On Fri, 06 May 2005 10:56:59 +0100, Jill Tardivel
wrote:

I'm planning to create a garden pond, and had hoped to use a butyl pond
liner. However the site of the pond is close to some invasive bamboo.
I think I will have to create a barrier to stop the bamboo forcing its
way through the pond liner. The bamboo is robust, about ten feet tall
and produces canes about 1cm in diameter.

Has anyone else had to do something similar? Am I right in that the
bamboo will be a problem? The roots apparently don't make it under the
garden wall into the neighbours garden, the footings of which are
probably about 18" deep.

I was wondering if I could bury the old kitchen worksurface as a root
barrier - family suggest this is overkill and that there must be an
easier solution. However providing I can dig a slot deep enough to bury
the worksurface, it should hold the bamboo at bay.

Any ideas?

JIllT

AIUI bamboos are shallow rooted. I've seen clumps of bamboos contained
by digging (and maintaining!) a shallow trench around them, say a spit
deep. Your comments about them not getting under your garden wall are
consistent with this.

IME kitchen work tops swell and disintegrate under damp conditions.
I'd look for something more durable, like rigid plastic sheeting or
the modern equivalent of asbestos sheeting, cut into strips of
appropriate width, but the concept is OK. Try your local recycling
centre.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net