Check out the A6 between Buxton and Bakewell
If you have ever wondered how invasive weeds spread….check out the A6 between Buxton and Bakewell!
I first noticed Japanese Knotweed in the centre of Buxton adjacent to the river in the park on the side of the A6 about five years ago. The parks department had sprayed Glyphosate and the plant was dying back.
So far so good…!
However - whether budgets were cut?or the guy who knew about the knotweed moved on?? - the following year no spray, no treatment - and lots of new growth. Also - instead of chemicals being applied - somebody decided that cutting the plant back would help…
Bad idea!
Often when faced with a threat - plants will put in a growth spurt to fight back against whatever is threatening it. The Japanese Knowteed in Buxton put on a serious amount of growth - and all the small fragments that were cut off have re-grown. Many of the fragments ended up in the watercourse and have continued to spread down stream.
As you drive from Buxton towards Bakewell keep your eyes open - for the first mile or so - nearly every 30 or 40 metres you will see new growth of the plant! Once out of the valley and climbing through farmland - no knotweed - but as you descend back towards the river - there it is again every few hundred yards….
It is an insidious threat - it’s quietly creeping up and over our native countryside - and no matter how much I go on about it nobody will do anything!
And next time you are in Bakewell - check out the wishing well in the town centre - you’ve guessed it - surrounded by knotweed!!
July 8th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
**UPDATE** the piece by the wishing well in Buxton has been pulled out again…DONT pull it out…it just gets angry!!
Deal with it properly - call Japanese Knotweed Solutions…
Mike C
July 15th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Hi Mike, be good to keep photographing this site as the JK will presumably destroy the wall? Ad concepts coming along by the way, will be in touch tomorrow.