Everything You May Need To Learn About Bamboo in Cheltenham
Bamboo has already been continuously growing in level of popularity for UK homeowners in the last ten years, having said that, unknown to many it is an active and fast-growing plant that is really incredibly challenging to contain and also regulate. In the event that anyone has or believes they have Bamboo in Cheltenham then you should seek guidance from an expert such as Green Leaf Remediation who will certainly advise you regarding your best plan to ensure it will not grow out of control.
You can contact us on 0117 321 7799 or 07531 142316 and one of our experts will answer any questions you may have and arrange your free site survey.
Bamboo is known and liked for its ornamental appeal and frequently its quick growth that offers a level of privacy in overlooked gardens in cities, towns and residential areas and house owners are now planting it without comprehending its quick growth and ability to spread and consume other flora. You should be incredibly wary of planting it or taking on a residential or commercial property in which it is growing since it is now known that a few varieties of bamboo are very invasive and incredibly tough to control.
The UK Invasive Weed Control Industry is being contacted increasingly more to extract and manage bamboo in which it has been planted at a residential or commercial property without understanding how that it is going to probably take control of, or perhaps where it has actually spread from a neighbouring garden.
In conclusion, the experts have said, that invasive bamboo is really transforming into a significant issue for British home owners that may not have realised its growth rate and its invasiveness if not efficiently regulated. In many cases, the ‘running’ bamboo varieties can extend as much as 30ft below ground in addition to its substantial above-ground growth.
Many mortgage lenders in the UK and The RICS (The Royal Insitute Of Chartered Surveyors) are actually incredibly averse to lending on a property where Japanese Knotweed exists or has been present, and an increasing number of, are now becoming aware that bamboo is also a major problem but is still unrecognised by countless home owners as an invasive weed that can grow out of control if not planted correctly and managed.
Bamboo seeds can still easily be purchased on the internet or from garden centres throughout the UK. This adds to the issue that home owners are still uninformed of the consequences of planting and not regulating it. This often results in it growing out of control and taking over the other flowers and vegetation in a garden and even spreading to other house owners’ gardens and land.
Green Leaf Remediation have noticed a large surge in the amount of enquiries being received from apprehensive property owners who have sown bamboo and by mistake allowed the plant to grow out of control. Our UK weed professionals will assess the growth and advise you on our ideal management and extraction approaches providing you peace of mind that it won’t take control of your garden. Contact us on 0117 321 7799 or 07531 142316 right away and our team can arrange a free, and no-obligation site survey.
Bamboo in Cheltenham FAQ’s
Is Bamboo a prohibited plant in the UK?
Bamboo isn’t currently classed as an invasive plant in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and there are absolutely no regulations when growing it, having said that, the weed control industry is urging that bamboo can be as unpredictable as Japanese Knotweed with the same capability to spread out, quickly grow and infest substantial areas of soil.
There have been more and more recent claims from home owners who have taken legal proceeding against neighbours and properties around them where their bamboo has been allowed to spread onto their homes and end up being a severe concern for them. There are various varieties of bamboo plant and some are much more invasive and destructive than others.
What varieties of Bamboo are there?
Both the clumping and running types, all have substantial underground root and rhizome systems, making them incredibly difficult to regulate and eliminate without using an invasive plant specialist like Green Leaf Remediation & Removal.
Running Bamboo is the variety that expands swiftly over and underground. It disperses lengthy, lateral rhizomes (root system), which may frequently reach up to 30ft from the main plant. This brings about the plant very quickly spreading with fresh shoots and growth developing in new areas or onto other land or property causing disruption all around.
Due to the range running bamboo can spread out, it has been said that it can have the potential to become more damaging than Japanese knotweed and it has very similar capabilities to exploit and push through damaged or cracked masonry, drains pipes, wall structures and outdoor patios inducing more damage as it flourishes.
Clumping Bamboo is understood to be a lot less intrusive than running bamboo, nevertheless, if it is left unchecked and unmanaged it can easily spread and very quickly grow out of control.
If growing bamboo you ought to always consult a specialist regarding the type you choose, as well as growing it in containers or with solid root barrier systems in place to contain it to the spot you want it for, which in turn will avoid the likelihood of it spreading.
What is the big difference between clump-forming and running bamboo?
Clump-Forming Bamboo – This particular variety of bamboo has a root mass very similar to standard ornamental grasses, dispersing from the centre and never developing canes greater than 5-10cm from the existing plant.
