Garden pests and diseases - Weeds
It's often said that a weed is just a plant that is growing in the wrong place. However there are certain instances where you have a particular type of weed that you need to get rid of. For a general overview of controlling common weeds, see the weeds and weeding section under basics.
| Weed | Symptoms | Suggestion |
| Japanese knotweed | Japanese knotweed is a rapidly growing, very invasive weed with reddish stems and heart shaped leaves. | It's not easy to get rid of but it can be done over time. There are two main methods: Trying to dig up the plant may leave parts of the root system, each part may then grow into a new plant. Any plants that you cut down should be burnt, or placed into the centre of the compost heap (where the heat should kill the plant, bear in mind that if the heap isn't hot enough you may just be transplanting the Japanese Knotweed). More information can be found on the Environment Agency web site. Strangely japanese knotweed doesn't grow very well in Japan |
