With its tall, slender stalks and fast growing shade, bamboo is becoming an increasingly popular choice for gardeners. This beautiful plant provides excellent coverage and its height means it is a great alternative to fencing.
However, this fast growing plant can become a nightmare if not properly cared for. It’s been known to upend paving stones, destroy driveways and even crush water and sewage pipes due to its incredibly strong rhizomes. Rhizomes are the underground parts of the stems.
These are not roots but modified underground stems that function similarly to roots and grow horizontally through the earth.
Some types of bamboo are ‘clumping’, meaning their rhizomes grow closer to the main plant.
Other kinds are known as ‘running’, which means their rhizomes spread long and far beneath the ground, and these can cause property damage.
They are strong enough to push through soil, crack pavement, and even squeeze into weak spots in building foundations.
During the growing season, bamboo can grow inches or even feet daily, and this rapid growth means that even a small clump of bamboo can swiftly turn into a dense thicket that blocks out the light and strangles any nearby plants.
The dense roots of bamboo can suck up water and food from the soil, leaving little for anything else, and the thick canopy of leaves will start to block out sunlight.
However, bamboo can still be a beautiful addition to your garden – you just need to know how to control it.
Plants expert Harry Bodell at PriceYourJob.co.uk has shared his top tips on how to make sure your bamboo doesn’t take over.
He said: “It is a good idea to always look for a ‘clumping’ variety of bamboo.
“These types will grow in a tight clump and don’t send out the wild underground runners that can cause the problems we have discussed for your home and garden.
“They are a much safer option for home gardens than their running counterparts.”
If you decide to go for running bamboo, make sure you install root guards to stop it spreading past where you want it.
Harry said: “You can purchase thick sheets made of strong plastic or metal, which should be buried around two to three feet deep into the ground.
“If you make sure that the ends overlap well and are sealed tightly, these sheets should form an effective barrier to stop rhizomes from finding a way to spread further into your garden and the rest of your property.”
If you have bamboo that is already beginning to spread beyond where you want it, you’ll need to act fast to remove it.
One method to dig a trench around the area once or twice a year and cut down any rhizomes that try to cross it.
Alternatively, simply cut down any new shoots as soon as you see them pop up outside of the desired area. This will make the plant weaker over time.
Getting rid of bamboo entirely can be a huge undertaking – it’s more pervasive than Japanese knotweed.
You’ll need to cut down all of the shoots and dig up as many rhizomes as you can.
This process will need to be repeated over many months or even years to eventually starve off the plant. Very large or tough infestations may require you to hire professional support.