Weed Potential
As a weedJapanese Knotweed is wide spread along coastal regions from Queensland to New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and extending to south-western Western Australia. It grows in a variety of native habitats including urban bushland and open woodlands.

It is also prolific in disturbed or degraded land or neglected residential landscapes. It prefers an open sunny to exposed position and is frost and drought tolerant. It has trailing stems that root at the nodes and the plant is commonly spread in garden refuge.

The seeds are very viable and are dispersed by water or wind germinating freely. This plant forms a dense cover preventing the regeneration of plants or cutting the light to low growing or small shrubs.

Control methodsinclude physically digging out small infestations taking care not to disperse seeds or parts of the plant and remove all the roots from the soil. The plant may also be smothered with a thick layer of mulch or black plastic.

When removing the plant all parts should be bagged then removed off site and destroyed. The spraying of the plant with a non-selective herbicide is partially successful and follow-up applications will be required.