Gardeners are being warned about a common plant which could turn into a nightmare if let loose in your back yard.
Chinese moso bamboo can be found in most garden centres, but can easily spread and wreak havoc by causing thousands of pounds of damage.
The beautiful plant can quickly turn invasive and is highly aggressive, pushing out other species and forcing its way through homes.
According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), bamboos are usually desirable garden plants, due to their beauty and ability to be a 'good, ornamental plant.'
But chinese moso bamboo is actually one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet and can grow almost a metre in a single day.
One homeowner had thousands of pounds worth of damage after the plant spread from a neighbouring property onto their own, according to invasive plant specialists Environet UK.
The gardener was forced to dig up the entire ground floor of their property after their Chinese moso bamboo plant got out of control.
The bamboo formed part of a border hedge or screen which was planted directly into the ground before travelling across the boundary and under the concrete ground floor of the house, bursting through the floor.
The plant then grew up through the cavity walls of the property, says the Express. If the plant had been left untreated, it could have forced the wall apart.
The ground floor of the property had to be dug up with hundreds of metres of bamboo rhizome excavated.
The removal of the plant and the damage caused resulted in a home insurance claim exceeding £100,000.
According to RHS, if left to grow unchecked bamboo can become invasive garden weeds – particularly the types that spread by underground stems.
Bamboos become an issue because:
- Bamboo shoots may pop up anywhere in the garden: neighbouring land or even through solid barriers, such as in patios and conservatory floors
- Most weed-suppressant groundcover fabrics will not stop bamboo spreading
- The problem tends to be with the invasive types of bamboo. These bamboos spread via long rhizomes, which help the plant to colonise new areas
- The clump forming bamboos can also grow out of control, but do not tend to spread as much as the running bamboos
Although Japanese knotweed is often viewed as the most troublesome plant for homeowners, bamboo has the potential to be even more damaging if left to grow.
The roots of a bamboo plant can travel in excess of 10 metres and can push through bricks, drains, cavity walls, patios and can exploit any cracks or weaknesses in concrete.
Nic Seal, founder and MD of Environet UK, said this particular situation is the “worst case of bamboo encroachment and damage to property he had ever seen in this country”.
He continued: “Through no fault of their own, the homeowners have suffered significant financial cost, stress and inconvenience, being required to vacate their home for several months.
“The truth is, most bamboos are invasive if planted directly into the ground and left to their own devices.
“It’s unfortunate that bamboo is still sold at garden centres and plant nurseries around the country with little warning about the risks.
“It would be a good deal less popular if people realised that within a few years they could be dealing with an extensive infestation that can spread across boundaries into neighbouring properties resulting in legal disputes and serious damage to homes which can be extremely costly to repair.
“Once it’s on the run, the only way to deal with bamboo decisively is to excavate the root ball and dig every long rhizome out of the ground.
“I would urge anyone considering planting bamboo to think twice, and if you already have it growing in your garden, take action now to ensure it’s properly contained.”
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