Our Bamboo Stroud FAQs – Learn everything you should know

Bamboo has been steadily flourishing in popularity for a few UK homeowners in the last 10 years, having said that, unknown to many it is an active and fast-growing plant that is very troublesome to contain and manage. In the event that you have or even think you have Bamboo Stroud then you should get advice from an expert like ourselves, Green Leaf Remediation and we will advise you of your most ideal action to ensure it doesn’t grow out of control.

Bamboo is known and liked for its attractive look and often its fast growth which gives a level of privacy in overlooked gardens in urban areas, towns and residential areas, however, property owners plant it without comprehending its quick growth and capability to spread and consume other vegetation and plants. You should be very cautious of planting it or taking on a property in which it is present since it is now known that a number of bamboo types are highly invasive and extremely tough to manage.

The UK Invasive Weed Control Industry is being called on increasingly to remove and manage bamboo where it has been grown at a property without knowing just how it is going to take over, or where it has spread from an adjoining property.

Experts have explained, that invasive bamboo is transforming into a major predicament for British homeowners that may not have understood its growth speed and its invasiveness if it is not properly controlled. Sometimes, the ‘running’ bamboo varieties can extend as much as 30ft below ground in addition to their considerable above-ground growth.

Several home mortgage lenders in the UK and The RICS (The Royal Insitute Of Chartered Surveyors) are exceptionally averse to lending on a property where Japanese Knotweed is present or has been present and most require a Japanese Knotweed Management plan to be in place, and a growing number are now understanding that bamboo is also a huge problem, however, is still unrecognised many house owners as an invasive weed that can easily grow out of control if not planted correctly and managed.

Bamboo seeds can still easily be bought online or from garden centres throughout the UK and this is actually adding to the issue that property owners are still unaware of the consequences of sowing and not regulating it. This frequently results in it growing out of control and taking over the other flowers and vegetation in a garden and even spreading to other property owners’ gardens and land.

Green Leaf Remediation & Removal has seen a large rise in the number of enquiries being received from anxious homeowners who have planted bamboo and inadvertently made it possible for the plant to grow out of control. Our UK weed experts will assess the growth and suggest our best control and removal procedures, giving you the assurance that it won’t take control of your garden. Contact us on 0117 321 7799 today and our team will arrange a free and no-obligation site survey for you.

Bamboo Stroud FAQs

Is it an illegal plant in the UK?

Bamboo isn’t presently classified as an invasive plant in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and there are no restrictions when planting it, however, the weed control industry is suggesting that bamboo can be just as unpredictable as Japanese Knotweed with the same capacity to spread extremely quickly and grow and infest sizable areas of land.

There have been a growing number of recent claims from homeowners who have taken legal action against neighbours and residential or commercial properties in which their bamboo has been allowed to spread onto their properties and ends up being a serious problem for them. There are many different varieties of the bamboo plant and some are more intrusive and invasive than others.

What types exist?

Both the clumping and running types all possess substantial underground root and rhizome systems, making them remarkably hard to regulate and remove without employing an invasive plant consultant like West Country Japanese Knotweed Removal.

Running Bamboo is the variety that disperses rapidly over and also below ground. It distributes lengthy, lateral rhizomes (root system), that can easily frequently reach up to 30ft from the main plant. This results in the plant very quickly spreading with fresh shoots and growth emerging in new places or onto other land or property causing disruption all around. Due to the distance running bamboo may spread out, it has been said that it can have the potential to become more harmful than Japanese knotweed and it has comparable abilities to exploit and push through broken or fractured masonry, drains, wall structures and patios causing more destruction as it grows.

Clumping Bamboo is known as being less invasive than running bamboo, nevertheless, if it is left uncontrolled and unmanaged it can spread and swiftly grow out of control.

If sowing bamboo you should always check with an expert about the type you choose, together with growing it in containers or with strong root barrier systems in place to contain it to the area you want it for, which will help prevent the possibility of it spreading out and taking over.

What is the big difference between clump-forming and running types?

Clump-Forming Bamboo – This variety of bamboo features a root mass quite similar to ordinary ornamental grasses, spreading out from the centre and never sprouting canes more than 5-10cm from the existing plant.

Running Bamboo – A running bamboo spreads by its horizontal underground stems from which overground canes then develop. This underground stem extends and shoots up another cane 60-80cm beyond the initial sowing site allowing it to rapidly spread.

Both of these bamboo roots should be held by a root barrier system or in an appropriate pot to avoid them from spreading aggressively and colonizing parts of the soil you do not want them within.

Types of Running Bamboo

Phyllostachys aurea
Phyllostachys aureosulcata f. spectabilis
Phyllostachys Nigra
Pleioblastus pygmaeus Distichus
Pleioblastus variegatus
Pleioblastus viridistriatus
Sasa tsuboiana
Sasa veitchi

Types of Clumping Bamboo

Fargesia murielae ‘Simba’
Fargesia murielae ‘Volacno’
Fargesia murieliae ‘Winter Joy’
Fargesia murieliae ‘Rufa’
Fargesia nitide

How quickly does it grow?

This all depends on the type of bamboo as well as the ecological factors of the area, soil, air, water and overall ground conditions. Bamboo Stroud is known to be a very unpredictable plant which means you should take extreme care and recommendations from a professional if planting it or purchasing a property where it is present.

Typically:

Running Bamboo has a tendency to grow to its full grown height extremely quickly and spread out aggressively. Many can grow up to 8 metres while others just make it to 1 metre, turning it into a huge unknown when planting it, or if you already have it on your property. Their roots really need to be contained to stop them from spreading as their brand new canes can grow 90cm to 1.5 metres taller yearly until they get to their utmost growing height.

