AIBU to kill the bamboo off on secret?

[Freddiefox]

It’s growing next door, quickly and up, doesn’t really hang over my boundary till it gets to the top which is about my height and a half. It’s taking all the light out of the garden and some of my kitchen, I snip the bits that hang over my side, but it more the height.

Next door love it as it give them privacy, the roots are making my patio a bit raised in areas and there seem to be quite a few roots my side. Neighbours not interested

So what would you do? Would ibu to dig up roots and and (maybe put a bit of weed killer down in the middle of the night?)

Or any other suggestions?

Yep kill it off. Tell them they'll be responsible for replacing your patio if they dont get rid of it or move it. If that doesn't work just do it yourself.

*in secret. Yes YWBU, but if it's damaging your property you need to speak to your neighbors.

Bamboo is normally very invasive and the roots will spread over to your side, so definitely dig them up on your side and try to sink some sort of barrier to stop them coming through. And complain to the neighbours about it every time you see them.
Weedkiller doesn't work on roots, try stump killer on the roots - it may not kill it off but it should slow it down.

Can you just mow the bits the come up on your side? I do that to keep mine out of the lawn.

Bamboo is an utter nightmare to get rid of. We had to dig half of our lawn up to get it all out - even when you cut the root from the main clump, it doesn’t kill the root. I also poured 2 bottles of the strongest weed killer on the roots... still the bloody stuff wouldn’t die.

All I can suggest is to keep cutting the root off where it comes through to your garden, and make sure any existing roots are pulled up fully. Someone suggested concrete around the root to us, but I think the roots would just go underneath.

OP there are laws about hedge and fence heights on boundaries so it might be worth speaking to your local council if your neighbours are not willing to be reasonable able the impact this is having on your property. The only thing is if you escalate it formally then you would be under immediate suspicion if the bamboo died!

Take a good look at the roots! Bamboo can do serious damage. We had to take up a path and dig a good 3ft down to remove every last bit. The roots had just reached the edge of our house when we noticed them. Luckily, our neighbour was very understanding and had it removed. It needs killing off!

I would, in fact I’m tempted to do similar to my neighbours ‘prize flowers’ that find every crack possible to grow more into my garden than their own. Take photos of the overgrowth and raised patio you should be able to claim costs for repair.

It’s really invasive and they should have it in a pot or dog a trench before the boundary so they can keep it back. It will grow under and attempt to come up your side.

Have a word and tell them they are responsible for any damage.

You can try and kill it, but it’s a right bastard.

The only thing is if you escalate it formally then you would be under immediate suspicion if the bamboo died!
This was my thinking as well, I’ve spoken to them nicely about it, but they aren’t interested at all. I thought my options are to leave it a bit then secretly kill it off or go down the legal route which is expensive!

Give your patio a regular good scrub with bleach and dump the bucket down the back of the slabs 😁 Also stump killer should kill it off nicely.

Yanbu. Hate the stuff. We have (planted by previous owners). Would be grateful if neighbours killed it.

Bamboo spreads for miles with underground root system. Its a real thug. Even if you did spray it you prob wouldn't get rid of it. Look up legally right to light laws see if its covered by that maybe?

Please do not use weed killer or stump killer because they are poisonous to the environment. They stay in the soil and eventually poison wildlife. There was a recent court case where 'roundup' was proved to cause cancer in the people who applied it.

Your council website should give you some idea of whether they would intervene for you. Alternatively you could consult with a solicitor on the legality of you killing it off. If it turns out that roots inside your boundary are fair game for root killer but if that kills the rest of the plan then you're not liable then you would know you could go ahead. You wouldn't necessarily need to take legal action but the price of a consultation might be worth it.

Bamboo doesn’t come under the high hedge rules as its classed as a grass.
It is a complete bastard and you won’t kill it, so do as you wish. You may be able to knock it back a bit with brutal treatment.

SBK if it were me

SBK weed killer

Could they transfer it to containers? Then you kill everything you can that's left on your side to stop the spread.

It is a complete bastard and you won’t kill it, kill it in secret? Or kill it at all?

My friend had a bamboo hedge causing subsidence to her house, it took 2 years and about 30 people to assess the damage, remove the roots, and then, after it was confirmed the house was no longer moving (due to extensive network of roots drying the soil too much), for repairs to walls to take place.

If you are worried, get a professional to asses the problem.

I feel your pain. My neighbour has some and it has started to invade my garden.

There are two types of bamboo - clumping and running - problem is that people don’t understand how invasive the running type can be.

I very much doubt you’ll be able to kill it at all.
But if you do manage it please let me know how you managed it!

Yeah, good luck with that.

Even the clumping varieties manage to find their way underneath and through concrete, given enough time.

As above, take it very seriously.

I would suggest you print off some information about Bamboo and how invasive it can be.
Take some photos of the damage to your patio.
Write a nice, firm letter with the info and pictures attached to your neighbours requesting them to take action.

If they don't, you may need to formalize your request.

Don't ignore the problem.

Bamboo is best planted in deep plastic containers to prevent it spreading. This worked very successfully for us.