Environmentally friendly control of invasive exotic species

Weed Free Service uses 'just' very hot water

Don't just say weeds to an invasive exotic such as hogweed or Japanese knotweed. Unlike the mostly harmless clovers and thistles, these non-native species can cause quite a bit of harm and require a targeted and resistant approach. The Dutch Weed Free Service supports governments and local authorities across Europe with efficient yet environmentally friendly control.

Anyone who has ever come into contact with hogweed undoubtedly knows: invasive exotics are more than just a nuisance. After all, contact with the sap of this Heracleum can lead to serious burns, and other exotics such as Japanese knotweed and water crassula mainly hinder the growth of native plantings. Moreover, knotweed is relentless, breaking through asphalt, joints and roads with no problem. Controlling and managing these harmful weeds is therefore a profession in itself. To this end, Weed Free Service combines more than eight years of expertise with, among other things, an enormous capacity of hot water.

Controlling invasive exotic species takes time. Weed Free Service tracks the evolution using the ISRP monitoring tool.

Hot water?

By targeted spraying of the weeds with boiling water, the plant cell is broken down in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. This method can be applied for both hogweed and water crassula, and for the control of Japanese knotweed, Weed Free Service has even developed a unique technology to boil the root package completely underground.

To ensure adequate control, the company has very large quantities of rainwater, which is heated to about 104°C in a biomass plant and then brought to site by a fleet of insulated tankers. Thus, an area of more than 1,000 m² treated.

A matter of time

Yet it should be remembered that controlling invasive exotics always takes time. Water crassula and hogweed can be successfully eliminated in about two years; Asian weeds usually require a bit more time.

Therefore, Weed Free Service always works in a result-oriented and long-term manner. It takes clients under its wing and follows up with them on initial results, expectations and additional interventions. For that purpose, by the way, the company recently started using ISRP (Invasive Species Reduction Program). This web-based monitoring tool provides an overview and information about both the plants themselves and the treatments and evolution of the control, and allows additional interventions to be easily planned. This allows boards and businesses to get a long-term grip on the invasive species plaguing their sites.