Clump-forming Bamboo tends to progress to less than 5 metres high due to their modest culms but they are able to grow equally as broad in time if not successfully controlled. The new canes of clump-forming bamboos can easily grow up to 30-45cm taller annually 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 each culm segment, called a node and the internodes are the segments in between the nodes.

Is it invasive?

Bamboo is exceptionally invasive and like Japanese Knotweed it spreads out using its root system and will be invasive if not controlled by an expert like Green Leaf Remediation. Bamboo is incredibly hardy meaning it really will grow in most soils and in extreme climate conditions.

Bamboo Stroud has now obtained a bad reputation for reckless planting as if planting 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 drive upwards to develop the canes. Running bamboo will cover ground quicker than a clump-forming bamboo type and typically takes homeowners unawares at just how swiftly it spreads out.

What varieties of ground does it flourish in?

Bamboo is extremely hardy and not at all fussy when it pertains to soil type. This may be a benefit if grown for the correct reasons and effectively regulated.

Is it wood, grass, plant or a tree?

Not many people are aware that bamboo is grass, nevertheless, most of the fast-growing invasive bamboo varieties have a remarkably tree-like appearance and so are often referred to as bamboo trees. Their stems may be anything from a few centimetres in height and as much as 8 metres within just a couple of years, with their stem diameters varying anything from 1 mm to 30 cm.

Can you grow it in pots or containers?

If you want to grow Bamboo in your garden, it can be grown in strong pots or containers depending on which variety they are. Growing them in a pot or container or installing a root barrier system will prevent them from spreading and cultivating your and neighbouring gardens.

Can it devalue property or land?

Bamboo is becoming much more 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 due to its extremely intrusive and unpredictable nature. There are a growing number of mortgage companies that are now asking if bamboo is present at a residential or commercial property and some may possibly not lend on it, therefore, always do your research before offering on a residential or commercial property and applying for a mortgage.

Is it poisonous?

When eaten, bamboo contains a toxin that produces cyanide in the human stomach. The shoots can be edible, nevertheless, before they need to have their exteriors cut away and then boiled before consuming them. We would advise that humans and pets do not eat bamboo.

Is it stronger than wood?

Bamboo is understood to be 2-3 times harder than most hardwoods and has been tested using the Janka Hardness Test which is employed for categorising wood by its hardness. The universal Janka hardness test (from the Austrian-born emigrant Gabriel Janka, 1864-1932) determines the level of resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear.

Does it stay green in winter?

Most types of bamboo are evergreen therefore they stay green and vibrant throughout the winter season when the majority of other plants have died back and this has made them incredibly appealing to homeowners who do not realise their invasive growth. They may drop a few leaves during the year but it will not be a significant amount.

The Property Care Association

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 importance 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 characteristics feature being fast-spreading, dominating natural vegetation and being resistant to natural predators, for instance, bugs or fungus. 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 service providers that can be trusted to address problems impacting properties and property in general.

What does the PCA say regarding their service providers:

• Our professionals offer trustworthy site surveys and investigations that deliver peace of mind through detailed investigation and correct diagnosis for house owners and businesses.
• The 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

Our Management & Control Services in Stroud

Bamboo Stroud makes a favourable contribution to the natural environment along with it being visually pleasing and is a wonderful plant to use if you are looking for privacy in a location. However, we suggest exceptional care and our experts would not encourage growing Bamboo in Stroud in a standard domestic garden due to its invasive root growth. It will spread below ground as well as grow quickly above ground, taking over the other plants and vegetation in a garden.

Sowing Bamboo is quite similar to planting Japanese Knotweed in your back garden, however, it isn’t yet against the law to do so. Japanese Knotweed is well known by property owners as being an invasive weed but Bamboo seeds and plants are still widely sold throughout the UK, however, they possess similar invasive characteristics as Knotweed and are going to rapidly take over an area if not managed properly.

Green Leaf Remediation have seen how intrusive Bamboo Stroud is and we have helped homeowners who were initially unaware of its harmful and unpredictable attributes when they initially planted it, or when they first brought their house to remove and manage their bamboo infestation.

Bamboo is frequently cultivated along boundaries in or about a structure to provide privacy to a property. Throughout the last couple of years, we have seen exactly how this has led to numerous awkward as well as avoidable disputes with neighbours when the bamboo has extended out of control onto their land.

Our view is that while bamboo is not yet listed as an invasive weed as Japanese Knotweed is, greater understanding and concern for this plant is needed. There are more than one hundred species of bamboo, with upwards of 30 or so varying species generally located in the UK.

The general 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 one of the UK’s fastest-growing plants and it will quickly colonise new soil, and in doing this, will rapidly consume open spaces and can cause substantial damage to many solid structures.

The rhizomes aren’t as brittle as their Japanese Knotweed equivalent, making them a challenge to take out if you are not an expert. Once a bamboo rhizome has established itself within the ground or between a solid structure, taking it out is the same as attempting to take out a rope from a solid piece of concrete.

South Wales Knotweed offer different removal and control solutions when it comes to bamboo Stroud. Each and every infestation will have its own hurdles and our professionals will calculate the best extraction and management methods depending on your property and site.

In most scenarios, we will use an excavator to remove the majority of the bamboo’s rhizome out of the soil. We can additionally install an effective ‘root barrier’ which prevents the rhizome from continuing to spread out within your own and neighbouring properties. If you would like some of the bamboo to remain then our experts will offer you a control and management solution so it can remain without spreading out into areas you don’t want it to.

If you have an infestation of bamboo or are worried you have Bamboo Stroud contact us today at 0117 321 7799 to arrange your free and no-obligation site survey. Our bamboo specialists will assess and offer you different solutions based on your residential or commercial property and needs.