotweed control. As the plant’s appearance changes with the seasons, understanding how it develops throughout the year is vital to preventing its spread and ensuring timely remediation.
Step 2
Free Survey* and Japanese Knotweed Proposal
Once we have identified you have a Japanese Knotweed problem, we can be with you in under 48 hours of receiving your enquiry to complete the knotweed survey. All our surveyors are fully qualified to CSJK through the Property Care Association, so you know you’re dealing with an expert.
During the survey itself we will look to:
- Identify and map all areas of Japanese Knotweed
- Talk through the remediation options available
- Photograph all areas of the infestation
- Note the associated RICS Risk Assessment Category
- Talk through the biosecurity measures we need to put in place to prevent further spread
- Provide a full written proposal and competitive quote that includes a 10-year Insurance Backed Guarantee
Step 3
Creating a Tailored Japanese Knotweed Management Plan (KMP)
No two properties or infestations are alike – which is why we develop bespoke Japanese Knotweed Management Plans tailored to your specific situation. Each plan is fully compliant with Property Care Association (PCA) standards and meets the expectations of mortgage lenders and insurance providers.
For Homeowners: Long-term management solutions such as targeted herbicide treatment programmes to ensure the Knotweed is effectively controlled over time.
For Property Sellers: Comprehensive documentation and transferable guarantees that give confidence to buyers and mortgage lenders, helping property transactions proceed smoothly.
For Developers: Fast, practical solutions – including full excavation and clearance – to prepare sites safely and efficiently for construction or redevelopment.
All our management plans are detailed, transparent, and adaptable, providing effective solutions for even the most complex infestations.
Step 4
Monitoring & 10-Year Insurance Backed Guarantee
Being PCA accredited we include 2 years’ monitoring to ensure there is no regrowth with all Japanese Knotweed removal works we undertake.
We combine this with a 10-year Insurance Backed Guarantee to provide additional peace of mind and to satisfy all major mortgage lenders and providers.
Why choose us?
Our experienced team takes great pride in providing expert advice and practical support to homeowners, buyers, and developers dealing with Japanese Knotweed. We understand the time-sensitive nature of property transactions and are committed to delivering prompt, professional assistance when you need it most.
Herbicidal Management Plans
Our detailed understanding of Japanese Knotweed allows us to put in place a plan that is designed to control and manage Japanese Knotweed infestations to ensure no regrowth occurs. This approach typically takes 3 years of herbicidal application followed by 2 years monitoring of the area utilising the latest developments in the application of targeted herbicides via stem injection or foliar knapsack application.
- By following this process Invasive can issue an industry leading 10-year Insurance Backed Guarantee that helps secure a mortgage for your home, or release planning permission & funding for your development works.
- Our operations team will put in place a carefully managed treatment schedule so that we can ensure the timing of the visit exhausts all the plants resources and energy reserves so that it can’t regenerate.
Benefits of an herbicidal management plan
- Cost effective solution with payments staged over the programme to help with affordability.
- Prevents the infestation from spreading out by reducing the plants ability to develop laterally in the first instance.
- Simple and structured approach that maximises intake of herbicides.
Why choose us?
As you would expect we adhere to the PCA’s Code of Practice for the Management of Japanese Knotweed and our experienced and dedicated team will be with you every step of the way from the identification of Japanese Knotweed to arranging visits that suit you best – and that includes weekends!
Full Excavation to Landfill
When Japanese Knotweed is preventing the development of a site and risks hindering a project there may be no other option than to excavate all knotweed impacted soils to a registered landfill site. Similarly, homeowners who are looking to build an extension or landscape a garden may also require an immediate solution, and this is where the experienced team at Invasive can help.
- The excavation of Japanese Knotweed infected soils involves physically removing the soils from the site or property as a ‘controlled waste’ to a registered landfill site
- We provide all plant machinery including diggers, dumpers, and haulage along with securing the disposal of knotweed impacted soils at a registered landfill site through our upper tier waste carriers licence.
- After the successful removal of the infected soils our team will monitor the area for 2 years to ensure no regrowth occurs and issue an industry leading 10-year Insurance Backed Guarantee.
Benefits of Full Excavation
- Removes all Japanese Knotweed and its associated rhizomes instantly.
- No development restrictions are placed on the area excavated.
- Development work can commence immediately after excavation.
Partial Excavation Root Barrier Capping
To reduce the cost of full excavation it may be possible to excavate to a set depth, and then install a specialist root barrier to encapsulate deeper knotweed growth. For more information contact our team today for impartial professional advice.
Why choose us?
Our dedicated technicians have experience of working on a range of large-scale sites and properties where access can be a problem and take pride in ensuring all legislative instructions are adhered to and that no cross-site contamination occurs throughout the works.
Stockpiling, Cell Burial & Root Barriers
In some scenarios it is possible to relocate Japanese Knotweed impacted soils to other areas within a site by creating a stockpile and treating via herbicides or creating a cell to bury the knotweed. This provides an instant excavation of Japanese Knotweed from a troublesome area without the associated costs of disposing at landfill. As per the Environment Agency’s RPS 178 guidance statement, Invasive follow all noted conditions in the treatment of invasive non-native plant material
Stockpiling
- All impacted soils are excavated with a suitable area identified onsite for the contaminated material to be stockpiled. The excavated soils are carefully transferred over a designated haulage route to another area within the site.
- The installation of a geo-textile membrane to the base of the stockpile helps to prevent rhizomes from anchoring into the subsoils. The stockpile is fenced off and secured with the impacted soils is entered into an herbicidal management plan.
Cell Burial
- A deep cell is excavated within the site so that at least 2m of clean backfill can be placed above the impacted Japanese Knotweed soils which are deposited to the base of the cell.
- The cell is encapsulated using root barrier membrane, which helps protect the cell against future accidental disturbance or burrowing wildlife.
Benefits of Stock Piling & Cell Burial
- By stockpiling infested material within a designated, contained area, developers can safely store Knotweed soils during construction works, reducing the need for immediate disposal and minimising landfill costs. This method allows for controlled treatment or later re-use of soils once the risk of regrowth has been mitigated.
- Cell burial provides a permanent on-site solution helping to reduce development costs making it a cost effective solution where space permits. Contaminated soils are excavated and buried in a fully encapsulated cell constructed from impermeable root barrier membranes, typically to a depth of at least two metres below finished ground level. This isolates the Knotweed material from clean soils and prevents future regrowth or spread.
Japanese Knotweed Root Barriers
Root barriers are an effective method of containing and managing Japanese Knotweed, particularly in situations where complete excavation isn’t practical or where neighbouring infestations pose a risk of reinfestation. These specialist membranes are installed vertically into the ground to a specified depth, creating a physical barrier that prevents the plant’s rhizomes from spreading laterally.
When correctly specified and installed, root barriers can protect structures, boundaries, and adjoining properties, forming part of a wider management strategy that may also include excavation and herbicidal treatment. All installations are carried out using high-quality, puncture-resistant membranes designed to meet industry standards and ensure long-term protection.