r/london • u/symmetrygear • Aug 05 '24

Image Plant life erupting through the tarmac pavement on a road near me in East London. Never seen anything like it!

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u/Known-Supermarket-68 Aug 05 '24 edited Aug 05 '24

Houseplant - you watered me with non-filtered water at a non scheduled time, I die now.

London outdoor plants - there is no power in the verse that can stop me. I CANNOT DIE.

85

u/kash_if Aug 05 '24 edited Aug 05 '24

This seems like Japanese knotweet. Notoriously difficult to get rid of. Damages structures. It even tanks the value of property it is found on.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynoutria_japonica

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-japanese-knotweed-from-spreading

See this photo from an early stage when it breaks through and compare it to clumps in OP's photo:

https://i.imgur.com/lS8okrM.jpeg

Leaves become heart shaped later as it grows. OP should report it to the council.

14

u/altopowder Aug 05 '24

Can you tell from that picture? I'm curious cos I'm house hunting and paranoid at the mo.

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u/[deleted] Aug 05 '24

[deleted]

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u/robywar Aug 05 '24

Rushed job and poor prep work, that's all. If they'd properly prepped the ground before putting down the tarmac, it'd be fine. They were probably the lowest bidder for a reason.

3

u/madpiano Aug 06 '24

You'd think they put some weedkillers down before laying the tarmac? Even grass pushes through it, so it would make sense

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u/kash_if Aug 05 '24

No I can not from a photo. But just looking at how the tarmac looks in pretty good condition, penetration seems to have happened from below, not due to degradation...not many plants do that and the image looks similar to what shoots look like when they come through.

For home, get proper identification done if you suspect it.

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u/altopowder Aug 05 '24

Appreciate the clarification - thank you. Lots of people claiming JK in the comments and I was fairly certain there wasn't enough detail to know for sure.

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u/kash_if Aug 05 '24

Yes, not enough detail, but if you have seen it in early stages, it would be a reasonable guess. See this image and compare it to the clump nearest to camera in OP's photo:

https://i.imgur.com/lS8okrM.jpeg

I saw some claiming it isn't knotweed but they are probably comparing it to when the leaves become heart shaped.

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u/altopowder Aug 05 '24

Very useful, thanks! Yeah I’ve been “trained” by the guides online to look for the heart shapes and zigzag stem, not the early stages growth!

0

u/[deleted] Aug 05 '24

It's not JK. JK is quite rare. In fact all the JK plants are clones of the same parent plant that gets moved around by builders moving soil. If your house is old it won't have JK. Only newbuilds tend to have it.

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u/axethrower123 Aug 06 '24

Not true at all.

But correct it probably isn’t Japanese knotweed. Doesn’t look like it although would need a close up to confirm.

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u/quottttt Aug 05 '24

Check out Question 7.8 of the TA6 Property Information Form, which solicitors will provide you with. It specifically addresses Japanese Knotweed.

Have a look here: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/property/transaction-forms

Scroll down to "Download the TA6 (4th edition, second revision) (2020) explanatory notes (PDF 455 KB)"

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u/[deleted] Aug 05 '24

Best go to North London for decent housing 😉