Darren Greatbatch, Specialist Advisory Manager, Amenity & Invasive Weeds, at Environment Controls.
Last reviewed on .
Is it bamboo?
Gardeners have been avidly planting Bamboo since it was introduced to the UK. The first bamboo plant arrived at Kew Gardens in 1826 – it was Phyllostachys nigra, known as black bamboo, and had been imported from Japan. Now with encroachment claims being evident homeowners are becoming concerned, and want to know if they have invasive bamboo.
customers need confirmation before deciding whether to act and get it removed and typically use an identification service or plant ID app, we have a free online service that a lot of our customers use because they get a rapid response from our bamboo experts. Bamboo species vary so not all look like the most common ‘green shoot’ variety.
Concerned about bamboo?
A mix of people are concerned about bamboo – some have carried out research and know that they have bamboo and want removed, others are just concerned as they have spotted it in their garden or may see bamboo in a neighbours garden and want us to check it’s not encroaching.
We get a lot of questions around ‘is bamboo the same as knotweed?’. The answer is – not yet, but that’s only because legislation around bamboo is not the same as it is for knotweed. However, bamboo and knotweed have very similar growth patterns and can cause the same type of damage.
What type of bamboo is worse and does it require an expert to spot it?
Bamboos are part of the grass family Poaceae, more specifically the subfamily Bambusoideae. They are a species that rely on rhizomes for their growth and are predominantly evergreen perennials. Running bamboos develop rhizomes that travel laterally through the soil, often several meters away from the parent plant. New culms emerge along the length of these rhizomes, making running bamboos much more likely to become invasive.
Phyllostachys and Pseudosasa are generally the most common of the ‘running’ species. Our surveyors are highly trained to identify most bamboo varieties – it’s always advisable to consult with an expert.
How bad is bamboo in the UK now?
We’ve noticed larger bamboo specimens in the past 2 years with an explosion of bamboo removal requests from worried homeowners. We’ve seen bamboo rip up decking, grow through cracks in house walls, roots growing through drainage causing damage to underground infrastructure and lifting a roof off a shed.
Some contracts have involved bamboo plants that were over 10 metres high, and another contract the bamboo stems were over 25cm thick. Bamboo can grow to be very dense and this causes another issue as it needs to be cut down before it can be excavated.
Ben Lindley, company director Environment Controls commented: “Bamboo has been a popular decorative garden plant for many decades; however, UK homeowners have become increasingly aware of the nuisance it causes.
Some species of Bamboo can be particularly invasive either via spreading underground rhizome, or strong spreading clumping growth. Homeowners are now finding Bamboo appearing throughout their lawns, planting beds, patios, driveways and spreading onto neighbouring properties!
With heightened public awareness, invasive bamboo is now something homebuyers and property surveyors are starting to look out for. If you’re selling a property affected by Invasive Bamboo, it is increasingly likely it will be raised during the conveyance process and subject to purchase negotiations.
Attempts by homeowners to cut down or pull up Bamboo to control it often result in an ongoing battle with little results. This can leave homeowners at risk, not only from the issues on their property but also that being caused to neighbouring gardens it has spread to.
Qualified contractors are available and provide reassurance and piece-of-mind for homeowners looking to deal with invasive bamboo. Environment Controls are a member contractor to the Property Care Association’s (PCA) Invasive Weed Control Group. PCA member contractors have vast experience in controlling invasive plants such as Invasive Bamboos and Japanese knotweed. Qualified contractors will survey a property and provide a management plan with control options. Through their understanding of how invasive bamboos grow the treatment programmes are effective and excavation works ensure the underground rhizome is removed. Qualified PCA contractor members can also cover their works with Insurance Backed Guarantee.”
If you need help identifying bamboo and would like us to provide a quote to treat or remove it get in touch and speak to a bamboo expert.