My Neighbor's Bamboo Is Growing Into My Backyard - What Can I Do?

[THUNDER HANDS]

He has this bamboo patch growing in his yard that has grown and sprouted up in my backyard. There are about 15 individual plants growing now (I counted) and some of them are sprouting up right next to a small tree.

What can I do about this? How do you kill bamboo? I've spoken with the neighbor and he says it's not his problem. Can I bring a lawsuit against him for this? I mean, it's something that's his property that's infringing upon mine, what's my recourse here?

[Orrex]

1. Buy a panda. Immediately.

Every moment that you delay, you risk being overrun.

[MonkeyFunk]

2. Yep

definitely a panda.

[ohiosmith]

3. :

:rofl:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. ---

:rofl:

[barb162]

36. bwa

[LeftyMom]

41. Too small, kinda lazy. Gotta get one of these if you're really serious.

As an added bonus, you could get the big foot people pretty good if you took him for a walk in the woods.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus

[GirlinContempt]

4. A LAWSUIT? Seriously?

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=eradicate+bamboo&btnG=Google+Search

Try googling it.
Or find a book or something.

[Shakespeare]

9. He can't eradicate it if the stand is in his neighbor's yard, but it can be contained. n/t

[GirlinContempt]

13. eradicate gets better results than control.

[Shakespeare]

15. But if the stand is in his neighbor's yard, he CAN'T eradicate it.

Bamboo spreads through a very aggressive root system (rhizomes), and no matter how much he kills what spreads to his side of the fence, it'll still keep spreading as long as his neighbor grows it.

[GirlinContempt]

17. You don't understand.

Eradicate gets better google results.
The ACTUAL results explain how to eradicate AND control AND other things.
But more helpful pages come up with the word 'eradicate'.
It's just a word.
And I found some tips for dealing with it growing up from neighbours yards in that search, so I'm sure someone else could too.

[Shakespeare]

18. Oh, for crying out loud.

You weren't exactly clear--we're talking about two different things, I see.

[GirlinContempt]

19. Uh, ooooooooooooook

Way to get upset about a semantic difference.

[Shakespeare]

5. I love bamboo, but it spreads like wildfire.

He should be forced to contain the root system (which can be done with metal sheeting/edging dropped about 1 foot into the ground).

What an asshole to say it's not his problem--he's the one letting the stuff run wild. If you can't get him to do the containment, you can try giving it a shot yourself by putting in the barrier on your own side of the property line.

It may well be actionable--you might consult with a real estate attorney and see what he says (depending on your own state/local laws).

[AllegroRondo]

6. roundup

either that or just yank them up by the roots.

[wildhorses]

7. silly!!! it is food.

cut down the shoots when they are small. peel them and boil them. dip in your favorite sauce. nummers:9

[LynneSin]

64. my bedsheets are made from bamboo fiber

softest things I've ever owned.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/searchSKU.asp?order_num=-1&SSTR=bamboo+sheets&go=1&

I have the seagrass colored ones

[La Lioness Priyanka]

8. do you really hate it that much?

[THUNDER HANDS]

12. if it was one or two sprouts I wouldn't care

but it's more than a dozen, and some of them aren't small. His are like 15 feet tall. I keep pulling them out or chopping them down, but if I don't do that for a week, the stalks will be 4 feet tall within days.

I mean, it's my backyard, and it's not a huge backyard either. I don't want to be overrun with these things.

[Kali]

11. better start working on it soon - it can be tough to get rid of

chemically, grass killer should work (NOT broad leaf weed-killer)

dig it up and get all the rhizomes out (will likely need regular work) or if you have qa black thumb, start taking care of it like you want it there and it should die off pretty fast:rofl:

[rug]

14. A Malayan Gate

[AmyDeLune]

16. Here are a couple of sites

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vagard/msg010826269231.html

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/vagard/msg010826269231.html

http://blog.pennlive.com/gardening/2007/05/getting_rid_of_spreading_bambo.html

Don't know about the lawsuit. Good Luck!

[DrDan]

20. yes you can

the only way to stop it is to put a 3 foot barrier into the ground - and that will not be cheap.

a lawsuit is appropriate (unless your neighbor voluntarily provides the barrier).

