Will a barrier on my side stop the bamboo?
It helps keep new rhizomes from crossing, and you cut the few that try. A barrier doesn't kill rhizomes. It turns them up toward a 2 in lip above the soil, where you can see and cut them.
It does nothing about bamboo already in your yard; you dig that out. Then you check the line each year.
Is your neighbor's bamboo the kind that spreads?
If shoots come up in your yard, away from the canes, it is most likely running bamboo. Running bamboo spreads by underground stems called rhizomes.
Most clumping bamboo spreads slowly and doesn't need a barrier. If you can't tell which kind it is, plan for running bamboo. See running vs clumping bamboo.
Should I talk to my neighbor first?
Yes, before anyone digs. Settle these three things:
- What kind of bamboo it is. A plant name or an old tag helps you pick a depth.
- Where the line is. If neither of you is sure, a property survey shows it. Don't guess.
- Who sets the barrier. You on your side, they around their grove, or a line you share the cost of.
If they won't take part, you can still do everything in this guide on your own land.
Some states, counties and towns have rules about running bamboo that spreads onto a neighbor's land. Ask your town or county office what applies to you; this page isn't legal advice.
Where does the barrier go?
Along your side of the line, for the full length where the bamboo grows, and several feet past each end. A rhizome that meets the barrier can follow it to its end and grow around it.
- Turn the corner. If the grove reaches a corner of your lot, bend the barrier around it in a wide curve, not a sharp fold. Run it along that line too, past the last cane.
- Keep the trench on your land. Ask before you step onto theirs to dig, cut canes or pile soil.
- Miss the fence footings. A fence doesn't stop rhizomes; they grow under it and around the post footings. Dig a test hole at one post to find the footing's edge, and set the trench just past it.
- Expect shoots by the fence. Any strip of your yard between the fence and the barrier is on the bamboo side. Mow or cut the shoots there each spring; they don't mean the barrier failed.
How deep should the barrier be?
If you can't find out what your neighbor planted, or how tall it gets, use the larger-bamboo row for your zone: 30 in in zones 4–8, 36 in in zones 9–11.
If you know the bamboo, go by your USDA zone and its size. Zones 4–7: 24 in for bamboo up to about 25 ft, 30 in for anything larger, timber bamboo included. Zone 8: 30 in. Zones 9–11: 36 in. In loose or sandy soil, go one depth deeper: 24 in becomes 30 in, and 30 in becomes 36 in. At 36 in, stay at 36 in.
Most running-bamboo rhizomes stay in the top 12 to 18 in of soil, and each depth reaches below that. Bamboo barrier depth and thickness has the full climate chart, and a test hole you can dig on your side of the line.
How much barrier do I need?
Measure the line, add 12 in for each joint, and round up to the next 5 ft. If the run is longer than the longest piece for your depth, order more than one cut.
On an open line, straight or with a corner, you have one joint fewer than you have pieces. A corner bent in one piece is not a joint. For loops and other layouts, see how much bamboo barrier do I need.
Example: the grove runs along your back line and into your back corner. You stake past the far end of the grove and measure 100 ft to the corner. Then you measure 18 ft up the side line to a stake past the last cane: 118 ft in all.
| Step | 24 in | 30 in | 36 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longest piece | 175 ft | 100 ft | 70 ft |
| Pieces for 118 ft | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Joints (pieces − 1) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 118 ft + 12 in per joint | 118 ft | 119 ft | 119 ft |
| Round up to the next 5 ft | 120 ft | 120 ft | 120 ft |
| What to order | One 120 ft cut, bent at the corner | Two 60 ft cuts and 1 connecting kit | Two 60 ft cuts and 1 connecting kit |
Split a long run so the joint lands on a straight stretch you can dig down to later. Two 60 ft cuts laid from the far end put it about 40 ft before the corner. For 30 in, cuts of 100 ft and 20 ft would put it at the corner.
Each cut must be at least 20 ft, in 5 ft steps. The Bamboo Shield page shows the price per foot for each depth.
How do I set it facing the right way?
