Bamboo Barrier

Installation and Maintenance

Bamboo is one of our most beautiful and useful plants. Over 1400 varieties are used throughout the world to provide elegant accents to our gardens, unique privacy screens for our patios and sweeping groves that exude a feeling of peace and tranquility. In many parts of the world it also provides material for building homes, making tools and utensils, and creating crafts.

However, as with most plants, if bamboo is left uncontrolled it can become invasive, spread to unintended areas and create a nuisance. Bamboo is a giant grass and like most grasses it creates new growth from an underground network of rhizomes. These rhizomes can spread undetected for many feet (even yards) during the year as the bamboo grove seeks water, nutrients, and space to propagate its new culms.

There are many ways to deal with this growth. The easiest is to simply ignore it. We do not recommend this solution unless you are at least ninety years old or plan to move within the next four years.

The method we do recommend is a High Density Polyethylene geomembrane manufactured in rolls by DeepRoot Urban Landscape Products. The smooth surface of this product diverts the rhizomes back into the desired area or to the surface where they can be eliminated. This product is manufactured in several widths and thickness, but for most locations a 24 inch, 30 mil barrier is sufficient if installed and maintained correctly.

Installation

Decide what area you plan to devote to your bamboo grove. Determine the length of barrier required by measuring the perimeter of the grove and adding four to six feet for overlapping the ends of the barrier. You will also need doublesided tape to bond the overlapped ends of the barrier. When you receive your barrier, just follow these instructions for installation (refer to figure 1 below).

a). Dig a trench around the entire area devoted to your bamboo planting. The depth of this trench should be three (3) inches less than the width of the barrier (a 24 inch barrier would require a trench 21 inches deep). The bottom of the trench should be cleaned to the full depth so the barrier will not ride up on rocks, roots, etc.

b). Place the barrier in the trench with the bottom of the barrier against the wall towards the bamboo grove. Be sure to allow enough barrier to overlap the ends by two to four feet. Doublesided tape should be used to bond the ends together before the trench is filled. Place the tape within an inch of the cut ends to ensure a tight bond.

c). Fill the side of the trench away from the bamboo with soil to a depth of three or four inches.

d). Then push the barrier away from the grove, fill and pack the trench with soil to the original ground level.

This method will give the barrier a slight angle away from the grove. Since the rhizomes tend to follow the path of least resistance, this angle will encourage the rhizomes to turn upwards to the surface where they can easily be cut or broken to prevent further growth.

Maintenance

To ensure the integrity of the barrier, we recommend that you inspect the perimeter two or three times a year. This inspection may be done during your normal grove maintenance of removing dead or broken culms and trimming lower branches (if desired).

Clear the top of the barrier by removing leaves, mulch or other debris. Inspect for rhizomes which have turned up and cleared the top of the barrier. Cut or break off these rhizomes and remove any portion from the area outside the grove perimeter.

This simple maintenance procedure will ensure that the bamboo remains with the perimeter of the grove. It will retain the integrity of your lawn, provide a beautiful and pleasing grove and hopefully maintain your relationship with your neighbors.

Prepared by:
The Bambusetum
704 James Nobles Road
PO Box 491
Chadbourn,NC 28431

Phone: (910) 654-4628
email: bamboo@noblescorp.com