Ipswich Borough Council turned out to be the perfect exhibition visitor when they called in on Stem Injection Systems’ stand at SALTEX back in 2007.

The council had become aware of an innovative new stem injection technique for treating Japanese Knotweed but had failed to identify a UK supplier of the system until that chance meeting at the show. It bought its first stem injection gun there and then, followed by a second shortly afterwards as it quickly recognised the benefits of this equipment, specifically the ability to use much smaller quantities of herbicide, delivered in a highly localised dose.

Although Japanese Knotweed was not a major issue across the borough, there were sufficient small pockets of infestation that did need treating. One site in particular was Holywells Park, a 67 acre County Wildlife Site in Ipswich and a green hub of stunning trees and ponds.

In July 2012, a £3.5m Lottery-funded ‘Parks for People’ refurbishment programme began at Holywells to regenerate its unique heritage and provide more visitor attractions. A major clear-up of the park ahead of this project included widespread stem injection treatment by Ipswich Borough Council’s parks and cemeteries division.

Nick Wilcox is park manager at Holywells and area supervisor for the parks division:
“Even before we first met Stem Injection Systems (SIS), we had begun to recognise that traditional treatment methods such as spraying and dig and dump were not the most effective or economically viable. As a progressive council we actively went in search of a stem injection alternative, before it was widely available, and that first meeting with SIS at SALTEX in 2007 changed our treatment programmes for ever.”

Today, the majority of the division’s treatment work is on domestic properties, working closely with Environmental Health to ensure that residents are aware of their responsibility to treat and prevent the spread of harmful weeds on their own land.

“Our fully trained team is there to offer advice on all invasive, non-native plants and, where, necessary, to deliver effective stem injection treatment for the residents of Ipswich,” said Wilcox.