Bamboo Problem ruining your yard?
Remove it for good and protect your property!
Running Bamboo is often called invasive because the parent plant extends rhizomes, or roots far away and under the soil to greatly extend the footprint of the original plant material. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. This fast speed at which it grows, combined with the distance that the rhizomes travel underground, makes bamboo one of the more difficult plants to get rid of once it spreads to unwanted areas. At this home in New Jersey, a neighbor planted running bamboo along the property line, but failed to install a needed deep root barrier to prevent it from spreading to the adjoining property and home. Installation of running bamboo in this fashion is nearly certain to cause a headache for a neighbor due to the spreading of the rhizomes underground and eventual infestation of the bamboo plants on the neighbor's property. Be smart and install a deep root barrier if you are going to plant bamboo on your property.
Running Bamboo shoots will travel over time searching for water, and eventually ruin your lawn and home's foundation if left unabated. If your property looks like this as a result of bamboo infestation, you will likely want to install a root barrier as well as excavate the affected portions of the yard to remove rhizomes from the unwanted areas. A bamboo rhizome grows underground and will continue to sprout new bamboo shoots until it is removed. Installing a deep root barrier is a labor intensive task that requires excavation of the intended area to a depth of between 36 and 48 inches. Once the excavation is complete, the barrier can be installed in precisely the right area. This root barrier is constructed using high density polyethylene (HDPE) material which is a very strong, long lasting material. HDPE material is commonly used in the constructing of underground gas pipes and water lines. The deep root barrier acts as a root stop which prevents the bamboo rhizomes from spreading to unwanted areas. The barrier is installed to allow access to it in the future for minor maintenance, if needed. Once the root barrier is installed, it is recommended to screen the excavated soil to remove the rhizomes from the soil. The screening will generally take place over a larger area to ensure that the bamboo can not spread from the lawn side of the barrier. Installing the root barrier without screening rhizomes from the adjacent soil will not prevent the existing rhizomes from growing and spreading. The combination of the screening and deep root barrier will be your most effective solution for containing bamboo over the long term. Once the deep root barrier is installed and the affected soil properly screened, you will be able to enjoy the beauty of the bamboo border without the hassle of unwanted growth.