The Department of the Environment is asking the public to record Japanese knotweed.

This can be done by using a free mobile phone app to help determine the distribution of the invasive plant Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) or records can be sent directly to David Tipping d.tipping@gov.je

PlantTracker, a free app developed by the UK Environment Agency and the University of Bristol, allows Islanders to record and submit geo-located photos of suspect plants directly to the Department of the Environment. These images would then be verified using the photo or a site visit, and subsequent positive records could be plotted on a map. PlantTracker app can be downloaded at no charge from the iTunes App Store or Google Play and you can begin using it as soon as possible. While PlantTracker features 14 invasive plant species, the Department is asking Jersey users to restrict their recordings to knotweed. Guidance on identifying knotweed and on how to submit pictures is included in the app.

If you are on site and come across Japanese knotweed record it using the Plant Tracker app… Here

The Department is also issuing a general reminder to the public that knotweed spreads via its roots and from fragments of the plant, so strimming or flailing only increases the problem. Cutting, hand-pulling and herbicides are the most effective methods of eradication. A leaflet Japanese knotweed: management advice can be downloaded here