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Habitat
Creeping Bamboo is an Asian ornamental species which can become
a source of neighbour disputes when it spreads to adjacent properties.
Creeping Bamboo is used sometimes to define boundaries when in fact
it is a plant that knows no boundaries in its growth habit. It is
often chosen for its rapid vertical growth above ground by people
blissfully unaware of its rampant horizontal growth below ground.
It is undeterred by fences, brick walls, bitumen or concrete paving.
It doesn’t stop for iron and fibro sheeting either
Description
Creeping Bamboo sends out tough horizontal rhizomes or “runners”
that in warm weather rapidly send out vertical shoots and begin
to clump. Once established the stems and rhizomes of the Creeping
Bamboo occupy the total surface area of the ground. The bamboo produces
a thick leaf mulch that allows nothing else to grow and often hides
the creeping rhizomes spreading out just under the surface of the
ground.
Noxious Weed Category: 4
Control & Removal Methods
The most effective way to remove Creeping Bamboo is to cut the shoots
down low and then use a crowbar or mattock to dig out or lever up
the rhizomes and roots. Alternatively cut the stems low and paint
any new shoots when they are about 1 metre high with glyphosate
herbicide - this may require a number of treatments over a period
of time. The shoots and rhizomes can then be bundled up and put
out for the green waste collection.
Do yourself a favour, maintain good relations with your neighbours
and avoid a headache by using an alternative hedge plant or privacy
screen. If you really must grow bamboo then get advice from a nursery
about the less invasive species, keep it at least 3 metres away
from any boundary and use an effective root barrier. |
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