Bamboo grows extensively in Tennessee, thriving across the state’s diverse climate zones. This woody perennial grass finds the region’s humid conditions and temperate winters highly accommodating. While its rapid growth makes it attractive for privacy screens, this vigor causes significant management challenges for homeowners. The following details explain the species that flourish here, their growth mechanisms, and the practical steps needed for containment.
Climate Suitability and Common Species
Tennessee’s climate, ranging from USDA Hardiness Zones 6a to 8a, supports a wide array of cold-hardy bamboo species. Most of the state falls within the 6b to 7b range, providing a mild environment where many temperate varieties survive winter lows. The native species, River Cane (Arundinaria gigantea), grows naturally along riverbanks, but most landscape varieties were introduced from Asia.
The most prevalent and problematic types belong to the genus Phyllostachys, which includes aggressive running bamboos. Species like Phyllostachys nigra (Black Bamboo) or Phyllostachys aurea (Golden Bamboo) are popular but require active containment to prevent invasion. Less aggressive, cold-hardy clumping varieties, such as Fargesia and certain Chusquea species, can also be grown.
Understanding Bamboo’s Growth Habits
The management required for bamboo depends entirely on its underground structure, specifically the type of rhizome it possesses. Running bamboos are characterized by monopodial rhizomes, which are long, slender underground stems that spread aggressively outward from the parent plant. These runners can travel 20 to 30 feet or more annually before sprouting a new cane, or culm, leading to rapid colonization.
Clumping bamboos utilize sympodial rhizomes, which are short, thick, and turn upward quickly to form new culms immediately adjacent to the existing clump. This structure means they expand slowly, typically only a few inches each year, making them a safer choice for residential landscapes. Tennessee’s moist, fertile soil and long growing season encourage the aggressive outward thrust of monopodial rhizomes, making running bamboo a major concern. Running bamboo also produces allelopathic compounds, natural herbicides that suppress the growth of other nearby plants, allowing it to dominate an area.
Practical Management and Containment
Managing running bamboo requires a proactive and consistent approach, especially when the plant is situated near property boundaries. The most effective containment method involves installing a specialized rhizome barrier made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which must be 60 to 80 mil thick to resist puncture.
Containment Barriers
This barrier needs to be buried to a depth of 30 to 36 inches, ensuring it extends below the lowest point of rhizome growth. The barrier must also project two inches above the soil line; this exposed edge is necessary to deflect any rhizomes attempting to grow over the top. Regular inspection is required, as any rhizomes that surface or cross must be immediately clipped to maintain the barrier’s integrity. An alternative to a full barrier is installing a single-sided barrier along a property line and then consistently mowing or edging the newly emerging shoots on the open side.
Removal and Legal Issues
If total removal is the goal, it is a labor-intensive process that involves physically digging up the entire root mass and all associated rhizomes. For established groves, chemical control using a systemic herbicide containing glyphosate can be effective, but it requires repeated applications to freshly cut canes to ensure the chemical travels down to the root system. Homeowners must be aware that bamboo spreading onto a neighbor’s land can lead to legal issues under local nuisance or trespass laws, particularly if it causes structural damage to foundations, driveways, or fences. The owner of the bamboo may be held liable for the damage and the cost of removal.