bamboo is lose in my yard... questions.. jerry.. anybody ....

[tinkster]

I have thought and thought about getting bamboo and opted not to becuase of having to contain it.  I was walking down on the bottom lot  of my property which I very rarely go to and I guess the neighbor took the choice to have bamboo out of my hands.  I must have missed him plant it as the clump on his side looks pretty established, its made it to my yard, which is a good 20 ft over so far.  this must be a very invasive runner form????

I have been thinking about using some of it to hide part of the long stretch of fenceline.. what do I need to do to create a barrier for it?  IF it got lose it would come into all my rocks and garden in the back where I cant mow it down.

tink

[hillbillysrus]

Hey Tink,
From what I have read, you have to put a pretty deep barrier into the ground, sorry, couldn't tell you how deep though.
If you get tired of the bamboo, you can dig it up and send it my way, I've been thinking about using it for a screen across the back of the yard...
Alan

[tinkster]

just exactly what i been thinking. would you put a barrier in yours...  I have never dug bamboo to know what is there. those big shoots coming up or massive and all over my yard.. I can try to dig ya one if ya want.

I am coning to lexington next week.. daughter has surgery at med center there got any plants ya need or wanna trade..

tink

[tlc]

Hey Tink, those bamboos can be a pain in the seat to contain and get rid of.

We had some on our property a few years ago (came with the property) my DH decided to "get rid of it for good". He used roundup and crossbow to try to stamp it out. Guess what? It grew like crazy the next year and spread to beat the band. It has stayed pretty much in one place till then. To "fix" the problem we had to use our backhoe and dig down about 2 1/2 feet and 4 feet past the boarder of the plant to finally get it out. It's always better to dig then spray
They do make very nice screens I have read for containing them in my area (zone and probably the same for you, you have to have either a thick metal or concrete barrier that extends at least 2 feet down to contain the runners. The metal will rust over time though. There are some bamboo strains that stay contained that you might want to research.
I can tell you this, it isn't fussy about where it wants to travel. It would have taken over my little pond in no time at all if we hadn't removed it before installing. 

Good luck!

[miguynmkoi]

Love bamboo....in someone else yard!!  If you don't want them in your yard you definitely need to dig up the shoots in the photo.  Then you will need to place a barrier at least 18" deep (easier said than done) around your yard that connects with the neighbors property.   

When you dig up the shoots see how deep those roots are and deep a barrier at least twice that deep.  These roots are similar to the papyrus and umbrella plants.

Good Luck with tackling the roots!

 

[PondmaninAL]

Not sure about true bamboo but with the false bamboo that I picked up Tuesday, the tuber gets pretty thick but is only 3-4" deep. It's a runner and variegated.

[Sunbeam56]

Bamboo is a grass. Any herbicide that would kill grass will kill bamboo. But you may have to repeat the killing every year.

[Mikey]

I wish I had good news but I fear you are in for a battle.

I use concentrated/undiluted RoundUp to kill bamboo culms that escape.  I cut the culm/cane a few inches above the ground and immediately pour the concentrate into the hollow culm.  I also paint the sides of the remaining culm with the concentrate. 

Until some sort of root barrier is in place you will likely need to do this every spring when new culms pop up. 

The only way I know of to contain it will be a lot of work and a certain amount of expense.  You will need to rent a trencher and trench a narrow 3' deep trench along your property line, preferably on your neighbor's side of the property line since it's their bamboo, and then put in the trench a 3' wide rhizome barrier the length of your property line.  The bamboo will hit the barrier and will not be able to penetrate.   If you are diligent with applying the herbicide every time a culm pops up you should be able to kill it all off.....once you have the rhizome barrier in place.....

Here's a related link: http://www.bambooheadquarters.com/store/rhizomebarrier.php

[tinkster]

wow.. thanks for all the comments.

I Guess I wasnt to clear, the area its coming up in now is all lawn that is mowed.  I was thinking of moving it up into my back yard where my pond and garden is on that fence line. So after reading al the comments and link, I wont be moving it.. I have almost two acres of chain link fence.  The bottom lot is over one acre of it and he/bamboo borders me there.. no way I can afford to put a barrier over all of it.  I can just hope it stop before it climbs up to my upper lot and into my pond/garden area. 

I presume the ones coming up in my yard I can just keep mowed down and cross my fingers on his clumps moving up my property very slowly.

tink

[Jerry]

Mikey told you exactly right. Immediate means just that, have everything ready. Another pair of hands helps, but not needed.  A saw or BIG loppers will do it.