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Why you should not plant bamboo in your yard
5 reasons why you should leave this fast-growing invasive off your plant list.
Sun, Jul 17 2011 at 6:52 PM
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Photo: mike lowe/Flickr
Bamboo is a trendy star of the eco-friendly construction movement, with a wide variety of flooring, furniture and other items being manufactured with the strong, fast-growing grass. However, bamboo production should be left to commercial growers. Bamboo’s hardiness and rapid growth make it a problematic plant for most yards. Here are the top five reasons not to plant bamboo in your garden.
1. Bamboo can spread into neighboring yards.
Many homeowners plant bamboo to create a fast-growing privacy screen around their home. Ted Jordan Meredith, author of "Bamboo for Gardens," notes that some bamboo species can grow more than three feet per day. Bamboo can spread as quickly as it grows, and it doesn’t respect fences or property lines.
Bamboo grows particularly vigorously when adjacent to irrigated lawns and gardens or in low-lying areas that collect water. Instead of just blocking the view of nosy neighbors, you could be turning your property line into a war zone by planting bamboo.
Some bamboo species may even be categorized as noxious weeds, meaning a neighbor could legally force you to remove your bamboo. You could also be liable for the cost of any damage to the neighbors’ property caused by your bamboo, and for the cost of removal from their property.
2. Bamboo can be an invasive threat to biodiversity.
Bamboo that spreads and escapes your yard can also cause ecological problems. Many spreading bamboo species are categorized as invasive exotic plants that crowd out native plants and threaten biodiversity.
The best ways to contain spreading bamboo can be expensive and complicated, and may not be worth pursuing for many homeowners. Moreover, they are not foolproof. Experts at the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension office recommend burying thick 60-ml polypropylene or fiberglass about three feet deep, and leaving another two inches of material above the soil to inhibit surface spreading. Morgan Judy of Clemson University Cooperative Extension suggests creating a solid barrier made of concrete, metal or pressure-treated wood at least 18 inches deep around the bamboo.
Any of these barriers should stop shallow bamboo rhizomes from spreading, but Judy still recommends closely monitoring the area for escaping shoots, particularly during the early summer peak growing season.
3. Getting rid of bamboo can take years.
Bamboo is a long-term relationship that should not be entered lightly. It may take years and vigorous effort to remove unwanted bamboo. The first step in removing bamboo is to remove all the root mass and rhizomes. This is easier said than done, and many homeowners with bamboo-loving neighbors complain they can’t get rid of the spreading grass. No matter how much they dig, the shoots keep coming back.
Judy suggests frequent mowing can deplete and starve the bamboo, but it take at least two years of regular mowing to see any results.
4. Getting rid of bamboo may require herbicides.
Moreover, Judy notes that chemical herbicides are often necessary for controlling bamboo. This can be a problem for those trying to maintain organic gardens and avoid herbicide use.
She recommends Roundup Original, Quick Kill Grass and Weed Killer and other herbicides containing glyphosate. This broad-spectrum herbicide has minimal residual soil activity and typically kills only the plants that are directly sprayed. Mow or chop the bamboo and let it regrow until new leaves expand. Then spray the herbicide on the leaves.
Again, this could take years. One application will not solve your bamboo problem. Also, Judy warns that only specialized glyphosate herbicides should be used near creeks, ponds and other surface water. Eraser AQ, Pondmaster and other products are approved for use near water.
5. The right bamboo can be hard to find.
Bamboo’s defenders will argue that not all of the more than 1,000 bamboo species are equally invasive. They recommend clumping bamboo species rather than spreading types. The problem is that even clumping species spread, albeit not as vigorously. It also can be hard to differentiate between the types, and some are mislabeled. Moreover, other similar invasive species may be confused with bamboo. For example, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension officials warn against transplanting or encouraging the giant reed (Arundo donax), a bamboo look-alike that has invaded parts of their state.
Bamboo may seem like an attractive garden option, but it poses serious problems. Stick to a lucky bamboo in a small indoor pot, or avoid growing bamboo altogether. Moreover, do your homework before buying bamboo flooring and other products. It may not be as eco-friendly or durable as you think.
Steve Graham originally wrote this story for Networx.com. It is reprinted with permission here.
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We will stick with our potted plant inside! What a great reminder that if you want a garden native species are the best way to go in the end!
I have 20 foot tall golden (running) bamboo on my 17 ac and have been fighting it for several years now here in MO. I contracted a large bulldozer to push down and pile up one area so that I can mow it. Have a roundup (glysophate) program on two other areas (about a half acre left). It will take me several more years to get it under control. It has spread onto my neighbor, so far he likes it and even dug up some and planted other places. But he will find out with time like I did....
UN General Assembly proclaimed March, 21 as International Day of Forests
grow bamboo on a mound and it tends to stay there as i have done in my garden, and am amazed at the strength of it and make pencils by sucking red oxide and plaster mix up like a straw but with a pad of cotton wool at sucking end to stop getting mouthful as it stops with an audible "thunk" against the cotton wool for Leornardo style red oxide drawings with same. brookseeya .
also the best air cleaner/filter and oxygen producer ever grown.
Plant them babies !!!
side effects is nothing compared to air pollution from all our greed for comfort.
Great point.
We need also to learn how to harvest bamboo shots. I tried them it taste awesome.
Whatever you do, do NOT use glyphosate. It has been found to cause major illnesses and disease, disrupts hormone function, especially harmful to children. Do not support the most dangerous company in the world, Monsanto, by buying their product Roundup,. Boycott Roundup. Use natural, less harmful weed killers.
I have bamboo in the yard behind mine, which is well placed to give me shade. My neighbor and I have had extensive conversations about it. The reason it doesn't attempt to creep into my yard is that it is a non-invasive type, Buddhas's Belly, is what he called it. It's expensive, but worth it. Semi fast growing and gorgeous...you won't be sorry with this type of bamboo.
remember baby bamboo shoots are good in salad
Raw bamboo shoots are mildly toxic. The Chinese make bamboo shoots edible by boiling it in at least 3 changes of water, depending on size. The toxin boils out and is discarded with the water.
Bamboo in Taiwan is a fertile area for deadly Bamboo snakes...they drop from above...So be careful, no matter how many benefits bamboo gives.Good luck!
How about raising pigs in an area ten feet beyond effected soil
i those find 5 reasons to kill bamboo preposterous. bamboo is source of food, shade, shelter and ambiance. the party who sponsored killing bamboo got evil reason which their deep pockets.
the ignorance of this post is remarkable, i will no longer be reading anything on this website. you are giving incomplete information and your opinion. this being said, i cant have faith that anything written on mother nature network is factual. do your homework on bamboo (and everything else) before you poison peoples minds
When bamboo is outlawed, only outlaws will grow bamboo.
There are 2 different kinds of bamboo - "running" and "clumping". Please don't generalize by referring all bamboo as being invasive - its like saying all birds are dangerous when actually only referring to cassowaries (google it)...
Did you read the article? The writer did mention the two types, and discussed various esoterica as rhizome spread as well. And your mention of cassowaries is a fine example of what you object to: we see them in Australia from time to time, and they're not dangerous unless you provoke them.
I agree...another environmental alarmist article. I have 5 different types of bamboo growing on my property and each grow at significantly different rates. The ones that grow and spread quickly can be easily controlled by simply cutting down the unwanted growth after the growing season ends in June. The same cannot be said, however, of many invasive native plants like blackberry that cannot be controlled at all. Bamboo only scares people that don't have all the facts.
Plant Bamboo if only you have a Panda as your Pet :D
Writer is a hater!
Send that 15 footer out here, I can't get anything to grow in this d--- desert!
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