11 January 2010

If we are talking Evil Plant Forests top of the list has got to be .......

Bamboo. It starts as a tiny little thing peeking out from the grass on my lawn. That does not look to bad you think. Keep in mind that this is 8ft and a trench away from the original hedge of bamboo that my nextdoor neighbours planted.
I can still hear murmurs of "well bamboo hedges do look quite pretty in the sun shine". Do not be fooled by its good looks. Keep also in your mind that I have been poisoning and hacking away at this hedge for the past three and half years. To no avail, it still looks very healthy and vigorous.
There is also a large stand of Bamboo down at the creek. Towards the end of last year I spent one whole day chopping and managed to clear only one metre of the evil stuff. I don't want to use poison on it so close to the creek.
This bambo has never been trimmed and is as tall as a two storey house, blocks out all light and is only kept at bay by the creek. And it is even trying to jump over that. That is why Bamboo has got to be in my opinion the evil plant. Fennel is just a pretty baby compared with it.

One of the good things about guinea pigs is they love to eat bamboo shoots. So the ones in my lawn get eaten up fast and I don't have to worry about them yet.

Please let me know if you know how to get rid of it. The only way we have found so far is with a digger. Unfortunatly my neightbour won't let me use one for his hedge and we can't get one down to the creek.
Or if you know of a couple of homeless Panda's I know somewhere they could live.
And if you know of a worse plant I would love to here about it.


3 comments:

Sweet Mary said...

I am with you on this one Nic - bamboo is a menace! I hate ours as much as you hate yours.

Mic said...

Bamboo is scary-invasive. I found this, hope it helps: Control is best obtained by placing an in-ground Bamboo root barrier (made of rigid plastic)
around the area where you want your Bamboo to stay. Be sure to leave a 2-3 inch lip above the
ground to prevent the rhizomes from escaping. Mowing around the plant can also discourage
new growth. Bamboo will not tolerate the low mowing heights.

Helen said...

Ohh I swear we are twins in the cosmos somehow. I've got bamboo too, but it's getting under control. I have a shorter varietyI think, or maybe it's wellington temperatures. I spray and chop it down to the ground with the lawnmower. It's almost conquered. the offending original planting is on my property, but it has decided to live with my neighbours too. I have fennel like you have bamboo......

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails