Videos have shown just how terrifyingly fast bamboo can grow after homeowners warned it is in danger of being the UK’s next knotweed-style infestation.
The plant, which is available to buy in most garden centres, is a popular choice among gardeners as it grows quickly and can provide a handy privacy screen from surrounding neighbours.
But inexperienced gardeners can swiftly find themselves in the middle of a nightmare due to the plant’s famous resilience, making it hard to get rid of and difficult to keep on top of.
Time-lapse videos have shown how the plant swiftly travels upwards and outwards, and once fully established, a bamboo grove can grow by several feet each day.
To begin with, bamboo only grows at a pace of 5ft a year while the plant focusses its energy on solidifying its roots and growing ‘runners’ – horizontal root lines under the soil which are invisible from above ground.
Have YOU been affected by invasive bamboo? Email ryan.hooper@mailonline.co.uk
One video showed a bamboo stalk growing by a foot in just 18 hours, using a plastic cup to accurately measure
Although bamboo plants all grow quickly, there are several in particular which can end up shooting up by several feet each day
Some types of bamboo are particularly difficult to get rid of and can even burst into people’s homes, requiring expert removal
By the time its growth accelerates, it is often too late for homeowners as it will require industrial-standard equipment and expert help to get rid of.
One time-lapse video showed a bamboo stalk growing a foot in just 18 hours, while others showed how the plant first bursts through the ground and quickly accelerates.
Property experts have warned that bamboo could become ‘tomorrow’s Japanese knotweed’ – the notorious invasive plant which can damage buildings and result in homeowners being prosecuted if it spreads.
Originating in Eastern Asia and first brought to Britain by the Victorians, bamboo is a popular planting choice for screening overlooked gardens.
The plant is infamous for its ability to grow through wood, slabs and even solid concrete or roads.
But experts say its location close to garden boundaries heightens the risk it will spread to neighbouring properties.
And with its ability to grow 5ft in a year and reach heights in excess of 18ft, the damage can be catastrophic.
Spreading as far as 30ft away via its long, lateral roots, bamboo has the ability to push through brickwork, drains, patios and cavity walls.
Homeowners and landlords have been left with bills running into the tens of thousands of pounds, and even had to pay for neighbours’ bills after the plant has spread.
The plant is infamous for its ability to grow through wood, slabs and even solid concrete or roads
Invasive bamboo roots grew several feet across a boundary and into a neighbouring driveway in Portsmouth, causing the plant owner to spend around £1,500 repairing it quickly
Bamboo’s aggressive growth has earned it a notorious reputation akin to Japanese knotweed, known for its ability to penetrate building structures and wreak havoc on properties – including in this living room
It poses a legal risk if bamboo encroaches on to neighbouring properties or comes up through the floorboards in a home, and can result in prosecution or thousands of pounds worth of fines
As well as bursting through the ground, bamboo’s growth underground can also result in uneven earth and large cracks and bumbs developing in pavements, roads and patios.
It can become so entrenched that a digger or other heavy machinery may be required to uproot it.
This morning MailOnline revealed that a woman who planted bamboo in her garden for privacy ended up accidentally inflaming tensions with her neighbours after it started wrecking their driveway.
The nurse, who is in her early 60s, said she only wanted to create a ‘screen’ between her property and the neighbours’ in Portsmouth when she bought the bamboo 10 years ago, and had no idea she had bought an invasive species of the plant.
It was only when her neighbours’ block-built driveway started lifting, and large bamboo roots were found underneath, that she realised the extent of the problem.
She was one of several residents across the country to have been caught out by the much-loved plant, a staple of television garden makeover shows in the 2000s, but dubbed ‘Japanese knotweed 2.0’ by experts due to its potential to cause devastation.
The homeowner, who asked not to be named, said: ‘I planted bamboo as a screen so I didn’t have to see the neighbours’ campervan.
‘I remember the gardening shows used to say how it was good for growing high for shielding, and that the sound of the wind going through them was lovely, so that swayed my decision.
Robert Lenton, with his rescue dog Custard, outside their home in Brighton, where bamboo planted by a neighbour has taken root outside his home
Mr Lenton said he had to cut back the bamboo because it was blocking the view from his window
The bamboo outside Mr Lenton’s home grew so high that it began distrubing the overhead powerlines
Bamboo roots – known as runners – grow horizontally and can quickly invade neighbouring properties by going through brickwork and wood
It typically costs upwards of £3,500 to remove the bamboo from a residential property, although remedial work can run into tens of thousands of pounds
‘But it grew under their block drive, that’s when the neighbours said: Oi, what’s going on?
‘The blocks started lifting and we had to replace their drive after hiring a mini digger to dig out all of the runners – it cost about £1,500 at the time.
‘We knew it was our problem, and our neighbours were alright with it as long as we made good what happened as quickly as possible, which we did because we wanted to be conscientious.’
The issue was with the plant’s runners – roots which grow horizontally.
They can often be easily managed by inspecting them once or twice a year to check they have not exceeded 30cm in length, and can be cut back to ensure they do not cause problems.
But they can be costly to remove if the plant properly takes hold.
It was a similar story for Robert Lenton, who said he was ambushed by aggressive bamboo after a neighbour planted some on council-owned land outside the home he shares with his 17-year-old son and rescue dog Custard in Brighton three years ago.
Mr Lenton, 55, said: ‘Shoots grew to an alarming height at alarming speed and within a short period they had proliferated to block the view from my home, while taking down an overhead telephone cable and endlessly dropping leaves that found their way inside my flat.
‘During this spring, I became so frustrated by the growing problem that I cut down all the shoots.
‘At the same time I snapped off all the new shoots and filled the remaining stump with weedkiller.
Experts said it could take several years for problems to occur and encouraged potential buyers to do some research before planting
Bamboo is an invasive plant that can ruin people’s homes if left unchecked – although there are simple steps to prevent it coming in from neighbouring gardens
‘While this appeared to slow the invasion, it didn’t halt it. So this week I started to dig with the aim of exposing and removing the underground root network. However, the extent of the job far exceeds my resources.’
A widow also described how she had to fork out £12,000 after established bamboo all around her new home caused widespread damage to her garden – and even started invading her nextdoor neighbours’ homes.
The 69-year-old, who asked not to be named, bought the home with her late husband in 2014, but noticed bamboo appearing through their decking six years later.
The retired office manager from North Lincolnshire said: ‘The front of the house was also affected as the previous owners had planted running bamboo along the border of the drive, also the bamboo was growing up to 8 feet along the side of the property.
‘We attempted to dig out the spiked growth throughout the lawn to no avail, it returned thicker and faster.’
The homeowner said she and her son paid £3,000 for a professional company to poison the bamboo but it ‘returned with a vengeance’.
‘By October 2023 both neighbours’ gardens were beginning to be infected with the bamboo.
‘Fortunately both neighbours were sympathetic and knew we were not responsible for planting the bamboo. Poisoning is still ongoing in their gardens.’
She said her garden is now ‘totally ruined, which for me was heartbreaking.’
Helen Chen, a member of the British Bamboo Society, previously encouraged anyone thinking of getting a bamboo plant to research it beforehand.
She said: ‘There are about 300 types of bamboo you can grow in the UK and only a tiny number have the capacity to cause this type of damage.
‘You wouldn’t plant a tree without seeing how big it would grow, so it’s a good idea for anyone interested in bamboo to do a little bit of research – look at the height and speed of growth, how vigorous it can be, and talk to a specialist nursery.’
She suggested the Fargesia species was particularly low risk, adding: ‘Bamboos are a great group of plants, they add so much to the garden and are very low maintenance.’
