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Can we talk about planting invasive species on purpose?
I used to think planting bamboo was a good idea for privacy. Then my neighbor's bamboo roots tore up our shared fence after 2 years. Now I see people online arguing it's fine if you control it. But my yard guy says once it spreads, you can't ever get rid of it. Which side is right here?
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elizabeth_king23d ago
oh man, i used to be one of those people who thought "just plant bamboo, how bad could it be?" and now i feel stupid about it. my sister talked me out of it a few years ago and showed me pictures of what running bamboo did to her neighbor's foundation and i was like okay fine. but your fence story is exactly the kind of thing i was worried about, and honestly even clumping bamboo sounds like a risk if you're not super on top of maintenance. i'd rather plant something that doesn't require a battle plan just to keep it in check, you know? your yard guy is probably right that once it takes hold you're basically fighting a guerrilla war underground forever.
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taraw1625d ago
Start with asking your yard guy what kind of bamboo it was. There's clumping bamboo that stays in a tight circle and running bamboo that sends roots 20 feet away. I had running bamboo from a neighbor and it popped up under my shed, through my driveway cracks, and even in my lawn. Your fence situation sounds like running bamboo for sure. But even clumping bamboo needs a containment barrier or it'll eventually push past its space.
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bettyk5324d ago
Oh honey, "popped up under my shed, through my driveway cracks" - that gave me chills just reading it. That bamboo sounds like a nightmare, I'm really sorry you had to deal with that.
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