Dock is often mistaken for Japanese knotweed
To the untrained eye, invasive weeds look like any other plants. Green and leafy, common enough that they don’t stand out , there is little to suggest how big a problem they are in the Scotland.
Misidentifying species such as Japanese knotweed, Giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam can cause a lot of problems. We are often asked to survey sites where one or more of these weeds has been identified, only to find that the weeds are not present and that our visit has been a waste of time apart from being able to inform the landowner or agent of the defining features of the weeds they thought they had. Unscrupulous weed control companies will happily remove the plants which were thought to be a menace, at great expense to the unsuspecting landowner.
Another problem of misidentification is the accidental spread of non-native invasive weeds. Often people do not realise that they have, for example, Japanese knotweed growing on their land. They may mistake it for Dock (as pictured) or Dogwood and look to dig it out by hand or cut it back, throwing the remains onto their compost heap or putting it in their recycling bin.
At Invasive Weeds Agency Ltd, we aim to educate as many people as possible about the problems caused by invasive weeds. We believe that education can help reduce the spread of these plants. Weed Identification sheets can be downloaded from our website.
For advice and assistance on Japanese knotweed eradication and weed control services, please call Invasive Weeds Agency Ltd on 0131 441 2953.
IWA. Getting to the root of the problem.