Running Bamboo – A running bamboo spreads by its horizontal below ground stems from which overground canes then develop. This underground stem stretches and shoots up another cane 60-80cm beyond the initial sowing site enabling it to fairly quickly spread out. This is why a bamboo’s roots ought to be held by a root barrier system or in an appropriate pot to avoid it from spreading aggressively and colonising section of the soil you don’t want them within.
Types of Clump-Forming Bamboo
Fargesia murielae ‘Simba’
Fargesia murielae ‘Volacno’
Fargesia murieliae ‘Winter Joy’
Fargesia murieliae ‘Rufa’
Fargesia nitide
Varieties of Running Bamboo
Phyllostachys aurea
Phyllostachys aureosulcata f. spectabilis
Phyllostachys Nigra
Pleioblastus pygmaeus Distichus
Pleioblastus variegatus
Pleioblastus viridistriatus
Sasa tsuboiana
Sasa veitcha
How quickly does Bamboo in Cheltenham grow?
This all depends upon the type of bamboo as well as the environmental factors of the location, soil, air, water and overall ground conditions. Bamboo is understood to be an extremely unpredictable plant which in turn means you ought to take exceptional care and advice from an expert if growing it or purchasing a property where it is present.
Typically:
Running Bamboo has a tendency to grow to its fully grown height exceptionally quickly and spread out aggressively. Some can grow to 8 metres while others only make it to 1 metre, turning it into a huge unknown when planting it, or even if you currently have it on your property. Their roots really need to be contained to prevent them from spreading as their brand new canes can grow 90cm to 1.5 metres taller every year up until they get to their highest growing height.
Clump-forming bamboo has a tendency to grow to less than 5 metres high due to its small culms but they may grow equally as broad over time if not effectively regulated. The new canes of clump-forming bamboos can easily grow up to 30-45cm taller each year up until it achieves their maximum height.
The bamboo culm is used to describe the bamboo shoot itself. The culms are mainly hollow, having said that, a number of species have solid culms. There is a solid joint at the beginning and end of every single culm segment, called a node and the internodes are the segments in between the nodes.
Is Bamboo in Cheltenham invasive?
Bamboo is highly invasive and like Japanese Knotweed, it expands via its root system and will be invasive unless controlled by a specialist like Green Leaf Remediation. Bamboo is remarkably durable meaning it will grow in most soils and in harsh weather conditions, making it extremely difficult to control and remove completely.
Bamboo has now earned its negative reputation for reckless planting as if planting along with the correct control methods in place, it can be manageable.
Bamboo spreads from its fast-growing roots that drive horizontally through the soil with its lateral buds which then steer up to form the canes. Running bamboo will cover ground faster than a clump-forming bamboo type and often takes property owners by surprise at how quickly it spreads.
What varieties of soil does Bamboo do well in?
Bamboo is exceptionally durable and not at all fussy when it pertains to soil type. This can be a benefit if planted for the correct reasons and correctly managed.
Is Bamboo a wood, a grass plant or a tree?
Very few people know that bamboo is grass, nevertheless, a lot of the fast-growing invasive bamboo varieties have a remarkably tree-like appearance therefore are often described as bamboo trees. Their stems might be anything from a few centimetres in height and up to 8 metres within just a few years, with their stem diameters ranging anything from 1 mm to 30 cm.
Can you grow Bamboo in pots?
If you would like to grow Bamboo in Cheltenham at your home, it could be grown in flowerpots or containers depending upon which variety they are. Growing them in a flowerpot or container will likely stop them from spreading and cultivating your property.
Can Bamboo devalue a property?
Bamboo in Cheltenham is becoming much more well known in the property, mortgage and the UK invasive weed industry as a plant that can decrease the value of a residential or commercial property as a result of its particularly invasive and unpredictable characteristic. A growing number of mortgage companies are now asking if bamboo is present at a property and some may not lend on it so always do your research prior to providing on a residential or commercial property and making an application for a mortgage.
Is Bamboo toxic to humans?
When eaten, bamboo contains a toxin that produces cyanide in the human gut. The shoots can be edible, however, before they need to have their exteriors cut away and afterwards be boiled before eating them. Our company would recommend that people and animals do not eat bamboo.
Is Bamboo stronger than wood?
Bamboo is understood to be 2-3 times harder than most hardwoods from the Janka Hardness Test which is worked with for categorising lumber by its hardness. The universal Janka hardness test (from the Austrian-born emigrant Gabriel Janka, 1864-1932) determines the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear.
