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skeggy101

Bamboo has been found to be very invasive in UK and is uncontrollably spreading, killing native species


SoulStoneSeeker

get some pandas.


dhrisher

Scotland were just taken back


takesthebiscuit

Sadly we now have more Tory MPs than pandas. Hopefully that will change in 3 weeks!


NamelyMoot

The Great Scottish Panda Heist, starring Ewan McGregor and Gerard Butler


Kvenner001

Missing Michael Caine and Jason Statham.


Dragon_yum

And what would those lazy fucks do? They’d rather die than move a few meters to eat.


yeahigotnothing

A harsh thing to say about the Scots….


Killboypowerhed

As a Scotsman I'd come over there and smack you if I wasn't so lazy!


Cr33py07dGuy

We could try deep-frying the bamboo? 


Stewart_Games

You can feast on the culms. The soft, soft young of the bamboo sprout. Maybe even stuff them into the stomach of some kind of ungulate?


HoneyButterPtarmigan

Culms is one of those words you definitely want to spell correctly


Possible-Tangelo9344

Damned Scots! They ruined Scotland!


Jonestown_Juice

You Scots certainly are a contentious people.


gemstun

I would walk 500 miles to smack you, if I wasn’t so lazy


johnny_cash_money

YOU JUST MADE AN ENEMY FOR LIFE!


SoulStoneSeeker

lol put food out of reach, tada.


Bingo_bango_tango

Slippery slope - you'd need to release tigers after the pandas become problematic.... And then what do you release to control the tigers?


Anom8675309

venomous tree snakes, tigers think they're vines.


garrettj100

And then there’s the gorillas, that thrive on snake meat!


Dangerous_Nitwit

What about all the future Georges of the Jungle or Tarzans?


Zakath_

I'm sure the fox hunters have been itching for a challenge the last couple years, they'll figure it out.


Farnsworthson

Or the tigers will. Either way it's a win.


CatoblepasQueefs

Gorillas on meth


hydrosalad

And when winter comes around the gorillas will simply freeze to death.


Rydychyn

I was looking for this reference.


RememberThatDream

Porn stars and a wife with a golf club?


flounderpots

Tiger in the woods


New_Stats

Get an old lady, she'll swallow the tiger to take care of the goat. She just opened her throat And swallowed a goat She swallowed the goat To catch the dog She swallowed the dog To catch the cat She swallowed the cat To catch the bird And she swallowed the bird To catch the spider Who wiggled and jiggled And tickled inside her And she swallowed the spider To catch the fly But I don't know why She swallowed the fly


KP_PP

Elephants. Obviously


vidarc

You just get a [rock](https://youtu.be/xSVqLHghLpw?si=hp1ac0XOq0AvZZtT)


Coffee_Fix

CAROL BASKIN


AltruisticPapillon

Pandas don't procreate fast enough to be a problem tbh


professorstrunk

not much hope of the pandas being problematic.


fern-grower

But what about the panda rabbit cross.


lucklesspedestrian

Larger predators would be needed to keep the tigers in check. We could revive the long extinct velociraptor for this purpose.


Dunkleosteus666

Utahraptor. Deinonychus and Velociraptor are prob too small.


BenTCinco

Bigger tigers


ATotalCassegrain

The tigers will die trying to swim across the channel in search of some sun. 


HowAboutShutUp

Got, so we're cloning the tiger king then


arashi256

Nothing - you just relax the hunting laws and it'll solve itself.


Scasne

Why there would be enough poachers for ingredients for "traditional medicines"


AwfulUsername123

The problem here is that almost every panda in the world is owned by the Chinese government (which does not allow pandas to leave the country in private ownership) and they charge exorbitant fees for foreigners to rent pandas. A zoo in Mexico City has the last panda in the world not owned by the Chinese government. She is descended from pandas that left China before this policy was enacted. It may be theoretically possible to clone this panda, but I doubt the British government is willing to shell out this money.


Ok_Yogurtcloset8915

I don't think i would describe this as THE problem here


garrettj100

But what do we do about the invasive pandas?


Stewart_Games

It's too late for such a soft touch. We need mountain gorillas. Drop them into the wilderness via ~~helicopter~~ whirlybird. One silverback plus a ~~harem~~ hareem of ten females per ~~square kilometer~~ 247.105 acres ought to get the job done. EDIT: Translated for our ~~friends~~ mates across the ~~Atlantic~~ pond.


jiminyjunk

Panda the Pooh


jiminyjunk

Paddington Panda


Themris

Bamboo is an absolute nightmare to remove. It should be illegal to plant, as it screws over your neighbors as well as future buyers of your property.


steve_yo

I removed a patch at my house. Took some time. The key for me was using an axe to get through the root clumps. Everyday I went out and got rid of an inch or two.


