How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

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cazztan
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How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by cazztan »

My neighbour has tall bamboo shoots along the fence line of my new house and yard and it rapidly grows large (approx 4 inch diameter) shoots in my property under the fence. I cut it down and try to dig it out, but it is extensive underground.

I've tried to talk with my neighbour, but she loves the growth on her side and doesn't feel responsible for its spread into my side.

Any tips for keeping it bounded? We are considering poison or digging a trench and pouring concrete. The house foundation is a few feet away and we don't want it near the house.

Thanks in advance.
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Glen
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by Glen »

The best way to control this would be with a rhizome barrier. Concrete will work, if it is deep enough. You can also use a plastic barrier, but it MUST be the right kind, and it MUST be installed correctly.

Read this for details:
http://www.bamboogarden.com/barrier%20installation.htm

Perhaps you could convince your neighbor to share the cost of the project. Legal responsibility for controlling a plant in this situation probably varies by location, but it might be worth asking your neighbor to work with you.

I do not recommend using herbicides in this case. If you poison shoots on your side, it could affect portions of the plant on your neighbors property, potentially making you legally liable for pesticide misuse. This can expose you to civil penalties and other unpleasant legal difficulties.
dependable
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by dependable »

The easiest way to cut the roots would be to hire a chain trencher to run along the fence line, then, as stated above, put in a rhizome, or root barrier. Plastic strips marketed for this purpose would be easiest, and probably most cost effective. While the current roots are probably in the top 1 foot of soil, the barrier should be 30 inches, and get the 80mil stuff, the 60mil might not hold up.
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by fredgpops »

The depth of the barrier seems too shallow especially for the size of shoots in the picture. When I put a barrier on my nigra, I found roots down 2 1/2 to 3ft. RGds
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by fredgpops »

Once you present the situation to the neighbor and ask him to correct the problem, if he says no, you can do whatever you want including pesticide. Seems like you can also take him/her to small claims court for any cost to correct the problem. RGds
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Glen
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by Glen »

fredgpops wrote:Once you present the situation to the neighbor and ask him to correct the problem, if he says no, you can do whatever you want including pesticide.
This may be true in some states, but it is definitely not true in all. Pesticide law is written in a way that puts a strong burden on the applicator. Before applying any pesticide in a way that may cause harm to vegetation on someone else's property, even if the application is only made on your property, I strongly advise seeking legal council, and checking with the state pesticide regulatory agency. In many states, this is the state Department of Agriculture. Also, be aware that, with pesticides, the label is a legally enforceable document.

http://npic.orst.edu/reg/state_agencies.html
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needmore
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by needmore »

And anyway, bamboo will not necessarily be stopped by pesticide. Your neighbors are schmucks if they do not control it on their side and you can tell her that bamboo lovers on a bamboo forum said that, this is how bamboo gets a bad name.

None the less the advice here on a barrier is solid advice. If I lived in your house I think I'd just mow/string trim that area or otherwise knock down those shoots as they appear, it should be limited to a springtime period of a month or so. If your foundation has any openings from missing mortar etc then those rhizomes underground will perhaps find them and go into them so a barrier would be a good idea in that case. If your foundation is solid concrete or 'healthy' block then you already have a barrier.

What do folks here think that a heavy dose of a line of salt in that area would do?
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iain
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by iain »

Should the area mown be proportional to the size/height of the plant?
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by dependable »

needmore wrote:And anyway, bamboo will not necessarily be stopped by pesticide. Your neighbors are schmucks if they do not control it on their side and you can tell her that bamboo lovers on a bamboo forum said that, this is how bamboo gets a bad name.

None the less the advice here on a barrier is solid advice. If I lived in your house I think I'd just mow/string trim that area or otherwise knock down those shoots as they appear, it should be limited to a springtime period of a month or so. If your foundation has any openings from missing mortar etc then those rhizomes underground will perhaps find them and go into them so a barrier would be a good idea in that case. If your foundation is solid concrete or 'healthy' block then you already have a barrier.

What do folks here think that a heavy dose of a line of salt in that area would do?
I agree with above, as a landscape professional who installs bamboo plantings, and a bamboo enthusiast, I would never plant bamboo in a close neighborhood like that pictured without supplying an adequate barrier with the installation.

As to the salt, it would create a dead zone for other plants and grass without necessarily stopping the bamboo.
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needmore
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by needmore »

I think it may have been Farrelly's book where I read that seaweed was buried as a barrier once upon a time.
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Deane
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by Deane »

needmore wrote:I think it may have been Farrelly's book where I read that seaweed was buried as a barrier once upon a time.
I have Heard that the Japanese do the same thing to control where the bamboo spreads
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iain
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by iain »

A simple method of containment after mowing would be a trench along the perimeter, pruning the rhizomes that expose themselves.
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by Alan_L »

A rhizome barrier on the poster's side would still let shoots come up on his side of the fence I think, but it would greatly reduce their number.

I'd second the advice to avoid herbicides, and would also think long and hard about adding salt to the soil. Someday you (or the next inhabitant) might want to plant something there, and ruined soil stays that way for a long time.
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Re: How to remove invasive bamboo from neighbour

Post by UPBooMatt »

I'm new here, but it seems the easiest thing to do would be kick them over and eat the....like needmore said, you should only really have much to deal with in the spring shooting time. Though that does look like a pretty substantial Grove on the other side of that fence.

I hate when people are some blatantly disrespectfull to neighbors...and on top of that being the obvious contributiors to giving bamboo a bad name.
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