Invasive Bamboo – the problem gets bigger!
We’ve noticed larger Bamboo specimens in 2024 with an explosion of Bamboo removal requests from worried homeowners.
Bamboo has only become evident as an encroachment issue in the last couple of years. It’s always been there, but the knowledge of the damage that invasive Bamboo can do has not been as widely publicised until now. Leading to older culms with bigger canes.
Gardeners have been avidly planting Bamboo since it was introduced to the UK. Kew Garden’s first bamboo plant arrived in 1826, it was Phyllostachys nigra, known as black bamboo, and had been imported from Japan. Back then people had no idea whether Bamboos would be hardy enough to grow in Britain, so they were sent to various commercial gardens (such as Kew) to test their hardiness.
As soon as Bamboos established themselves as strong contenders for garden screening or ornamental areas, they became a popular gardener’s choice, and we’re now left with the legacy that is Bamboo encroachment. Today, Bamboo is often purchased without having the correct information about its invasive nature.
New legislation
Estate agents and solicitors are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of Bamboo on property, and with the UK Code of Practice for the Management of Invasive Non-Native Plants issued by the Property Care Association this year, new regulations around control of Bamboo will become increasingly important. The PCA’s new Code of Practice creates the overview guidance for managing invasive plants that we have had for so long with knotweed.
The original Environment Agency ‘Code of Practice for the Management of Japanese knotweed on Development Sites’ was released in 2001 and was the rule book contractors worked from in the remediation of Japanese knotweed.
Environment Controls already work in accordance with the new Invasive Plants Code of Practice, which also means complying to the Governments RPS 178 guidance for the treatment and disposal of invasive non-native plants.
Is Bamboo the new knotweed? Not quite – yet!
With rhizome root systems that spread laterally underground, Bamboo is similar in its growth pattern to Japanese knotweed. And as small fragments can grow into new plants, it’s equally important to remove not just the plant material but all contaminated soils that may contain these fragments. Sounds costly? It depends on the extent of the Bamboo infestation of course, and the method of removal.
Current methods of control include cutting the canes down and digging out (excavating) the entire rhizome system, stem injecting with Glyphosate or applying it directly to the leaves. Usually a root barrier system will also be installed as a containment measure, especially if the Bamboo originated from a neighbour’s property, and the area needs to be monitored for several years afterwards to watch for any lasting persistent shoots.
Excavation that includes having a root barrier installed is by far the safest option, however not everyone wants their garden dug up.
But what if there’s a better option?
A more ‘garden-friendly’ method of extraction
Because Bamboo can take over large swathes of ground if left uncontrolled, this inevitably that large volumes of soils must be removed to eradicate the problem. Environment Controls has developed a new methodology that reduces the total volume of soils to be removed which is a more desirable option for homeowners.
Get in touch if you’d like more information or a quick quote to remove Bamboo.