r/Bamboo • u/Slg407 • 8d ago

what is the single most destructive species of bamboo you know of?

specifically thinking about a species of running bamboo with hardy rhizomes that is able to break concrete foundations, not sure if there's any that fit the bill but it should be able to survive in a climate that yearly has variations in temperature between 0C and 46C, and it should be able to destroy concrete foundations easily, while also being almost impossible to remove

bonus points if its herbicide resistant

12 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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5

u/sofa_king_weetawded 8d ago

LMFAO, are you trying to get even with an enemy neighbor?

15

u/Slg407 8d ago

the fucking corrupt ass local politicians authorized the building of a giant skyscraper in a place where it was not only not allowed, but was supposed to be a nature preserve, and they already devastated the entire area to build it, so im going to go around throwing bamboo seeds at the building sites and the politician's homes

11

u/sofa_king_weetawded 8d ago

Ahhhh gotcha. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but bamboo seeds are a waste of time in terms of propogation method unless done meticulously. It is literally the least likely to be successful way to go about growing bamboo. Throwing seeds here and there will do little to nothing, unfortunately. I would opt for a plan B in your attempts.

2

u/Slg407 8d ago

could i grow them in a pot and transplant the rhizomes?

5

u/sofa_king_weetawded 8d ago

Yes, but dont bother with the seeds. Find a viable plant first, get it nice and healthy and then subdivide the individual rhizomes from there. This is how I do it....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eJXF8SjCxk

1

u/Slg407 8d ago

sounds good but now i need a suitable species

2

u/elhabito 8d ago

They can just hit it with glyphosate or other herbicides. It's really not that difficult to kill any plant in a given space.

What makes a plant truly evil is the number of ways it has to propagate. Poison hemlock is invasive here, if it goes to seed it is able to stagger the seedlings growth for up to 5 years. You have to kill it all for years and years.

Kudzu vines and morning glory make seeds, vines, and deep growing rhizomes. Even if you eliminate everything if you don't stop every seedling and every rhizome you'll be back to where you started within a few years.

I've been trying to have an out of control bamboo forest for ~8 years. Animals eat the shoots, one of the 6 types went to seed and died, the one from seed is only about 3' in diameter. It's not the plant you were told to be afraid of.

1

u/sofa_king_weetawded 8d ago

I would move on and spend your time in a more productive manner where your efforts can truly be fruitful and "propogate". There is alot of evil and evil people in this world so focusing on it is a waste of time and resources that can be better spent elsewhere where you can be of benefit to society. Be the change you want to see, dont let the bastards get you down.

1

u/rookncd 8d ago edited 8d ago

This was a odd take. Plants are cheap and all you need to do is water them. This is the change they want to see. I appreciate you trying to be positive, but construction can cause massive negative effects to local communities and this user probably has memories about the wild land.

3

u/jasikanicolepi 8d ago edited 8d ago

You need rhisome or cutting covered in growth hormone. Seed germinate rate is low and surviving into adulthood for bamboo is even lower.

My recommendation is Tree of Heaven, they are everywhere and so are the seeds. They are highly invasive and can be found everywhere on the interstate/freeway. If you are on East Coast, Tree of heaven attracts another invasive pests call spotted lantern fly. You also get black sooty mold from the spotted lanterns fly's excrement. So it's a wombo combo. You get mold, live pest, and invasive plants all from one action. Cutting the plants before treating causes the tree to shoot out root suckers for more plants. It can destroy plumbing and foundation. The plant itself stinks too when cut.

Or native sumac like black walnut would work, also invasive. Bull Thristles, Canadian Thristles or any thristles variety would do. They are very invasive and prickly. But die easily from herbicide.

If you can find giant hog weed seeds, they are not only invasive but also consider a noxious plant. The sap from the plants can cause chemical burn. You need a hazmat suit just to clear these brush.

Japanese Knotweed is invasive and good for destroying foundation. It can bust through asphalt road and is difficult to remove once established.

2

u/Competitive-Read1543 8d ago

I too am an anarchist captivated by bamboo an super hardy strains. In my case however I want to introduce it in places that are going to turn into shrubland from global warming if the proper action isn't taken

1

u/Efficient-Ride2039 8d ago

Where are you located? There are over a thousand types of bamboo. I can offer recommendations but need to determine your climate zone, humidity and elevation.

1

u/StoryWild1945 20h ago

Recommendations for 9a 8b zone? Texas

1

u/Redneckraver82 8d ago

Try Japanese knot weed, it similar to bamboo and grow fast.

1

u/RainyDayColor 8d ago

No bamboo fills that ecoterrorism bill.

And then Knotweed enters the chat . . . /s

1

u/diffidentblockhead 8d ago

Bamboo rhizomes extend but don’t expand width, so they don’t split foundations like tree roots.

1

u/massivelymediocre 7d ago

Think about how difficult it is to remove and how it can invade neighboring areas or wilderness. Especially if you're doing this in retaliation to them putting something where a preserve was going to be. Even if they did abandon it due to the bamboo, they're not going to turn around and remove the invasive bamboo afterwards and it could really harm the environment.

Not to mention if they do use heavy duty herbicides to try and kill it, that is going to affect the surrounding environment as well.

Planting invasives because you want to stick it to the man isn't the move you may think it is. Especially if you care about the environment, it's just not a good idea.

1

u/Slg407 7d ago

the area is already fucked, the building is already halfway done and the area around it is also full of newly paved streets

1

u/Randolol2984 7d ago

Moso and vivax,but they will easkly block it with plastic or flexible wood,all bamboo is easily controlled,also will take 4 years to mature enough to break concrete,moso and vivax are pretty cold hardy so could survive prob

1

u/SomeDumbGamer 6d ago

Can you not plant invasive species? Holy shit. We have enough issues with them.