Birket Knotweed Japanese knotweed identification, treatment and removal on the Wirral [phone] Free photo ID check

How to identify Japanese knotweed

What it looks like through the seasons, and the plants that are most often confused with it in Wirral gardens.

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Red Japanese knotweed shoots in spring — Spring: red shoots

Japanese knotweed in summer leaf — Summer: full leaf

Surveyor checking a knotweed stand — Not sure? Send a photo

Spring

Red-purple shoots with tightly rolled leaves push up from April and can grow several centimetres in a day.

Summer

Dense growth to two or three metres, with hollow purple-flecked stems that bend at each node and broad leaves with a flat base.

Autumn

Creamy flower sprays open in late summer, then leaves turn yellow and drop.

Winter

The canes stay standing, brown, hollow and brittle, while the rhizome below ground remains alive.

Often mistaken for

Bindweed twines around other plants. Dogwood has woody stems and curved leaf veins. Himalayan balsam has pink flowers and likes damp ground. Send a photo and we will tell you.

The short answers

In brief

What does Japanese knotweed look like?

Hollow, bamboo-like stems with purple or red speckles, growing in a zig-zag from node to node. Leaves are shield or heart-shaped with a flat base, up to about 14cm long. Plants reach 2 to 3 metres in summer.

What does knotweed look like in spring?

Red or purple asparagus-like shoots with rolled-back leaves appear from April. They can grow several centimetres a day.

What does knotweed look like in winter?

The leaves drop and the canes die back to brown, hollow, brittle stems that often stay standing through winter. The rhizome underground is still alive.

What is commonly mistaken for Japanese knotweed?

Bindweed, Russian vine, dogwood, lilac, houttuynia and Himalayan balsam are frequent look-alikes. Bindweed twines around other plants; knotweed stands on its own stems.

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What happens next

Knotweed surveyA visit to confirm it, measure it and write it up.Free knotweed ID from a photoSend a picture and we tell you what it is. It is free.Knotweed plan for mortgages and salesThe management plan that lenders and buyers ask for.Knotweed from a neighbourA dated record of where it is and how it is spreading.Knotweed spraying programmeHerbicide treatment over several seasons with return visits.Knotweed excavationRemoving stand and rhizome quickly.Knotweed root barrierUpright membrane to stop rhizome crossing a boundary.Knotweed on building plotsSurveys and removal for Wirral development sites.Knotweed for landlordsSurveys and treatment for rented houses and flats.

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