A HOMEOWNER has warned people about a plant that has become invasive to their house.
Though they thought it was fine when they first moved in, it has now taken over their home’s foundation.
Redditor Abbs_twothou shared the gardening tip in a viral post.
A bamboo plant left behind by the previous owner, they explained, became the bane of their existence.
Though they thought the plant harmless at first, they quickly found themselves, well, bamboo-zled.
“Someone before me planted super invasive, 15-foot-tall growing bamboo in the backyard,” they said.
“It was spreading so wildly it was uplifting the granite pool and growing under the foundation of the house.”
They added that the previous owner’s rookie gardening mistake had branched into their lives in the worst possible way.
“You could see the remnants of a ‘barrier’ of sorts of where they initially planted it, obviously not knowing how bamboo grows,” they groaned.
“I myself did not know until I purchased the house. Absolute nightmare.”
Bamboo experts commiserated with the unfortunate Redditor, with some sharing potential next steps they can take.
Some explained that the situation may be even worse than they thought.
“It’s worse than that. It’s impossible to keep it in check,” said one.
“You have to remove [it] completely, and [by] completely, I mean every scrap of the root.”
They explained that bamboo plants are notorious for being extremely resilient.
“After I yanked out mine, I was still digging out new sprouts for the next six months,” they said.
Tony Williams is the Estate Manager at Mount Ephraim Country House & Gardens in the UK.
He revealed to The U.S. Sun the best organic remedies for getting rid of weeds.
Two ingredient mix: “Mix four liters of vinegar, 250 grams of salt, and a tablespoon of soap for a potent weed killer,” he said.
Lemon juice: “Whether freshly squeezed or from a bottle, lemon juice is a simple, natural herbicide,” he revealed.
Boiling water: “Pouring boiling water on weeds can kill them instantly without harming nearby plants,” he said.
Diluted rubbing alcohol: “Spray this solution on weeds to induce water loss and effectively kill them,” he said.
Hand-picking: “Focus on removing them early, especially notorious ones like dandelions, to prevent seeds from scattering,” he said.
“Oftentimes, the new plant was growing from literally an inch and a half of root that I had missed. Think of every tiny piece of root as a new seed.”
One commenter detailed the lengths their parents went to to get rid of a bamboo plant before giving up.
“My parents have had a Yucca stump for like 20 years in their backyard,” they said.
“They’ve salted it, chlorined it, chainsawed it, and every other diabolical destructive method. It’s still putting out new shoots.”
“A guy once said to me that bamboo is like a cold, slow fire that is alive. If you don’t keep it in check, it will destroy everything,” said one wise commenter.
“The best way to get rid of bamboo is to move,” joked another.
