Post #776921 by Philot on Tue, Jun 13, 2017 8:49 AM

I'm in N Florida and I'm just now having to deal with some black bamboo I planted 10 years ago to screen our fence line. It's finally reached critical mass, putting out some nice, big, 2 1/2" shoots and seeking sun in the neighbors' yards. I've started digging a trench along the fence line and furiously chopping runners. I'm hoping once I isolate the runners from the mother plant, continuing to knock down new shoots will eventually kill off the runners.

If you have neighbors, or don't want this bamboo getting into places you don't want it, I STRONGLY suggest putting in some sort of barrier when you plant it. Concrete or corrugated aluminum seem like the cheapest routes. I'm considering building concrete trough planters and transplanting to those so I can keep this monster under control in the future.

I started with 2 5 gallon plants from the nursery ten years ago. It took about five years to get nicely established. And now it's trying to take over the neighborhood.