Bamboo - Ask Extension
Is there a Md law against bamboo plants in residences?
Knowledgebase
Bamboo #821252
Asked February 27, 2023, 2:43 PM EST
Is there a Md law against bamboo plants in residences?
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Currently there isn't a state law that prohibits their use or requires their removal from yards, but at least two running bamboo species are invasive here and might be regulated in the future. Two of the most commonly-grown running types are included in the Maryland Department of Agriculture's tiered invasive plants lists, where species are either regulated or prohibited for sale. The two bamboo species in question are in the regulated portion of that list, not the prohibited portion, so nurseries are allowed to sell them and landscapers can install them but each must inform customers with signage or literature that they can be invasive and alternatives should be considered.
There is a bill currently in state legislature (House Bill 0090) that proposes to allow counties to enact their own regulations surrounding the containment of existing stands of bamboo. (That's what the description implies; you can dig into the language of the proposed bill if you want to learn what exactly is being proposed.)
Miri
There is a bill currently in state legislature (House Bill 0090) that proposes to allow counties to enact their own regulations surrounding the containment of existing stands of bamboo. (That's what the description implies; you can dig into the language of the proposed bill if you want to learn what exactly is being proposed.)
Miri
is there a method or a safe chemical to eradicate bamboo from residencial property (patio of townhouse)?
Jean
Hello Jean,
There are not many options for bamboo removal that don't rely on systemic (plant-absorbed) herbicides to more quickly and effectively kill the plant's roots. Even these treatments, though they can work very well overall, may require repeated use for a few years to fully kill an extensive or well-established clump of running bamboo. Clumping bamboo is grown in Maryland, though more rarely since most gardeners are not familiar with it and its growth is much slower, so we presume you are faced with one of the running species. (Clumping bamboo might be much easier to dig out, otherwise.)
Our web page titled Containing and Removing Bamboo goes into detail about how bamboo grows and how to approach containment or eradication. There are certain times of year where prevention methods will be more successful, which is included in that information. If you prefer to avoid chemicals entirely, it will be a more arduous project that involves vigilant and prompt removal of all regrowth after each cut-back so the leaves can't resupply the root system with energy for more growth, and the entire process of eradication might take much longer to achieve.
Miri
There are not many options for bamboo removal that don't rely on systemic (plant-absorbed) herbicides to more quickly and effectively kill the plant's roots. Even these treatments, though they can work very well overall, may require repeated use for a few years to fully kill an extensive or well-established clump of running bamboo. Clumping bamboo is grown in Maryland, though more rarely since most gardeners are not familiar with it and its growth is much slower, so we presume you are faced with one of the running species. (Clumping bamboo might be much easier to dig out, otherwise.)
Our web page titled Containing and Removing Bamboo goes into detail about how bamboo grows and how to approach containment or eradication. There are certain times of year where prevention methods will be more successful, which is included in that information. If you prefer to avoid chemicals entirely, it will be a more arduous project that involves vigilant and prompt removal of all regrowth after each cut-back so the leaves can't resupply the root system with energy for more growth, and the entire process of eradication might take much longer to achieve.
Miri
