Do I need to remove every piece of the Japanese Knotweed when trying to manage the plant?
Question:
Are all parts of the bamboo (Japanese Knotweed) able to reroot? Do I need to remove every piece of the plant including the very old dead stalks?
Answer:
Thank you for thoughtfully managing your Japanese knotweed issue. It’s wise to be cautious about how you dispose of any invasive species because it could simply become a problem in another location if not handled properly. University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension has a terrific resource on the topic: https://extension.unh.edu/resource/methods-disposing-non-native-invasive-plants
Here’s what they suggest for knotweed:
Small infestation
Bag all plant material and let rot.
Never pile and use resulting material as compost.
Burn.
Large infestation
Remove material to unsuitable habitat (dry, hot and sunny or dry and shaded location) and scatter or pile.
Monitor and remove any sprouting material.
Pile, let dry, and burn.