On 06/01/2021 7:43 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

 

 

Dear dorothy,

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YOUR QUESTION #0023321:

Bamboo overrun

 

how to rid my yard from bamboo /

 

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Hello Dorothy,

Are you able to share images with us of the bamboo infestation? It is unexpected for any stand of bamboo to cause overt damage to Bald Cypress or any other tree, so we can't yet recommend any actions in relation to the trees without knowing what specific issue they are causing.

Herbicide use is not helpful when the entire colony can't be treated, which it sounds like the county won't allow. Additionally, herbicide use is too risky if the bamboo is growing too close to their trunks and surface roots. The same is true for excavation of the bamboo's rhizomes in order to remove it; the equipment necessary to deal with their entrenched growth will likely cause serious harm to the trees.

If the city won't remove the colony entirely, your only recourse is to install a rhizome barrier in the soil on your side of the property line to prevent it from spreading into your yard. Cutting down culms (canes/stems) alone won't meaningfully impact the overall colony vigor, though it will be a cheaper way to help control what grows into the yard. The trade-off of removal in this way versus the rhizome barrier is that you will have to patrol the yard regularly for at least several weeks each spring to make sure you find and remove all new growth before it matures. While the materials cost, labor cost, and equipment cost to install the barrier will be higher initially, it will at least provide more effective control and make detection of invading rhizomes much easier.

There is a native species of bamboo that grows in Maryland, and while it is fairly rare, it does occur in Anne Arundel. Perhaps they will not be removing it and are limiting what control measures can be taken for this reason, if it's been identified. As a rare native, that species would best be preserved where it is found. Here is a sample gallery and a range map for counties in which it's been documented:
http://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/3927

Miri