Bamboo in neighbours garden

RHemmings

FreeBear said:

Sapindus said:

There are two types of bamboo, running and clumping. Sounds like your prospective neighbour has the running sort and has it bad. But in general, for the edification of anyone else seeing bamboo and thinking of running for the hills...

Even clump forming bamboo will run - Have some here. Hacked it all down to ground level with the intention of digging it out (that didn't happen). Darned stuff was shooting up 3-4m away. Dug out the runners as soon as they were spotted, and it settled back down to be clump forming. Have since come up with an easy method to dig bamboo out with relative ease. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6441703/getting-rid-of-bamboo

Oh, glyphosate doesn't work - Have applied it in various ways, including injecting it in to the fresh sprouts.

Did you use the full strength undiluted Roundup? The stuff that you're meant to dilute. I did a bit of a search online and found plenty of recommendations to use it. But, not diluted at all. Full strength concentrate. Some other recommendations are for diluted, but still relatively highly concentrated glyphosate. The technique used appears to be important. E.g. see:

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/bamboo-control/

Note: I'm not saying that it should have worked for you or denying your experience. I'm curious to know what caused the result to be different for you. 

I'm aware that weed killers can have variable results. E.g. Weedol is supposed to target broad-leaved plants such as thistles and leave grass alone. But, when I used it on a thistle I ended up with a patch of dead grass with a healthy thistle in the middle. I have no idea why. 

ThisIsWeird

Macicka said:

I've seen a house and it ticks most boxes, however, l've noticed that the next door neighbour planted bamboo and it got out of hand. It now covers most of her garden and encroached into the seller's garden, and there are several bamboo plants there. I'd like to hear from all you who have had an experience of a similar situation: how did you prevent bamboo from spreading into your garden? Has anyone involved their insurance company, or pursued legal action? 

What kind of garden fence or wall separates you? And is the risk only to your garden, or are they also getting close to your house?
I've read, but don't know, that copper repels roots, and can be fatal to plants? So could a solution be to cut a narrow trench along the border and insert a thin copper sheet? Around £50 per metre or so. No idea how deep it would need to go - 400mm? Less, even?
At the moment, it doesn't appear to be an actual issue, so can't it simply be kept in check by mowing/trimming any shoots as they appear? 
Or, run a spade-depth channel/slice along the boundary, and pour salt or sodium chlorate in there?
If you buy, Macicka, make sure you have comprehensive LegProt included in your insurance policy.

bobster2

AskAsk said:

With plants, they will spread and it is difficult to use a barrier against them as they grow deep roots.  The only way to stop it spreading is to get the neighbour to remove theirs but the fact that they let it grow shows you what sort of people they are, so more than likely, they will not be good neighbours.

Bamboo is a massive pain to dig out - but it doesn't go very deep. Running bamboo rhizomes are fairly shallow - usually not more than 20-30cm below the surface.

There are companies that sell specific bamboo root barriers to go in the soil and keep bamboo contained - as an alternative to potting.

However, for the OP - as it's already under your fence, a barrier like this would only stop it spreading further in your garden. To elimate entirely from your garden - this barrier would need to be put in on the neighbour's side. And all the rhizomes dug out on your side.

nicmyles

I have a neighbour with bamboo right up to my fence. It destroyed one fence and is now busily working on destroying the replacement. It's challenging as the owner is a very elderly and frail lady who is difficult to communicate with - if a new owner came in, I'd ask them to remove it and if they refused start charging them for damage to my fence. But at present all I can really do is cut it back when it comes through.

Fortunately this is right at the back of the garden, well away from my house, so it's okay for us to live with. It sounds like the problems with this house are more extensive, and I certainly wouldn't buy somewhere knowing going in I was going to need to complain to a neighbour. 

FreeBear

RHemmings said:

FreeBear said: Oh, glyphosate doesn't work - Have applied it in various ways, including injecting it in to the fresh sprouts.

Did you use the full strength undiluted Roundup? The stuff that you're meant to dilute. I did a bit of a search online and found plenty of recommendations to use it. But, not diluted at all. Full strength concentrate.

Yup. tried undiluted full strength. Didn't affect the bamboo at all.

ThisIsWeird said: I've read, but don't know, that copper repels roots, and can be fatal to plants? So could a solution be to cut a narrow trench along the border and insert a thin copper sheet? Around £50 per metre or so. No idea how deep it would need to go - 400mm? Less, even?

Whilst a copper sheet would co the job, it is a very expensive option. Stainless steel would be just as effective, and a little cheaper. A much cheaper alternative would be 300mm wide DPC - At £15 for 30m, you'd get to do the whole garden for less than 1m in copper.

Macicka

nicmyles said:

I have a neighbour with bamboo right up to my fence. It destroyed one fence and is now busily working on destroying the replacement. It's challenging as the owner is a very elderly and frail lady who is difficult to communicate with - if a new owner came in, I'd ask them to remove it and if they refused start charging them for damage to my fence. But at present all I can really do is cut it back when it comes through.

Fortunately this is right at the back of the garden, well away from my house, so it's okay for us to live with. It sounds like the problems with this house are more extensive, and I certainly wouldn't buy somewhere knowing going in I was going to need to complain to a neighbour. 

Thank you - same here, the lady's old and unwilling to see the problem. Your situation sounds like a nightmare - must be very frustrating having to worry and pay for the fence. Wishing you the best of luck. 

penners324

Grizebeck said:

AskAsk said:

I wouldn't buy it as it sounds pretty bad.  Or I would knock a huge chunk off the asking price for the headache, that is to come.

Oh come on get real. Not a big issue

It's as big an issue as Japanese Knotweed 

bobster2

penners324 said:

Grizebeck said:

AskAsk said:

I wouldn't buy it as it sounds pretty bad.  Or I would knock a huge chunk off the asking price for the headache, that is to come.

Oh come on get real. Not a big issue

It's as big an issue as Japanese Knotweed 

Bamboo is a pain - but nowhere near as difficult as Japanese Knotweed. As I pointed out earlier - bamboo rhizomes are quite shallow (20-30cm) so can be dug out and blocked. Knotweed has rhizomes that can grow as deep as 2m. It's hard work but if you dig up bamboo it tends to come out in big clumps that can be carted away. However, you have to be really careful with knotweed rhizomes when digging as even small fragments can form the basis for new growth.

ThisIsWeird

In conclusion for Macicka, it would appear that the situation for them should be manageable, either by trimming down ('mowing') the shoots, adding a ~1' deep physical barrier, and/or using a powerful weedkiller on a regular basis?

And the presence of this neighbouring bamboo will likely cause other potential buyers to baulk too, so possibly a wee discount might be in order - Macicka should certainly make their concerns very clear when humming over the offer price?

Should Macicka buy, then they should ensure a comp level of LegProt, in case the bamboo begins to cause actual damage to their property - fences and stuff.

YoungBlueEyes

ThisIsWeird said:

<snip>

Should Macicka buy, then they should ensure a comp level of LegProt, in case the bamboo begins to cause actual damage to their property - fences and stuff.

Surely it would be ruled out as a pre-existing condition, especially if Macicka has done something about it/to it?