Bamboo is also conquering our gardens more and more. It not only shoots up overnight but also quickly expands in width. At the latest when it occupies the neighbor's garden unnoticed, you have to limit the bamboo - effectively and permanently! But how?

How far can rhizomes spread?

Most bamboo species spread their underground roots up to 3 meters a year. They overcome almost every obstacle and damage foundations and masonry under terraces, garages, basements and houses. Normally, bamboo roots are just below the surface. But the following bamboo species and varieties grow more than 1 meter deep into the ground:

  • Bashania
  • pleiblastus
  • Phyllostachys
  • Semiarundinaria

Root growth depends on various factors

For example, the type of bamboo or the soil conditions: the sandier the soil, the faster the roots grow. But the plants can also undercut solid clay soil. It just takes longer.

Various methods of delimiting the bamboo

In general, the bamboo needs a sufficient location with at least 1.5 to 2 meters in diameter. Bashania, Pleiblastus and Co keep the following possibilities in check with natural or artificial containment aids:

  • hill method
  • trench method
  • special film
  • mortar bucket
  • In the mound method, a shallow trench is dug 30 centimeters deep and the earth is thrown into a mound in the middle. The rhizomes of the bamboo growing on it become visible due to the difference in height when leaving the site and must be removed regularly.
  • With the ditch method, a 30 centimeter deep ditch is dug, filled with leaves and adjusted with loose garden soil. Regularly remove any bamboo roots growing through the leaf ditch

Both natural methods take advantage of the rhizomes' ability to avoid obstacles just below the surface. They are inexpensive and require little work. But they are not safe rhizome barriers.

  • Rhizome barrier with special film made of high-quality plastic (HDPE). To do this, screw the beginning and end of the 70 cm wide foil to an aluminum rail. This creates a closed ring. This is buried vertically so that five centimeters are still sticking out of the ground to prevent the rhizomes from escaping.
    Conclusion: Expensive and labor-intensive to create. But a secure rhizome barrier.
  • Perforate the 90 liter mortar bucket on the bottom and in the lower side area with a drill for the water drainage. Then sink the bucket into the ground with an overhang of 5 centimeters and plant bamboo in the mortar bucket.

Conclusion. Inexpensive and little work with a relatively safe rhizome barrier.

tips and tricks

There is a hardy bamboo family that does not form runners: umbrella bamboo (Fargesia) - Fargesia murielae and Fargesia nitida.

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Herbs