Put the smooth face toward your neighbor's bamboo and lean the top slightly toward your yard. Rhizomes that reach the barrier then turn up toward the lip.
- Call 811 before you dig. Call a few business days ahead so buried utility lines get marked. The call is free.
- Mark the line. Run a string or garden hose where the barrier will go, and measure it.
- Dig the trench 2 in shallower than the barrier. That's 22 in for 24 in, 28 in for 30 in and 34 in for 36 in. Use a spade or a trencher, and cut every rhizome that crosses the trench. Old, matted rhizomes may need a pruning saw or a mattock.
- Stand the barrier in the trench, facing as above.
- Join any pieces. Overlap the ends at least 12 in and clamp them with the stainless connecting kit, one kit per joint. Tape is not a seal.
- Backfill and firm the soil. Check that 2 in of barrier stands above the finished soil along the whole line.
The Bamboo Shield install manual covers each step in more detail.
What about the bamboo already in my yard?
Dig it out while you set the barrier. No depth stops a rhizome that is already on your side. Rhizomes still joined to the grove next door are fed by its leaves, so cutting their shoots won't wear them out. The trench cuts that link.
- Cut the canes on your side at the ground.
- Dig out the rhizomes. Start at the trench and follow each one into your yard.
- Get every piece you can. A piece left in the soil can send up new shoots.
- Bag what you dig, or ask your county or landfill whether it takes bamboo as yard waste.
- Cut new shoots at the ground as soon as they appear. Each cut uses up energy stored in a leftover piece. This can take more than one season.
Herbicides are a last resort. Ask your local extension office before you spray.
How do I check it each year?
Walk the line once or twice a year and cut any rhizome crossing the lip. September or October is a common time; look again in spring when new shoots come up.
- Keep the lip clear. Pull mulch, soil and leaves back from the top edge. Built-up soil lets a rhizome cross over without being seen.
- Look closely at the ends and each joint. Along with the lip, those are where a rhizome can get past.
- Dig out any new shoot on your side of the barrier. Trace where it came from: a rhizome that got past, or a piece left behind.
If my neighbor puts in a barrier, do I still need one?
Not on the shared line, as long as theirs is set the same way and runs past each end of the grove. You still dig out what's already in your yard.
On a loop around their grove, the top tilts away from the bamboo on every side. Share this page and the install manual with them.
Common mistakes
- Leaning the top toward the bamboo. The barrier then steers rhizomes down toward the bottom edge, where they can pass under, instead of up to the lip.
- Butting the ends together. Without a 12 in overlap and a clamp, a joint is a gap.
When is a barrier not the right fix?
- You want the bamboo gone from both yards. That's a removal job, and it needs your neighbor's agreement. A barrier only holds a line.
- You can't dig the full trench depth along the line. Rock, a footing or a wall in the way leaves a gap the barrier can't cover.
- The line runs past a large tree, a building or a steep slope. The trench cuts every root it crosses. Talk to an arborist or a landscape pro before you dig.
FAQ
Which way does the barrier face when the bamboo is next door?
Put the smooth face toward your neighbor's bamboo and lean the top slightly toward your yard. Rhizomes that reach it turn up toward the 2 in lip, where you can see and cut them. That's the rule for any bamboo barrier: smooth face toward the bamboo, top tilted away from it.
How deep does a barrier against a neighbor's bamboo need to be?
If you can't name your neighbor's bamboo, use 30 in in zones 4–8 and 36 in in zones 9–11. If you can, go by your USDA zone. Zones 4–7: 24 in for bamboo up to about 25 ft, 30 in for anything larger, timber bamboo included. Zone 8: 30 in. Zones 9–11: 36 in. In loose or sandy soil, go one depth deeper, up to 36 in. With a 2 in lip, the three depths reach 22, 28 and 34 in down, below the top 12 to 18 in of soil where most rhizomes run.
Can I just cut the shoots that come up in my yard?
Not on their own. While the rhizomes in your yard are joined to the grove next door, its leaves keep feeding them. Dig the trench to cut that link, dig out your side as you set the barrier, then cut new shoots as they appear.