Hi-

1. It is one of the running (timber) bamboo species, probably in the Phyllostachys genus. A reasonable guess would be Phyllostachys aurea.

2. Running bamboo is a non-native invasive in Maryland but is not listed as a noxious weed by the MD Dept. of Agriculture (such designation would require landowners to actively control/eradicate the plant.

3. and 4.

HGIC web page on invasive bamboo with detailed information on control and removal:

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/containing-and-removing-bamboo

How to proceed will depend on many factors. As long as your neighbor maintains the bamboo in their yard you will need a barrier. The thick plastic barriers can be effective. We suggest that you install 36-in. wide material and leave 6-8 inches showing above grade to prevent rhizomes from "climbing over" the barrier once organic matter starts to build up against the inside of the barrier. A mini excavator can be used to create the trench. This will cut/tear the rhizomes. If rhizomes are growing thickly and extensively on your side of the fence you may want to excavate and remove them. If you've been keeping the shoots and culms cut to the ground, you can avoid this step and just install the barrier. Eventually, you will starve the rhizomes on your side simply by kicking over, mowing, or pruning out any shoots that appear.

Jon

Hello Dan,

If your herbicide experiment only treated one culm on a multi-culm plant, that would be insufficient as a test since the rest of the plant can keep photosynthesizing or re-sprouting to counteract any localized tissue death from the herbicide. When tough weeds such as this need control via herbicides, the entire plant needs to be treated, and even then, possibly more than once. The seasonal timing of herbicide applications on bamboo can also have a measurable impact on its efficacy, so your test may have been carried-out too early to obtain good results.

Concerning glyphosate (Roundup) in particular, there are multiple formulations on the market which can vary in strength and possibly in secondary (inert) ingredients. ("Inert" here doesn't mean they don't serve any purpose, but that they aren't functioning as the primary plant-killing chemical; rather, as additives that help it to be absorbed, among other supporting roles.) It's possible the formulation you chose was the not strongest or used at the highest-allowable concentration according to label directions (especially if they list dosing instructions specifically for bamboo).

We are not aware of particular recommendations for a combination of herbicides that would be suitable in this case, especially since each alone would need to be checked for compatibility allowances as noted on the label. Sometimes, inert ingredients are not compatible, even if the active ingredients are, so each specific product needs to be checked. A few herbicide products are made with multiple active ingredients already included, but each would also have to have its label checked for verification that it is intended for use on bamboo. The only non-glyphosate listing we have seen is on the forest pest publication about golden bamboo from the MD DNR, in which active ingredient imazapyr is included. However, use of this ingredient is much more risky to nearby desirable plants, so for that reason we discourage its use. It also does not break down upon contact with soil nearly as quickly as glyphosate does.

Miri