photo by ArtChick
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Mahwah NJ, the Township of Mahwah has joined a growling list of New Jersey municipalities to pass an ordinance that limits new plantings of Bamboo to impervious above-ground planters or 30-inch-deep polypropylene-lined trenches .Neighbors and the township may also seek owner reimbursement for removing invasive bamboo, and violations of a township notice to clear the plantings will result in a fine of $1,000 per day the violation continues.
Bamboo, which technically is a giant grass, is one of the world’s most invasive plants. Once established, it is literally next to impossible to control. The sprouts that shoot up from the ground each spring can grow 12 inches a day! The underground roots of common running “fishpole” bamboo, which can easily reach 15 feet tall, can travel as far as 20 feet or more from the original clump.
Bamboo is a member of the grass family (Poaceae) and is an extremely fast-growing plant. The name “bamboo” covers many genera including Bambusa spp., Phyllostachys spp. and others. Bamboo species can be found in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 11. The plants are categorized as either running or clumping; running bamboo rhizomes spread away from the original plant, and clumping bamboo rhizomes form in circles that grow larger in diameter as more rhizomes develop. Both types can cause structural damage to buildings.
The State of New York has banned two of the most invasive species of bamboo, namely Golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) and Yellow groove bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata). New York has a directory of Regulated and Prohibited Invasive Plants, issued in 2014, which identifies these two bamboo species and about 50 other varieties of unwanted vegetation. The document explains how these species crowd out native species and compromise indigenous habitat.
Prohibited plants cannot be sold, transported or planted in the state. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for enforcing these restrictions.
1918 Ordinance Amending Chapter 13 – Bamboo
Dec 4, 2020
Fastest growing plant in the world !
That being said, Mahwah has much more serious problems than being overrun by Bamboo.
So very true.
Can’t grow bamboo, but don’t have to pay parking tickets… sounds about right.
Is there a similar regulation Ridgewood? There is a bamboo forest on Heights Rd. Seems well fenced but a vibrant and dense popuation.
The growth on height Rd is tcontained as it is growing beyond the edge of the paved street. It took a lot if effort to remove it from a property Linwood Ave.
I live in Ridgewood. Number of years ago our neighbors planted bamboo. About five (or more) years ago it pooped up upon our property. When my husband started to dig it up he found very deep rhizomes running under the earth. He had to dig long 3 foot deep trenches to remove them. The bamboo has again resurfaced on our property. We are in our seventies and my husband is no longer physically able to undertake a project like this again. We like and get along with our neighbors and are reluctant to damage our relationship. We will probably remain silent. I am writing because it seems quite a few citizens view this as an insignificant problem. It is NOT. Please think of your neighbors !!!
Unfortunately if your neighbors do not care about their privacy and yours and clean out all bushes and tress in the shared border that provide a minimum of such thing then you need something that grows fast and doesn’t take years to create a screen. For some people that solution is bamboo. I have been considering it and may apply it if new neighbors keep eliminating anything that grows taller than grass.