Knotweed free garden!!!!!!

11 years ago I moved into my current house, complete with overgrown garden...only to find a nasty, and quite large and healthy growth of Japanese Knotweed growing at the back of my 40 x 11 meter garden. Didn't panic, even after reading up on the nasty stuff and the significant challenges associated with eradication. No, I declared war.

Let battle commence....

For a wildlife friendly organic gardener like myself, it pained me to use glyphosate at all, but needs must. Out came the Roundup.

Year 1. Injected it liberally under the first node of each growth

Year 2. Much reduced, but lots of new shoots. Waited till at least 50cm high before applying glyphosate gel to leaves. Noted devastation to surrounding plants. The area was toxic...only moss growing.

Year 3. Further reduction, seemed to be moving outwards,avoiding the toxic area. Moss thriving. More gel to leaves.

Year 4. More new shoots but looking less healthy and much less vigorous

Year 5. Bad year. Seems to be more than the previous year. Depressing. Not to be outdone....Battle on regardless. 

Year 6. Thought I'd won....nothing till beginning of April, then noticed some new shoots, but only 5 in total. Blitzed them with liberal applications of gel.

Year 7. Only 3 shoots, all very frail looking. Am I winning?

Year 8. Nothing at all....until I notice one shoot poking out of my back wall. Sprayed the entire wall. The toxic avenger strikes back.

Year 9. Nothing all year...not a single shoot. Told to hold off on my celebrations until the following year as ryzones can lie dormant.

This Year. Nothing again....not a single feeble shoot. Garden fully recovered from toxic effects of early liberal glyphosate use. Muted, cautious celebrations. Have my relentlessmess finally paid off? Only time will tell!