Your Mortgage Lender Won’t Accept Jeyes Fluid as a Treatment Plan.
Japanese knotweed is a serious legal and financial matter. Its rhizomes spread 7 metres, break through concrete, and can affect property sales. Jeyes Fluid is a household disinfectant. Banks and surveyors require documented professional treatment – not bottles of coal tar.
Does Jeyes Fluid Kill Japanese Knotweed?
No – and attempting to treat Japanese knotweed with Jeyes Fluid could actually make your situation worse. Japanese knotweed is classified as controlled waste in the UK, can affect property values and mortgage applications, and requires documented professional treatment for legal and financial purposes. Jeyes Fluid is a household disinfectant that cannot kill the extensive rhizome network that makes knotweed so problematic.
If you have Japanese knotweed, you need proper treatment and documentation. Killing Japanese knotweed is a multi-year project with legal implications.
Why Japanese Knotweed Defeats Jeyes Fluid
Knotweed biology makes it one of the most challenging plants on earth:
Rhizomes spread 7 metres. Japanese knotweed’s underground root network can extend 7 metres horizontally from visible growth and 3 metres deep. This massive underground system is completely beyond the reach of any surface treatment.
Breaks through concrete. Knotweed rhizomes can exploit the smallest cracks in hard surfaces, pushing through tarmac, concrete, and even building foundations. A plant this powerful isn’t threatened by disinfectant.
Regenerates from tiny fragments. A piece of knotweed rhizome as small as 0.7 grams – roughly fingernail-sized – can regenerate into a new plant. Surface treatments that don’t kill every fragment underground guarantee regrowth.
Jeyes Fluid can’t translocate. Unlike systemic herbicides that travel through plant tissue to reach roots, Jeyes Fluid only affects what it contacts directly. The rhizome network metres away experiences nothing.
The Legal and Financial Reality
Japanese knotweed isn’t just a gardening problem – it’s a legal and financial one:
Mortgage implications. Many lenders require a professional treatment plan and insurance-backed guarantee before approving mortgages on properties with knotweed. Jeyes Fluid doesn’t come with guarantees.
Surveyor reports. RICS surveyors are trained to identify knotweed and will note its presence. You’ll need documented professional treatment, not DIY attempts.
Controlled waste. Japanese knotweed is classified as controlled waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Disposing of it incorrectly is illegal. Cutting it down after failed Jeyes Fluid treatment creates disposal problems.
Neighbour disputes. Allowing knotweed to spread to neighbouring properties can result in legal action. Amateur treatment that fails to control spread makes you liable.
What Actually Happens
Here’s the typical experience using Jeyes Fluid on Japanese knotweed:
Immediately: Leaves receiving direct contact may show some browning. Woody stems unaffected. The smell of failure fills your garden.
Days 1-14: Some leaf damage visible. Bamboo-like stems completely intact. Underground rhizomes spreading regardless.
Week 3-6: Fresh shoots emerge from the soil. The plant is drawing on its massive underground reserves to replace any damaged growth.
Month 3: Knotweed stands as tall as before. You’ve wasted time and money, and the rhizome network has continued spreading during your failed treatment.
Comparing DIY Methods for Japanese Knotweed
Other household remedies fail equally badly:
Jeyes Fluid: Can’t penetrate woody stems, can’t reach 7m rhizome network. Complete failure.
Vinegar: May brown some leaves. Rhizomes metres away completely unaffected.
Salt: Knotweed rhizomes extend far below and beyond salt-contaminated soil. Creates environmental damage without affecting the plant.
Bleach: Surface damage only. Same fundamental limitations as Jeyes Fluid.
Boiling water: Cools within centimetres. Cannot possibly affect rhizomes metres deep.
No household product can address a 7-metre rhizome network.
What Actually Works
Effective Japanese knotweed treatment requires professional-grade approaches:
Systemic herbicide injection. Glyphosate injected directly into knotweed stems travels throughout the plant, reaching the extensive rhizome network. This is the method professionals use.
Foliar spray application. During active growth, applying strong systemic herbicide to foliage allows absorption and transport to roots. Multiple applications over several years required.
Multi-year treatment plan. Professional knotweed treatment typically spans 3-5 years with regular monitoring and retreatment. The rhizome network is too extensive for quick solutions.
Documentation for property purposes. If you’re selling or mortgaging a property, you’ll need a professional treatment plan with insurance-backed guarantee. DIY treatments, even successful ones, won’t satisfy lenders.
When to Call Professionals
Consider professional treatment if:
You’re selling your property. You’ll need documented treatment and guarantees that DIY can’t provide.
Knotweed is near buildings. Structural damage risk requires professional assessment and treatment.
It’s spreading to neighbours. Legal liability concerns warrant professional documentation.
The infestation is large. Extensive stands need systematic professional treatment.
Legal Problems Need Proper Solutions
Japanese knotweed affects property values and mortgage applications. Professional treatment with documentation is the only acceptable approach.
