I have heard that bamboo plants are harmful to the soil and or the plants surrounding it, is it true?

Question

please give me as much information as you can

Answer 1

Most bamboos will not directly hurt other plants but they are aggressive and can suck up all the water in the soil as well as shade out other plants.

There are two sorts of bamboo, clumping and running.

The running kind will just spread all over and is very difficult to remove. It will shade out everything. Don't grow it.

The clumping kind is much more reasonable. It generally stays where you put it. But if it produces seeds then you will find baby bamboos all over.

For these reasons, I'm not very fond of bamboo in the garden. It is just too high maintenance.

Answer 2

it can be because it can take over, so if you want just bamboo go ahead plant some.  Last year my husband and i had to install a 4ft underground fence because their neighbors had put in bamboo and let it take off.

Answer 3

There is one or two varieties of "clumping" bamboo that are not harmful, but in general, most species of bamboo are very evasive plants. It will completely take over the soil and eliminate any other plants in its way. If it is watered and cared for, the root system can get has hard and solid as a brick and I've dug out a small grove (300 square feet) that the roots were 3 feet thick from the ground to the soil underneath the root mass. The only way to prevent it from taking over is to bury a barrier, like heavy sheet metal used in building construction, between the bamboo and the plants and soil that you do not want it in contact with. My newest "grove" started out 4 years ago as a thin strip of single plants about 40 feet long, now it's about 15 to 20 feet wide and 60 feet long, in only 4 years. It will definitely take over if you allow it to.  The only way get rid of it is to dig it up or spray it for a couple of seasons with an herbicide that kills all plants. Most herbicides won't even phase it.

Answer 4

Depends on the type of bamboo you plant. Never ever ever plant Giant Bamboo.. They grow a foot a day in the rainy season, shed during the winter months. You have to dig the roots out. They drink Round Up. Rock salt does nothing, Fire does nothing... Giant Bamboo is virtually indestructible.

Investigate the type before planting...

It took me 5 years to get rid on 1 plant that turned into a 10'x8' thatch, 3 30 yard containers.

The bamboo does not hurt the soil, what you put on the plant to kill it harms the soil..

Answer 5

1)  Ther are literally hundreds of clumping bamboo that are very low maintenance

2) It is planted in many places to IMPROVE the soil and for soil stabilization

3) It will NOT hurt other ptants around it

4) Bamboo shoots  are so soft they will smoosh in a heartbeat. The only thing that would be killed by lying on a bed of bamboo shoots is the bamboo

5) the rhizome mass would NEVER go 20 feet deep, 2 to 3 feet max

6) "Giant bamboo" can be anything! If you dont give the species the name is worthless. For example I have several Dendrocalamus species that are 50 and 100 feet tall and have giant in their names. They are clumping bamboo.

7) Yes be carefull of runners. Thats what most people think all bamboo is, and its a shame.

Answer 6

I do not think they can physically harm another plant, but be very cautious when (if) you purchase bamboo plants.  If you do not specifically ask for (and be sure you get) a "non-spreading" bamboo plant, those little devils  will start to sprout up all around the original plant, and you will NEVER be able to control them. There is a place in Texas where they grew to a 20 foot deep wall around the property. The last I heard, the owners were in depair because they couldn't even SELL the property!  

Also, you must be very careful about walking on the new bamboo shoots barefoot, or in flip-flops, as they are very sharp and hard, and will pierce your foot. An ancient oriental torture was to tie a person down over an area with bamboo planted under them. The new shoots grew raplidly up through the body,  killing them in an agonizing way.  Do be careful!!  Ordinary  bamboo is very beautiful, but unless you plant it in a pot, it can be problematical.