Planting an invasive species in your yard can cause big problems — not just for you, but for your neighbors as well. One Nashville homeowner recently learned that the hard way after trying to deal with their neighbors bamboo plants. They took to the r/nashville subreddit for advice.
"We've had nearly 100 stalks pop up on our property, including some that are popping holes through the seats of our patio furniture, popping up 1" from our house/foundation, popping holes through our weed barriers, moving our pavers, popping up next to our HVAC unit, etc," the poster wrote. "I've been out of town and just got home and it looks like Jumanji out there now."
While bamboo is a wonderful plant in many respects — it can be used to create more sustainable toilet paper, diapers, scaffolding, and more — it is indeed one of the most pernicious invasive plants that people regularly introduce to their yards, unaware of the consequences.
It's often the surrounding properties that pay the price. Another homeowner accidentally destroyed their neighbor's home by planting bamboo, which sprouted through the neighbors' walls and concrete floors, causing over $100,000 of damage.
There are many other such stories. In Orlando, Florida, a bamboo plant managed to cause a power outage after growing over a power line.
Luckily, many of the members of the subreddit had dealt with similar bamboo-related issues and were ready to dole out some advice.
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"We've been battling this for 20+ years and this variety can grow 30+ feet tall. We didn't want to use pesticide so we wait for the 'pods' to full emerge, drill (or knock) a hole as deep as possible through the center, and fill the hole with rock salt. It dries up the new growth. Not an absolute solution but it's kept our yard from becoming a bamboo forest," wrote one commenter.
When deciding what to plant in your yard, remember that native species are always the best way to go — they can fit in and coexist with the wildlife in your local ecosystem, support crucial pollinators, and will almost never break through your neighbors' concrete floor.
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