Hi all!
We've recently bought a property and are looking forward to going full hog on the garden this spring! First things first though I'm trying to find a solution to deal with this nasty bamboo which is spreading in from the neighbouring property at the end of the garden.
It's squeezing into a tiny gap between the shed and the fence, and has also started breaking into the shed itself.
I'd appreciate any suggestions for how we can deal with this rascal! I've seen suggestions of injecting the stems with weed killer, which seems most effective? The gap is so tight we're not going to be able to get any kind of loppers down there sadly!!
Thanks!
by Sarcasticasm
24 Comments
Shitty situation OP. Have you spoken to the owner and let them know their plant is causing issues with other peoples property. Letting them know in a friendly manner might be the most straightforward route. If not then it’ll be more difficult.
If you can’t get access to the roots/culms by moving the shed then you’ll have to use something like SBK brushwood killer and painting it on the plant. Injecting is a bit beyond most people and is more expensive in terms of kit. Wear PPE when using chemcials.
“We’re not going to get any loppers down there sadly!!” This situation is much more serious than you realise – to the point that I wouldn’t have considered buying this house. Running bamboo like this will require massive work from both neighbours to remove it. You can remove it 1000 times from your side but it will be back and worse in weeks if it remains there. Even then it’ll probably come back. Bamboo rhizomes are a literal nightmare.
Dig a trench, install specific bamboo barrier along the border with your garden and then dig out all the roots on your side and back fill the trench.
If anything does come up from bus you’ve missed, you could use glyphosphate based weed killer.
You’ve just bought the house and if you intend to remain there, you need to do it properly
Spray it with roundup (the stuff you have to mix yourself not the readymade stuff ) it should die back but it takes a while and a couple of doses to work.
No joke I wouldn’t have bought this house.
The only way to actually remove this bamboo is to remove the structures around it and dig out the roots. That looks like that would need to cooperation of at least 3 properties as you may have to take the fences down to get it out properly.
Crucially you need the house it’s planted in to rip it out of their garden or you’ll be doing it forever.
Bamboo membrane does generally work however im skeptical it will work in this case, as it’s running along a narrow gap from a property which appears to be diagonal to you – so if you membrane it it will probably continue to run along the fence line and force it’s way up between you and next door (which suspiciously seems bamboo free, either it’s concrete or they already have membrane) You can try it, but you still need to remove the shed and dig out everything you can reach.
And you really need to get the garden that has it to dig it out.
Go round and show them the photo!
Pseudosasa japonica. Stays put for a while to lull you into a false sense of security, and then sends rhizomes out many feet from the parent clump. There are a lot of overreactions in here, it’s not some almighty plague – but it does take effort to clear. A mattock is very useful.
You won’t need glyphosate – just cut it all back, dig out the shallow rhizomes and then either dump a load of seaweed fertiliser on, or dig a trench about 60cm depth and put in a bamboo barrier, leaving a small amount clear to check for runners.
You might need to stress to the neighbours that if they don’t remove the original plant that’s causing this they could be legally responsible for the removal from everyone’s property.
Good luck neighbours. For reference we didn’t put it in. Great hedge though, you wouldn’t think there was a building behind it.
https://preview.redd.it/skpua73yovgg1.jpeg?width=3402&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c71ff64592f9b133fb13f4d96c6ed75fa8295e42
The previous resident in my house was a professional gardener who had planted some to use for work but unfortunately he died and it took some time before the sale went through and it had gone mad. It took me 3 years of continuous digging to remove and I still have some in the hedge line that I have to look after. It had even managed to grow up through the middle of bricks!
Accidentally spill lots and lots Glyphosate on your way to storing it in your shed
I’m so sorry for your loss…..😱😱😱
I strongly suggest all parties around that fence talk to each other, don’t just start sorting your side.
Your neighbour may well be unaware of the encroachment.
It will all need digging out, by all of you or a professional invasive plant removal company.
Fences and sheds are relatively simple to move and reinstate.
Don’t listen to anyone suggesting poisons or just putting a barrier in your side. It will go over or around.
Firstly document everything with photos – then I would start with a conversation with the neighbours – they need to control it – they should install a rhizome barrier along the border or remove the bamboo entirely (which won’t be easy).
Also try to identify the type – running bamboo is classed as invasive.
You may be able to manage it by installing a root barrier yourself, but if the bamboo causes damage because the neighbours haven’t controlled it, you may have a legal claim against them. A solicitor’s letter is advisable here as that may result in the action that the friendly chat should have done.
If that doesn’t work either then Environmental Health and/or civil claim for nuisance and damages.
Assuming that’s your shed, I’d consider removing it, either temporarily, or permanently. That will give you all the access you need to sort out the bamboo, by using the various ways people have already mentioned. My personal favourite would be the glyphosate concentrate, made up stronger than suggested. Spray it all, leave it for a couple of weeks, then cut it all hard to the ground. Then reapply the spray on anything that pops back up. It will take a few years. And once you have cut back initially, dig the trench as suggested, but probably down the whole length of the garden!
Also, ask your neighbour if he wants it killing, so that you can spray his side as well.
You will need co-operation with your neighbors. Maybe point them to this thread!
Do you have space where you can move the shed to by a couple of feet or more? Moving the shed isn’t as hard as it seems and it will massively boost your chances of getting rid of the bamboo.
Bamboo is one of the few plants I’d use weed killer on. Get a bin bag and wrap it around as much of the plant as you can see and then blast it with weed killer into the bag. Wrap it and it’ll kill the stems but won’t stop the surviving stuff spreading. I’d consider small court claim against the neighbour.
Go to a local zoo and ask if you can borrow one of their pandas for a day?
Whoever sold you this home had a MASSIVE sigh of relief as soon as the sale went through. This is a monumental headache to deal with. No way would I ever consider purchasing this house. I’m sorry you’ve purchased this nightmare.
Take the shed out, dig a deep trench all along the fence, install Dupont Bamboo Barrier in the trench, refill. You’ll need a mattock for the digging part because the trench needs to be deep.
When digging the trench you’ll find thick and thin roots from the bamboo. You need to trace the thick ones through your soil to pull them out completely.
I wouldn’t bother with the neighbours, you have no way of knowing if they’ve done the job properly. The bamboo barrier will do its job in preventing further encroachment.
Don’t listen to anyone advocating chemicals. You don’t need it, they aren’t effective, and you introduce hideous damaging poisons into the environment. The answer to bamboo is sharp tools, patience and physical labour.
It also doesn’t look too bad imo. It’s a thin spread of p.japonica, not 30ft of Japanese knotweed ffs. Shift the shed, get digging, you’ll sort it in a weekend or two.
We’ve spent close to £3k getting rid of bamboo that came from our neighbours’ side which they did nothing about. It completely destroyed our patio and the retaining wall so has cost a further £6k to redo that also.
Im surprised this didnt come up as a warning in the survey (assuming you did a survey. Bambo can seriously damage a house fondation.
I had a massive clump in my garden planted by the previous owner. After snapping a pickaxe and a garden fork I bought a heavy felling axe. Was good exercise.