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Plain answers on choosing, installing and looking after root barrier, grass edging and piling wrap.

Install manuals

Bamboo Shield install manual
Trench depth, which face goes toward the bamboo, and how to overlap and clamp the ends.
Sidewalk Shield install manual
Setting it along the paving edge, run length, trench depth and backfilling in 6 in lifts.
Grass Barrier install manual
Standard, low-profile and flush settings, and letting the coil relax first.
Pier Protector install manual
Measuring each pile, stretch wrap underneath and the nailing pattern.

How much bamboo barrier do I need?
Measure the barrier line, add 12 in per joint and round up to the next 5 ft. A closed loop has one joint per...
- Choosing
- 9 min read
Bamboo barrier depth and thickness: 24 in (60 mil), 30 in (80 mil) or 36 in (100 mil)
Choose by your USDA zone and the size of your bamboo. Zones 4–7: 24 in (60 mil) for bamboo up to about 25 ft,...
- Choosing
- 11 min read
Running vs clumping bamboo: which one needs a barrier?
Running bamboo needs a barrier. Its rhizomes grow sideways and can send up canes many feet from the grove. Most clumping bamboo doesn't; it...
- Basics
- 9 min read
How to join bamboo barrier without leaving a gap
Overlap the two ends at least 12 in and clamp the overlap with the stainless connecting kit, one kit per joint. Tape is not...
- Installing
- 9 min read
How to stop a neighbor's bamboo at the property line
Set Bamboo Shield on your side of the line. If you can't name your neighbor's bamboo, use 30 in in zones 4–8 or 36...
- Installing
- 9 min read
How deep do bamboo rhizomes grow, and how deep should a barrier go?
Most running-bamboo rhizomes stay in the top 12 to 18 in of soil, and loose or sandy soil lets some run deeper. A barrier...
- Basics
- 8 min read
Bamboo barrier alternatives: fabric, metal, concrete or root pruning?
Landscape fabric and lawn edging, metal or plastic, won't hold running bamboo: fabric isn't made to turn rhizomes, and edging is too shallow. Sheet...
- Choosing
- 9 min read

Where does a tree root barrier go, and how far from the tree?
A straight run goes right along the edge of the sidewalk, curb or driveway, set vertical and centered on the trunk, about the mature...
- Installing
- 10 min read
Do root barriers hurt trees? What the research found
In four studies of barriers set at planting, trunk growth was mostly unchanged; two of nine rings tested slowed some trees. The bigger risk...
- Basics
- 9 min read
Why tree roots lift sidewalks, and how a root barrier helps
Tree roots grow in the damp, airy soil just under a sidewalk. As they thicken each year, they press up and lift the slab's...
- Basics
- 9 min read

How to keep Bermuda grass out of flower beds
Bermuda grass gets into flower beds three ways: runners on top of the soil, rhizomes under it, and seed. Clear the Bermuda already in...
- Installing
- 9 min read
10 in tall grass barrier vs 4 to 5 in edging: which do you need?
Use a 10 in tall barrier if your lawn spreads under the soil, like Bermuda. Set it 6 in down with 4 in showing...
- Choosing
- 8 min read

How to measure dock pilings for wrap
Multiply each piling's diameter by π (about 3.14) and add 6 in for the overlap, or wrap a tape around it where the wrap...
- Choosing
- 9 min read
Why dock pilings wear out, and what a piling wrap can and can't do
Wood pilings usually wear out near the waterline. Rot grows where wood is wet but still gets air. Marine borers eat wood in salt...
- Basics
- 8 min read

How cut-to-length ordering works, and what root barrier costs per foot
Bamboo Shield and Sidewalk Shield cost $2.77 to $6.49 per foot by depth. Grass Barrier is $2.16 and Pier Protector $4.00, less from 50...
- Choosing
- 9 min read