Bamboo root barrier

Hi All, does anyone know a good place to buy bamboo root barrier in London? I can't understand it, people have it growing everywhere but I never see the barrier for sale anywhere, even in Crews Hill Enfield where there are about 20 garden centres in a row!

Please help!

 

Online? or do you need to be able to buy it locally, "in-person" ?

 

Why would you pay £25 for postage when it should be something you can just buy at a garden centre (and it's expensive enough despite just being plastic)? It's hardly a specialist item despite the fact that it doesn't seem available anywhere locally, as I said many people grow bamboo....

 

I wouldn't ... but I doubt it costs that much.

It costs me several quid to go to the nearest garden centre (its not far, that's just what using a car costs these days). Although if I just jump in the car and tootle off there I never think of the actual cost of course ... and I might combine it with getting something else from long the route.

So I would not think that a few quid, or so, for carriage online would be unreasonable,a nd I expect I could find it online far cheap than any local store would stock it for [if they stocked it]. The root-barrier will be a pound-a-metre I expect, its not cheap stuff.

 

If you can find it for that price anywhere do please let me know (post a link or pm me please), I have had a reasonably good search and not seen anything anywhere near the price you have quoted. As far as I am aware it is not the same material as pond liner, its is a much tougher and thicker material, bamboo rhizomes can push through concrete...!

 

According to the RHS you can use industrial linoleum so if you have any builders merchants nearby might be worth giving them a call.

 

hanks that is very helpful, I would imagine you could get this from a large carpet shop too?

 

John's got the answer! We use plastic bins to contain mint roots and it works a treat. Only thing I'd add to John's suggestion is that after you've drilled holes in the base you put in a couple of layers of weed supressing membrane as this will help prevent, or at least slow up, roots escaping and you should add a couple of inches of broken pots or polystyrene chunks to aid drainage.

 

Local council "damaged wheelie bins"
Cut down to size if too deep

As a suggestion

Jack McHammocklashing

 

How about a large plastic tree planter? You can get them in different sizes and they are made of thick plastic

 

the problem with using a bin is that you are limited with size, also I've been doing some research which suggests that the best thing to do even if you have a root barrier, is to still dig up the rhizomes every spring and cut them off. I had a dig around one of the 2 species I am keeping Pseudosasa metake which is apparently not too invasive, but sure enough there were rhizomes going off in different directions! So I hoiked it out and put it in a pot. I'm leaving the black bamboo in the ground though and will put a root barrier on that. I've heard horror stories of bamboo coming up in the middle of neighbours lawns....i'm not taking that risk!

 

where i used to work we dug a moat around the bamboo about a foot deep and a foot wide then we just cut off the suckers when they pushed through.
might not be easy but it doesn't cost a penny just a bit of hard digging

 

The problem that worries me would be if you missed some that went deeper, I have an irrational childhood image in my head of cartoon vines coming up through my neighbour's floorboards.... But your advice is good, I heard this somewhere else too but it wouldn't look too nice in the small(ish) flower bed they are in. I think root barrier will be the best option, I really like the black bamboo, a friend of mine has some and it is so impressive when it is mature, so a root barrier will probably be best.

 

Hi All, this is what I mean, please see the email reply below...... is that a normal price?

Hi Chris,

Many thanks for contacting us,

8m of heavy duty root barrier inc delivery is
£88.00 ( 48hrs service) or £90.00 next day service.
In addition it usually takes 24hrs to dispatch.

Let me know If there is anything else I can assist- I will be happy to do so

Regards