In nature, most plants have a natural beauty that can lead humans to believe they might be wonderful additions to the lawn or garden. Bamboo, with its exotic canes and the tall, leafy silhouette is a perfect example of a plant that looks harmless but quickly turns into an overgrown mass capable of encompassing large areas.
The rhizome problem
Many plants have a rhizome root system that helps fuel the plant's ability to spread. The shoots of the bamboo plant grow quickly into tall canes and then stop growing. But the plant does not become dormant, even when no new growth can be observed above the surface of the soil.
Instead, the bamboo plant is channeling all its growth to the rhizome root system below ground. With each passing year, many new bamboo plants will emerge quickly forming a nearly impenetrable colony. Since the rhizome root system has the ability to substantially enlarge its underground network each year, a few ornamental bamboo plants can easily expand over large areas while paying no mind to fences or property lines.
The structural damage problem
Bamboo can also damage foundations and create other types of structural damage. When bamboo spreads close to a structure, new shoots can work their way into cracks, holes, and openings. If left unchecked, this type of infiltration can easily cause cracks to form, concrete to heave and building materials to be pushed apart so that the structure becomes subject to stability issues and water damage.
The removal problem
Once property owners understand the dangers of allowing bamboo to remain on their property, they often decide to do the work to remove it. Unfortunately, removing bamboo successfully is both difficult and time-consuming.
Most DIY advice for the removal of bamboo outlines a lengthy process of digging up the entire plant, including the rhizome root system, which is suggested to be burned. But even days of digging and burning are not enough, as the property owner must then continue to observe the area for new shoots and destroy them to keep new growth from occurring.
The removal solution
Since few property owners have the time or energy to completely remove a patch of invasive bamboo, contacting a reputable bamboo removal company should be considered. The expert bamboo removal team will assess the extent of the existing bamboo growth and then offer the homeowner a bid for the complete removal of the colony and answer any questions they may have about the process that will be used.
To learn more, contact a company like Bamboo Removal by Jose Benitez.