How to contain bamboo that has started to spread

[Doelman]

I'm buying a piece of property that has been left vacant for several years. On the eastern property line, in a ravine, there's a mature stand of bamboo. I have no use for the land so I'm fine with leaving it there, but it's started to encroach into the yard over the years. All the bamboo is still small, 3'-5' tall canes at most and not very thick. My plan is to dig a ditch along the perimeter of the mature bamboo stand and put in a rhizome barrier. Then cut down all the immature bamboo that has spread into the yard and just pull/eat all the bamboo shoots that come up in the spring. Since the rhizome in the yard won't have any canes to photosynthesize, shouldn't it just eventually die off? Is this a foolhardy plan?

 

[Marck]

It sounds like you already have a good handle on this.

1) Sever the rhizomes, 2) Construct a barrier, 3) Pull up unwanted green shoots. 4) Occasionally check that the barrier isn't breached.

Careful use of herbicide could be another step, but it isn't necessary if the basic four steps are performed correctly. Sometimes just painting a little herbicide on the shoots or severed rhizomes is enough, but make sure the rhizomes are completely severed so that herbicide doesn't travel back to the main clump. If I was going to use herbicide at all, it would be a small amount, late in the game.

The severed rhizomes may continue to put up new green shoots for awhile, but if they are regularly removed the rhizome will starve out. You can also take a shovel to any particularly persistent spots and remove the rhizome directly.

 

[Doelman]

It sounds like you already have a good handle on this.

1) Sever the rhizomes, 2) Construct a barrier, 3) Pull up unwanted green shoots. 4) Occasionally check that the barrier isn't breached.

Careful use of herbicide could be another step, but it isn't necessary if the basic four steps are performed correctly. Sometimes just painting a little herbicide on the shoots or severed rhizomes is enough, but make sure the rhizomes are completely severed so that herbicide doesn't travel back to the main clump. If I was going to use herbicide at all, it would be a small amount, late in the game.

The severed rhizomes may continue to put up new green shoots for awhile, but if they are regularly removed the rhizome will starve out. You can also take a shovel to any particularly persistent spots and remove the rhizomeW

What if I didn't sever the rhizome from the main clump? Being Asian, we can honestly never get enough of bamboo shoots, they're impossible to find fresh here. If I do everything else I mentioned except the barrier, will the rhizomes eventually die back closer to the main clump and just put out new shoots in the yard around that clump? I always have a vegetable garden and having another consumable item being produced on the property is attractive to me, but not if it eventually takes over the entire yard.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Curiosity; I know there are an awful lot of bamboo species, and I know some have names that imply they are not pleasant to eat, I don't know if any of them are actually poisonous. So how do you make the judgement when you come across one growing like that? Simply try a few shoots? Or do you know ones of certain appearance will, or will not, be tasty?

 

[Marck]

What if I didn't sever the rhizome from the main clump? Being Asian, we can honestly never get enough of bamboo shoots, they're impossible to find fresh here. If I do everything else I mentioned except the barrier, will the rhizomes eventually die back closer to the main clump and just put out new shoots in the yard around that clump? I always have a vegetable garden and having another consumable item being produced on the property is attractive to me, but not if it eventually takes over the entire yard.

If I understand you correctly, yes, you can let a second patch of bamboo grow on your property. Left unattended, it would likely get as large as the first patch or larger. However if you keep harvesting the shoots or otherwise cutting it back, that could control it, though you would probably also want to have a second barrier around the new clump, like a moat or underground wall.

As for edibility, I do know many of the commonly eaten bamboos are timber bamboos because they are considered good tasting, and also there is more to harvest. I don't know which species you have, but it looks like one of the larger Phyllostachys species, which are commonly eaten.

 

[Doelman]

If I understand you correctly, yes, you can let a second patch of bamboo grow on your property. Left unattended, it would likely get as large as the first patch or larger. However if you keep harvesting the shoots or otherwise cutting it back, that could control it, though you would probably also want to have a second barrier around the new clump, like a moat or underground wall.

As for edibility, I do know many of the commonly eaten bamboos are timber bamboos because they are considered good tasting, and also there is more to harvest. I don't know which species you have, but it looks like one of the larger Phyllostachys species, which are commonly eaten.

I'm not sure which species it is but I asked my aunt if these had good shoots and she said "Yes, very good" she's harvested a lot of shoots so I trust her on this one.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Doelman]

Curiosity; I know there are an awful lot of bamboo species, and I know some have names that imply they are not pleasant to eat, I don't know if any of them are actually poisonous. So how do you make the judgement when you come across one growing like that? Simply try a few shoots? Or do you know ones of certain appearance will, or will not, be tasty?

the bad ones are a bit bitter, but I believe they're all edible so no harm in trying some random shoots if you see them.