How Does Japanese Knotweed Grow Its Roots and Spread It Quickly?

Japanese knotweed is a plant known in the UK as the most invasive and fasting growing plant-species in the country. Japanese knotweed rhizome will reveal weaknesses and voids in any house or building structures and can lead to severe damage to the roads and its structures.

Educating yourself about this kind of fastest-growing weed is vital in helping you to eradicate them in your backyard. If you have a piece of knowledge about this plant, you can prevent it from growing massively on your properties.

How Does a Japanese Knotweed Spread on Your Land?

Though this plant can produce its own seeds, it is very rare for its seeds to grow on its own. The Japanese knotweed can spread fast through the dispersal of the stem, rhizomes or underground roots, and the crown of the plant.

These can be massively spread in different ways. One of these ways is through relocation of the soil, which already infected by its roots. For example, a particular pile of soil that was contaminated by the rhizome will be transferred to another place or location. Then after a few weeks or months, its rhizome will spread to the other soil and will grow its stem little by little.

Moreover, the size of the rhizome doesn’t matter; as long as the soil is infected with a rhizome even if it still small or large, it will manifest your property. Also, Japanese knotweed is known to regrow its stem from rhizomes as little as 0.7g.

How Faster A Japanese Knotweed Grow and Spread?

The speed of Japanese knotweed is undeniably pretty fast. This weed is known to grow as much as 10cm during the hot season. Japanese knotweed earns its title of being the fastest-growing weed in the United Kingdom due to its increasing ability. If this plant left unchecked, especially during the hottest season, the weed would grow so fast that it can create a complicated task for the japanese knotweed removal experts to eradicate this plant.

During its growth period, the plant can grow itself up to one meter in less than three weeks. Meaning, it’s essential to eradicate this plant as quickly as possible to prevent future structure and road damages.

How Deep Is The Root?

The Japanese knotweed will not get its title has the fastest growing plant for just a reason. This weed has an astonishing root system that can run deep and wide. Aside from its growth rate during the hottest seasons, its rhizomes also can grow massively if left unchecked.

Its root system is known to grow quicker than any other plant; it can become as much as three meters deep and about eight meters wide. Therefore, you need to eradicate them through extensive digging to eliminate the plant entirely.

Can the Japanese Knotweed Spread Through Shoes?

In the UK, only Japanese knotweed species are present; therefore, no seeds can spread from the plant. However, it doesn’t mean that the plant can be eliminated easily. Remember, the main reason why it spread is due to its rhizomes.

Unfortunately, if someone steps on these rhizomes with a little soil on it, the plant can regrow. It can spread through shoes. Stepping on the area where Japanese knotweed is growing, the rhizomes can possibly get stuck on the shoes’ sole and moving it to the other area. That’s why the plan keeps on growing and spreading in other areas.