Bamboo can be a stunning plant. Bamboo shoots may provide shade and seclusion as well as beautiful scenery in the garden. One invasive plant specialist, on the other hand, feels that bamboo should come with a warning since it grows fast and might cause building foundations to fracture and bust through masonry. Bamboo, like Japanese knotweed, is highly dangerous to homes if the plant grows too near; it has even been said that it entered several homes!
Bamboo can grow rapidly, and because it grows so quickly, it has been able to escape from people’s gardens and travel to other parts of the yard. It may cause damage that is difficult to repair if it enters a crack in concrete or otherwise gets too close to a house.
Bamboo roots can spread up to thirty feet, according to specialists. This implies that the roots could harm buildings even if they are not right next door. Because of the dangers bamboo poses, it may be a poor option for home gardens. In invasive plant experts’ opinions, bamboo might be more difficult than worth the effort.
Bamboo is a highly adaptable plant, allowing it to spread like wildfire as an invasive species. Bamboos’ roots are capable of strangling fields because they may get so tangled and big. They can also break through brick and mortar and cause structural foundation damage. Bamboo can grow in a variety of conditions, including temperatures and seasons, making it particularly appealing for individuals who don’t have green thumbs.
However, Nic Seal, the founder of Environet, a British firm, believes that more people should be aware of how harmful bamboo may be to their house.
“It’s time for garden centers and plant nurseries to take some responsibility for the escalating problem being faced by gardeners up and down the country who have bought bamboo in good faith with no warning of the risks,” Seal said. “The fact is that most bamboos are invasive – and I expect they would be a good deal less popular if gardeners were given the facts at the point of sale. We’re regularly dealing with entire gardens that are a mass of bamboo rhizome, where homeowners have desperately tried to keep on top of the problem by cutting back or mowing new shoots as they emerge.”
He continued, “But once it’s on the run, the only way to deal with it properly is to excavate the root ball and dig out every lateral rhizome, which often means chasing them across boundaries into neighboring gardens. I’ve even seen bamboo growing up between the skirting board and wall of a house, having encroached beneath the patio from next door’s garden and exploited a weakness in the property’s foundations.”
Bamboo was planted on Ms. Saunders’ South West London home after consulting with a plant specialist. Despite this, she was unable to keep it from spreading across her land.
“I’d advise anyone considering planting bamboo to think twice and only plant it in pots or containers above-ground,” Saunders saidd. “And be prepared to do a lot of maintenance to control it.”