I have a friend who planted bamboo on a large lot several years ago. It has overtaken the lot completely - to the extent of near completely blocking her drive.

It is very agressive - and very invasive - nothing stops it.

You need to deal with it before it becomes a major problem for you.

[NMDemDist2]

21. I had that chit in Cali, we had to dig long trenches 6-8 inches deep

all across the yard to get it all

dig it up fast, dig deep and then trench along the fence and put in a barrier ASAP

those 15 little plants will be a stand 3 foot deep by the end of the summer

trust me on this

:scared:

[raccoon]

22. Plant kudzu at the border of your yard next to his yard.

You'll get your revenge, I guarantee you.

[barb162]

39. Yeah, on the neighbor but also our DUer here.

[raccoon]

56. Yeah, there is that... nt

[youthere]

50. I've heard good things about kudzu...Apparently its really going places!

[hedgehog]

23. Start a small business selling garden stakes!

[Joe Fields]

24. Make bamboo bongs and create a fortune...

[LeftyMom]

25. Burn the house down for insurance money.

Then go tell your former neighbor that he's a goatse-sized asshole for planting a famously invasive plant and not bothering to contain it.

[Gormy Cuss]

54. !!!!

Would you advise the same if it were a mint plant?
:scared:

You are right of course. The neighbor is an ass for not trying to contain it. I think bamboo is beautiful but I don't want my own stand enough to do the work needed to plant it responsibly. Mint on the other hand I grow in a half wine barrel that sits on concrete.

[hunter]

26. What is wrong with some neighbors???

If my bamboo escapes containment, I'll feel bad and do something about it.

If I had a neighbor who said "not my problem" then installing a barrier along the edge of my own property would probably be easier than a lawsuit.

A barrier would solve the immediate problem right then and there, and I could righteously nag my neighbor every time I saw him about how much time and money it cost me, but a lawsuit would probably multiply into more problems that wouldn't stop until one of us moved away.

[Blue Diadem]

27. Goodluck is all I can say. You situation sounds more difficult than

Bishop's weed.(an invasive groundcover that is sold at nurseries/garden centers) No..I didn't plant it. I've tried to kill that stuff for 18 yrs. Digging and round up or straight vinegar/lemonjuice mix work for a while..but it always comes back.

[THUNDER HANDS]

28. just to update

I asked a lawyer, he said I have no legal recourse as technically, it's not his plant that's growing in my yard, but rather the seeds from his plant. And since the seeds from his plant are in my yard that makes whatever's growing in my yard MY plant.

This sucks.

:(

[bicentennial_baby]

31. But technically, isn't it the same plant?

As it's growing under your fence and sprouting up from the root system? I doubt home insurers are too fond of bamboo...reminds me of my family's problem with Sumac. Ugh.

[GumboYaYa]

32. Your lawyer does not understand the botany of bamboo.

A bamboo stand is one plant connected by common Rhizomes. It is like a chestnut stand.

We have bamboo in our yard. It is a clumping variety so it does not spread as badly as other varieties. Every year in the spring I pull up the rhizomes that are growing oustide the area where I want the bamboo to grow. That keeps this plant in check.

If your neighbor has a spreading bamboo, pulling up the rhizomes will be an every month job. It will probably be easier to bite the bullet and put in a trench with a barrier.

[trof]

34. Betcha they're runners from his plants, not seeds.

That's how bamboo propagates.
It can be worse than kudzu.

[barb162]

38. Although I hate to recommend this, you might want to put some

herbicide on that area on your side so the bamboo can't grow. Your neighbor is ignorant for planting it so close to the lot line but then again I have an ignorant neighbor too. But this would work so you don' have to spend a lot of times digging it out every few weeks

[DBoon]

69. if the effects of the bamboo are not his problem

then your herbicide killing plants on his property shouldn't be your problem

From personal experience I've found a pickaxe and roundup will do the trick. Dig and poison.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

44. Idiot lawyer...

Bamboo doesn't have seeds! :eyes: It is your neighbor's plant that intruded on your property through the undergrounds "root" system (aka rizomes). Your plants and his plants are one and the same.

