Control The Spread Of Bamboo With Rhizome Barrier
“Won’t bamboo take over my yard?”
Rhizome Barrier Sale Price through September 15 $1.80/linear foot
If you have a lawn or garden or any rich, moist soil nearby your bamboo grove, the bamboo will find it, but only if you let it. Any “running” bamboo can be contained easily with rhizome barrier. Read on for more info and take advantage of the sale price till September 15th.
Some of the faster running/spreading bamboo varieties that I grow, such as Phyllostachys aureosulcata “Spectabilis” and Phyllostachys bambusoides “Castillon” will pop up new shoots 10′ away after one growth season under the right conditions. This is great if you want the grove to fill in fast, but not so great if it happens in the middle of your rose garden or your neighbor’s lawn.
It is important to understand that bamboo in a normal garden setting does not spread by seed, like dandelions of thistles, but by underground “runners” called rhizomes. They are basically big, woody versions of the runners you see if you pull up a clump of typical lawn grass. Being mostly a forest plant, bamboo rhizomes like to spread through the deep leaf mulch that covers forest soils. By stopping the spread of the underground runners, you can stop the spread of the plant. Even the most active runners can be contained with an easily-installed rhizome barrier.
The best rhizome barrier is a continuous sheet of heavy plastic, stood vertically in a trench around the entire perimeter of the bamboo grove. For most bamboo species, 24″ is plenty deep enough to easily contain all the rhizomes. The process is fairly simple, if laborious. Rent a motorized trencher to make a 4″ – 6″ wide trench around the grove, place the barrier vertically, clamp the ends together and backfill with soil. (For a more detailed description, check out the Wikihow page on installing rhizome barrier.)
Most rhizome barrier is 30 mil or 40 mil smooth polyethylene plastic that can be quite stiff to work with, especially when doing long runs and curves. I’m currently carrying a fiber-reinforced 30 mil polyethylene that is more flexible and easier to install. It is 24″ deep, which is enough to control virtually all temperate bamboo. In the rare cases where a sturdier barrier is required, I can order 36″ material.
The price is $2/linear foot, with discounts available for lengths over 150′. It is easily rolled and shipped anywhere. I have specially-made aluminum rhizome barrier clamps for $12 each. These are for attaching the ends of the barrier together so that the rhizome tips cannot slip between the overlap and escape.
To order, drop me an email at mikal[at]plantsforthepeople[dot]com and I can calculate a shipping price for you or answer any questions you may have.