Is Bamboo green in winter?
Most varieties of bamboo are evergreen therefore they remain green and also vibrant all throughout the cold weather when most other plants have died back and this has helped to make them remarkably appealing to home owners who do not understand their invasive growth. They might shed some leaves in the course of the year but it isn’t a substantial amount.
Property Care Association Bamboo Comments
Dr Peter Fitzsimons of the Property Care Association, a trade body representing invasive weed control contractors and consultants, said bamboos are “woody” grass that has commercial significance in their native home.
However, he said that in the UK the plant has attributes similar to those of an “alien invasive species”. Some of those features include being fast-spreading, dominating native vegetation and being resistant to natural predators such as bugs or fungi. He added: “We have been calling for some time for the many species of bamboo to be added to Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act to enable effective regulation.”.
What is the Property Care Association?
The Property Care Association (PCA) is the UK’s leading trade association that represents professionals that can be depended solve issues affecting buildings and property in general.
What the PCA say pertaining to their practitioners
- We offer professional trustworthy site surveys and investigations that deliver peace of mind through detailed investigation and correct diagnosis for property owners and businesses
- Our services are provided by trained, knowledgeable, vetted and qualified surveyors and inspectors
- Our contractor members are able to complete highly specialised repairs and treatments, effectively, efficiently and safely, using skilled experienced site operatives
- Our PCA members are required to meet and maintain robust membership criteria. This covers aspects of services including professional qualifications, technical competence, service delivery & financial stability
About Our Bamboo Management & Control Services in Cheltenham
Bamboo makes a positive contribution to the natural environment in addition to it being visually pleasing and is a great plant to use if you are looking for privacy in an area. However, our experts suggest exceptional care and our staff would certainly not advise planting Bamboo in Cheltenham in an ordinary residential garden as a result of its invasive root growth. It will spread underground and grow very quickly above ground, taking control of the other plants and vegetation in a garden.
Sowing Bamboo is comparable to growing Japanese Knotweed in your garden, however, it isn’t yet against the law to do so. Japanese Knotweed is well known by house owners as being an invasive weed but Bamboo seeds and plants are still extensively sold throughout the UK but have the very same invasive characteristics as Knotweed and are going to very quickly take over an area if not managed properly.
Green Leaf Remediation have seen how unpleasant Bamboo in Cheltenham is and our team have helped numerous customers who were initially unaware of its damaging and unpredictable nature when they initially planted it, or when they first brought their property.
Bamboo in Cheltenham is often grown along borders in or about a structure to provide personal privacy to a property. Over the last couple of years, we have indeed seen exactly how this has led to many unpleasant and preventable disputes with neighbours when the bamboo has spread out of control onto their land.
Our belief is that whilst bamboo is not yet listed as an invasive weed as Japanese Knotweed is, more significant awareness and concern for this plant is called for. There are over 100 varieties of bamboo, with upwards of 30 or so varying species usually located in the UK.
The fundamental guide to the different bamboo rhizome (roots) is:
- Runners – these will ‘run’, meaning, spread laterally and quickly
- Clumpers – these will continue to grow if not correctly managed and managed, however, they won’t colonise as much soil as the running species do
Bamboo is now known to be one of the fastest-growing plants and will quickly colonise new soil, and in doing so, will rapidly consume open spaces and can cause significant damage to many solid structures.
The rhizomes aren’t as brittle as their Japanese Knotweed equivalent, making them a challenge to get rid of if you are not a professional. Once a bamboo rhizome has established itself within the soil or between a solid structure, removing it is the same as attempting to remove a rope from a solid block of concrete.
Green Leaf Remediation provide several removal and control solutions when it pertains to bamboo. Every infestation will have its own obstacles and our experts are going to work out the most effective extraction and control methods depending upon your property and site.
In many scenarios, our team make use of an excavator to remove the majority of the bamboo’s rhizome. They can also put in a suitable ‘root barrier’ that prevents the rhizome from continuing to spread within your own and neighbouring residential properties. If you would like some of the bamboo to remain then our specialists will offer you a control and management solution so it can remain without spreading out into locations you don’t want it to.
If you have an infestation of bamboo or are worried you have Bamboo in Cheltenham contact us today on 0117 321 7799 or 07531 142316 to arrange your complimentary and no-obligation site survey. Our bamboo professionals will assess and provide you with different solutions based on your residential or commercial property and requirements.