[bleedingheart]

47. the lawyer is a dipshit

this is running bamboo not a freaking maple tree ...

[flvegan]

48. Your lawyer is absolutely correct.

They aren't seeds, though, they're runners. Underground spreading. It'd be like going after your neighbor for kudzu, or even the leaves from his tree landing in your yard.

I'd have a talk with him and suggest that he needs to put a heavy plastic barrier between the yards. If not, as each bamboo sprouts in your yard, you'll herbicide it, to the roots which can potentially harm his parent plant.

[nadine_mn]

74. hmmm have you talked your city council?

1st - your lawyer is a bit uninformed - his bamboo stand is now a nuisance (think of a big tree with branches overgrowing in your yard - if the tree starts to die and the branches fall onto your property, he would have to pay for damages... ** note this is different than a storm knocking branches into a yard**) He is responisble for maintaining it.
2nd Some cities & counties have ordinances regarding non-native plants because of the environment, as well as nuisance laws


although any excuse to buy a panda is awesome

[trof]

29. 1. Make fishing poles, or 2. Move.

Cause ya can't kill it.

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

30. you don't kill bamboo

any more than you kill dandelions. Good luck with the lawsuit! :silly:

[Orrex]

33. If the Panda doesn't work...

Maybe you can sue for reckless bamboozlement?

[ohiosmith]

35. You are on your game today.

:applause:

[barb162]

37. Is this like a joke thread?

You have some good stuff here.

[ohiosmith]

40. In the Lounge, everything has the potential of being a joke thread.

[barb162]

42. Yeah!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

43. You have a VERY big problem on your hands!

Bamboo varieties that run (like what you have) are incredibly hard to contain, which is why it is recommended you only plant that kind in ground IN a strong, plastic container surrounded by a barrier.

You need to take care of this right away or you will be having serious problems within a year or two. It will not be enough to pull what you are seeing on your yard, you have to protect your yard from the intrusion.

You can handle this either in your yard or in his yard -- I would demand that he make and pay for the needed remedies because it is HIS fucking fault for planting running bamboo in the first place.

What you have to do is dig a trench along the property line anywhere your yard and his yard meet at least 3-4' deep - it doesn't have to be very wide, but it must be deep. You then sink a barrier the entire trench and then backfill. I have seen two materials used: hard plastic like the kind heavy duty garbage cans are made of, or metal sheeting. If the barrier is not hard enough the bamboo runners will blast through it, if it is not deep enough, the runners will grow under.

This is something you have to take care of now! Trust me, this is not something you want to put off -- you will be sorry if you do!

[bleedingheart]

45. I second HHNF's post

I would also consult with your local zoning board.

There are rules in some communities about this kind of stuff. For instance I have a very large garden..but I am very careful not to plant anything that creeps and I also make sure that motorist that travel past my home (on a corner lot) don't have to worry about blindspots due to my plantings.

Where I live...if you don't take care of a problem like this...the township will come in..rip out the tree or offending shrubbery

I have a neighbor who planted a maple tree right in the middle of where the wires for both our homes run...that tree will have to come out very soon...or when it knocks the power lines down..

[flvegan]

49. I third HHNF here.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

46. Put on black pajamas

and hide in there............ :)

[otherlander]

53. Don't forget one of these:

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

51. My Neighbor's Bamboo Is Growing Into My Backyard - What Can I Do?

Go tell him I DON'T DRINK WITH YOU.

[AngryAmish]

59. POD

[deucemagnet]

68. Wow! There's an old flamewar I'd completely forgotten about!

:rofl:

On edit: Link. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x5330132

[xchrom]

52. it's awful he won't do anything about it.

you can mow it -- provided it doesn't get very big.

and weed wack the ones close to the tree.

they can be a noxious plant -- good luck.

[Deja Q]

55. Tell him to stop taking viagra.

:spray:

[Tyler Durden]

57. Got a fireplace?

Bamboo makes EXCELLENT firewood. Cut it close to the ground and keep cutting when it grows. It's a grass and will grow fast.

When we were planning our "energy independent" house in Canada (which we lost) we were laying in a large plot of bamboo to grow for burning in the furnace.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

58. Bamboo is the new Kudzu

Resistance is futile.

