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Please help me what are these roots? Japanese knotweed?
Hi there are this is my first post so apologies if I get anything wrong.
I've recently moved into a new rented accommodation, the person that lived here before was here for apparently around 7 years.
from what I can gather from the neighbours the person didn't do anything with the garden at all and just let it grow wild.
When I got here the nettles were shoulder height, and have been that way for a long long time apparently.
I know nothing at all about gardening hence my post here lol so I just went across the whole garden with a strimmer and put weed killer down across the whole garden.
That seems to have done the trick as everything is yellow and dead.
I'm going to eventually pave over the garden so I started digging up the old dead grass and I came across a big root. Pulling it I ended up up at the other side of the garden still pulling.
I assumed these roots were obviously nettle roots because nothing has been done to the garden for about 7 years, but a friend popped round and noticed a plant and said that I needed to be careful because it looks like Japanese knotweed.
Although I'm not a gardener I do know that this is bad!
There seems to be be a maze of these roots going across the whole garden I'm having to dig them out and and pull them across the whole garden.
can somebody please have a look at these roots that I've pulled up and let me know what I'm dealing with please.
I've also managed to pull one up the end where I assumed the plant was, and they look like small tubes I'll attach the pictures.
Thank you to anyone that's read my rambling so far.


I've recently moved into a new rented accommodation, the person that lived here before was here for apparently around 7 years.
from what I can gather from the neighbours the person didn't do anything with the garden at all and just let it grow wild.
When I got here the nettles were shoulder height, and have been that way for a long long time apparently.
I know nothing at all about gardening hence my post here lol so I just went across the whole garden with a strimmer and put weed killer down across the whole garden.
That seems to have done the trick as everything is yellow and dead.
I'm going to eventually pave over the garden so I started digging up the old dead grass and I came across a big root. Pulling it I ended up up at the other side of the garden still pulling.
I assumed these roots were obviously nettle roots because nothing has been done to the garden for about 7 years, but a friend popped round and noticed a plant and said that I needed to be careful because it looks like Japanese knotweed.
Although I'm not a gardener I do know that this is bad!
There seems to be be a maze of these roots going across the whole garden I'm having to dig them out and and pull them across the whole garden.
can somebody please have a look at these roots that I've pulled up and let me know what I'm dealing with please.
I've also managed to pull one up the end where I assumed the plant was, and they look like small tubes I'll attach the pictures.
Thank you to anyone that's read my rambling so far.




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It's everywhere across the garden 😭
It certainly sounds like it from the orange coloured roots. Have a look at the information here
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=218
Thanks for your help
I didn't take any pictures before unfortunately, and there doesn't seem to be any regrowth after a few weeks as I put a really strong weed killer down (my parents know a farmer so he gave them some of the stuff he uses that is really strong)
Do nettle roots grow like this too, and be really thick like tree roots?
If the previous tennant left them that long I suppose it could be that, but the bamboo stuff in the garden that backs onto mine makes me think maybe otherwise, unless it is actually bamboo I suppose.