Recently I've went a little crazy with planting bamboo and am wanting to contain it so the species won't mix. In general I've read for my zone 7 that a 30mil plastic barrier would work but also have read that bamboo has penetrated this. Would using a 30in wide continuous roll of aluminum (.019 gage) work? I have a generous supply of this since my husband was in roofing. Any comments are greatly appreciated!
Anything that corrodes will eventually fail, aluminum included. You can use the aluminum, but make sure you check it's integrity from time to time.
I've done a fair bit of research on this and the conclusion from experienced bamboo growers who take it fairly seriously is that it's easiest and most reliable to simply cut around the grove with a sharp shovel and chop off escapees. Also to dig a trench around the grove if practical to see them coming and cut them off. Barriers seem to often fail if relied upon exclusively and most types of runners have fairly shallow roots making them easy to cut in any case. Some (a very few from what I can gather) though have 2-3 foot deep roots and can be problematic. Generally the short ground cover types. Barriers do work apparently if installed correctly but they do not in the long run end any responsibility of having to go around and check them at the right times of the year and do a little chopping. Wouldn't plastic be a lot cheaper though, even if you get the aluminum stock at wholesale prices?
Thanks so much for all your advice. I think I'll just dig a deep trench, the ground is manageable. I would rather see with my own eyes that the roots were snipped! Guess I need to start digging....
That's what we opted for, I think it's the best choice, it only needs to be done once or twice a year. See this page under the heading "Rhizome pruning" for more information: http://www.needmorebamboo.com/rhizomecontrol.html Also note that if you find the trench unsightly you can put very loose mulch in it and simply pull it back before pruning to see what's what.
