Invading bamboo

tinwhiskers

My neighbour's bamboo, which appears to be Chimonobambusa marmorea (marbled bamboo) is invading my garden! I've only recently moved in, and found canes coming up in the bed along the fence that adjoins his property, and now one dangerously close to the lawn. His bamboo is planted immediately beside the fence, and having dug down on my side there are quite extensive roots spreading about 2ft into my garden (towards the lawn), and 4-5ft along the bed. I'd say most of the roots are only six inches or so below the surface, but some of the older canes that the previous owner of the house has cut down go quite a bit deeper, and I've not been able to get to those.

Do you have any tips for how I can tackle this?

I do intend to have a word with my neighbour about what he might be able to do on his side. He's a nice guy, and I hope he'll be amenable to putting it in a container or installing some kind of barrier (as surely it must be spreading in his garden too?). But his garden is a jungle, and I have my doubts about whether he will be happy to go to the trouble and expense.

On my side, it seems the only option is trying to get all the roots out. I have managed to get up the roots that fed the cane sprouting through the lawn, but the others are close to two fairly mature bushes. The only way I can see me being able to get these are by digging up the whole bed and getting rid of everything there (bamboo roots and the plants they're growing up through), then digging a trench and installing a rhizome barrier along the fenceline, so if he doesn't control his bamboo, I can catch any new roots trying to come up over the barrier.

Does this sound a bit drastic? Am I missing something obvious?

I am a total newbie gardener (as well as a newbie member of MSE ), so this is a really intimidating thing to be facing!! Any advice would be gratefully received

TW

partner

We also have the same problem after 33 years of poisoning we have given up and are going yo lay thick concrete base and put two greenhouses there. My neighbour does nothing, his fence is all broken and hiis plum tree has sent shoots 40ft across my garden and we continue to poison them.
I wish you the best of luck! I think bamboo should be on the same basis as japenese knotweed for invasion . It's a menace.

TonyMMM

tinwhiskers wrote: »

The only way I can see me being able to get these are by digging up the whole bed and getting rid of everything there (bamboo roots and the plants they're growing up through), then digging a trench and installing a rhizome barrier along the fenceline, so if he doesn't control his bamboo, I can catch any new roots trying to come up over the barrier.

This is probably your only option - if it is well established on his side it will be a huge job to do anything else.

I had a small bamboo planted a few years ago (non-invasive variety) ... when it outgrew the space I had to poison it (twice) and then cut down all the canes.... it was then about 3 days hard work with a mattock and pickaxe to get all the roots out.

Good Luck

Farway

Roundup if all else fails?

alanobrien

I have a lot of different types of bamboo and they are excellent plants as long as you know what you have and how to contain them. This one is a clumper but it can and will spread significantly. Your neighbour should dig it out and replant it with a barrier or pot it up. If he doesn't then you could put a barrier along your side of the fence or per above roundup if all else fails. Hopefully your neighbour will see the problem and fix it.

peter_the_piper

Neighbour, across the road wanted a garden put down entirely to bamboo, all types. He was warned. Last year their were builders and JCB's re-doing the garden.