Yer screwn.

Bamboo is like crabgrass, dandelions, fire ants, killer bees, tribbles, it cannot be contained.

:scared:

[LynneSin]

60. Why not adopt a Panda

Seems you have the food for it

Actually, Bamboo makes a lovely natural fence

[davsand]

61. Does Roundup work on that stuff?

I swear to gawd, it kills anything else that is green..

Can you lay down a defensive perimeter of Roundup and maybe have some of it "accidentally" drift into his yard?

:shrug:

Just sayin--wind drift when you spray for WEEDS really just kinda happens.


Laura

[momophile]

62. half of me wants to plant bamboo in my yard to piss my

neighbors off. The neighbors behind me seem to be harvesting weeds. The weeds keep jumping the fence (or going under) and I've been pulling weeds like crazy for the last couple of weeks. I'm tempted to plant bamboo along the fence with the appropriate bamboo wall on my side so it doesn't take over my yard.

Of course, I wouldn't. But I do fantasize about it.

I understand your frustration.

[Coventina]

63. Well, what I'm going to say is probably going to be unpopular

But I have my flame-suit on so here goes:

I really don't think bamboo is worth creating a feud over. And that is exactly what you would get with a lawsuit.

Maybe the guy was just ignorant and was unaware of the potential of his bamboo invading your property. Since none of us were there to see your initial confrontation with the guy, it's hard for us to know how he may have interpreted your statements to him. He may have felt threatened or put on the defensive for something of which he was completely unaware.

Bamboo invading your private property.....these are the kinds of problems you WANT to have. The places I've lived in my life.....I would welcome bamboo over gunshots, cigarette smoke, dogs barking non-stop through the night, domestic disputes that spill over into your property....I could go on and on.

Dig the trench, put in the barrier, and count your blessings, man. Think of it as an opportunity to start on some other project that you've been contemplating. A raised flower bed, koi pond, patio or whatever.

[LisaM]

65. What if he doesn't have the time or money to build the barrier?

Does the neighbor have a wife? Complain to her, too. It would piss me off a lot if someone did this to me and then tried to abrogate responsibility.

[Coventina]

67. I'm guessing that someone who can ask a lawyer about

their options for a lawsuit can financially manage the barrier.

I'm also guessing that someone who is actually concerned about the encroachment has time to devote to the condition of his lawn. Barring that, if he can hire a lawyer, he can probably hire someone else to install the barrier.

[bicentennial_baby]

71. Those things won't destroy your property,

and therefore, also your property value. This is something that needs to be dealt with, ignorance or not.

[Coventina]

72. I beg to differ, my great-Aunt (who I lived with while in college)

was unable to sell her house due to the dogs that lived next door. They barked non-stop 24 hours a day.

I moved out of her house because of them. There was no sleeping, and I needed my sleep as a working college student.

[Whoa_Nelly]

66. Am having the same thing happen here--neighbor's bamboo in my yard

So, I cut the stalks down to the ground and sprayed'em with Extended Control Round Up.

A couple are trying to come back, but will clip and spray again. Seems to be working. Just have to get each one as it comes up.

[madrchsod]

70. dig up everything on your side of the line

and use widest plastic edging you can find. this should stop the roots from invading your property. i certainly would`t use chemicals of any kind. another solution would use a very sharp long bladed shovel to cut the roots in the ground. or cut them and sell them...bamboo is expensive

[Digit]

73. The barrier is the only way I know of....I had the same problem

When I purchased my former home, half the damn backyard was bamboo. We had to hire someone to did it all up, and of course it came BACK! My neighbors "liked" the bamboo wouldn't cha know and would not do anything about it. Instead of putting in the barrier, I sold the damn house.

Ever since then...when I am looking at property and there is bamboo ANYWHERE around, it is a dealbreaker for me. Second worst dealbreaker is any wallpaper in the house.

[crispini]

75. Why wallpaper?

It can be removed :shrug:

[Digit]

76. Too many people don't bother to put up sizing (including builders)....

Then, you have to have new drywall put over it or get it skimmed.

Anyway, I have done that ENUFF, thankyewverymuch. :P