Bamboo Forest

When some people think of bamboo they may think of bamboo fishing poles or others may think of ornamental bamboo sometimes used in lawns. This bamboo grows to almost 4 inches in diameter and 25 to 30 feet tall. Too large for a fishing pole certainly.

Bamboo spreads through the root system. The roots have rhizomes that can grow into new canes of bamboo. The spread of the bamboo can be very aggressive, spreading as much as 15 feet in a year and eventually extending 45 to 50 feet from the original plants. Controlling the bamboo to a specific area can be quiet a challenge.

The individual canes of bamboo grow quiet close together forming almost an impenetrable wall. The life span of each individual cane is several years. The bamboo will form as young shoots from the ground quickly reaching its eventual diameter. The younger plants are a deep green color, becoming a lighter tan color as they age and die. As the dead canes fall they get hung up in the other canes making it harder still to squirm through the bamboo forest.

Getting rid of a bamboo forest is very difficult since the roots need to be removed as well as the individual canes. Rather than digging the roots up, once removed the individual cane stumps can be treated with glyphosate (Roundup) to kill the roots. The glyphosate may not kill all the roots but continuing to destroy young canes as they emerge will eventually weaken the root system and destroy the remainder. Another method involves cutting all the canes and covering the former bamboo forest with tarps to block out sunlight and water thus starving the plant. Completely eliminating a bamboo forest may take over a year of consistent effort.

Bamboo can be a beautiful addition to a backyard as long as someone is willing put put the work into keeping it under control. If you want to add these plants to your landscape, do some research beforehand to understand what you're getting into.