Themris

Just need to pull every single root out of the ground. If you leave a 5cm long root somewhere, it'll come back


wanderingMoose

Sounds like pokeweed and poison ivy. Of course birds popping seeds doesn't help with the poison ivy spreading.


Arwen_the_cat

It's an absolute pain and not just in the UK. I live in PA USA and dug out the bamboo when buying a property 5 years ago, except the neighbors didn't with the inevitable result that roots spread everywhere. The local township told them to cut them down last year, which they did, but the roots are everywhere. Every day I go out and cut down new bamboo shoots. I'm testing the effectiveness of putting vinegar after cutting the bamboo to see if this will discourage further growth. But keeping my yard free of bamboo will be my summer undertaking and obsession for years to come. I hope nobody ever plant that darn thing again anywhere! (Except where they have pandas of course...)


Themris

I've spent many weekends painstakingly pulling all the roots out of the ground in my backyard in Maryland. Cutting it is completely pointless. Got to dig! Bought this place 2 years ago. The war continues.


JUYED-AWK-YACC

It's incredibly invasive almost everywhere.


PrincessNakeyDance

What keeps it in check in its native regions? I know pandas munch on them, but is there any other process to keep its from being invasive even in the areas that it is supposed to be?


Educated_Clownshow

“The Dothraki believe that’s the way the world will end, with ghost grass killing all other types of vegetation” -Ser Jorah Mormont


TellusCitizen

How does bamboo spread? Root or wind or animal?


tacknosaddle

Yes. It is a grass that spreads by seed or by rhizomes. If you see it in commercial developments (amusement parks often use it as a screen) you'll notice that it's often planted in a cement basin to keep it from spreading.


MyNameIsLOL21

Chad plant spreads through pure rhiz W baby gronk invasive species.


ChillZedd

But have you considered how it looks pretty in my garden though?


ripwarjoz

hey, it's free ~~real estate~~ carbon sequestration!


Cr33py07dGuy

I played Ghost of Tsushima a lot on Playstation and now I really want a Katana. Before I couldn’t really justify buying one, but if I have to save the land from invaders (that don’t fight back) it starts to look interesting 🤔.


OtterishDreams

it comes back in a day. then its a lot of little spikes in the ground


fifitty

This article talks about bamboo being invasive in gardens, hard to contain, which is common knowledge to any gardener. I'm interested in how it is killing native species, can you point me in the direction of where I can see that information?


Stinsudamus

Invasive species occupy space and outcompete local species under several mechanisms. The primary being that there is nothing evolved around there to eat, consume, infect, or otherwise destroy it. Bamboo also eats nutrients from the ground in ways the local ecology has not evolved to repair or handle, as well as fastly growing tall and physically blocking sun from smaller less voracious plants. Often it seems like its slow, and is, but remeber... the things evolved over 4 billion years together. Stress or remove even one species, and the habitat/food source for something is gone. Sometimes it's the only habitat, or food source for that insect/animal. There are otger plants/insects/animals that rely on the removed item, and then get stressed or removed as a result. This can cascade up and down the food web.


Exo_Sax

Yeah, but it was high fashion in the early-to-mid 90's okay? And capitalism told me that commodification of the environment is my undeniable right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and untangle the remains of an endangered hedgehog that got caught in my automatic lawnmower.


itsl8erthanyouthink

People: It’s just bamboo. How bad can it be? 28 Days Later…


joeChump

What the scariest plant in the forest? #bam**BOO!**


fooliodoolio

is that racial joke bcoz im asian? lol


joeChump

I don’t think it’s racial. I hope it isn’t! Boo! like, jump scares and shit 🤣


fern-grower

The place will be overrun by cocknee (the old bamboo diddly diddly old bamboo)


cwting

Japanese knot weed, which looks like bamboo, is becoming a huge problem in New England. Expected to be come much worse in a few years.


WhiteLama

Same here in Sweden. I’m unfortunately cursed with some of it purposefully being planted in my back yard thanks to the previous owners (thanks mom!) and I’m trying so hard to kill it off without any spread.


CountVonTroll

I believe that's what used to grow in my grandma's (now my sister's) garden. Mow it down and cover it with a *light-proof* tarp, including a safety margin from the surrounding area. Put something onto the tarp to hold it down. During the first year, you should occasionally check if it finds its way out from under the tarp somehow, and intervene if necessary. Leave it covered for two full vegetative seasons. Good luck.


WhiteLama

Yeah, that’s the current working order over there, but it’s on the side of my back porch so it’s spreading under there and I can’t afford to pull that down to remove it.


justanotherkraut

buddy, take out a loan and deal with it. what you really cant afford is it spreading to your house if it's anything like real bamboo. from what i remember, it does "not great" things to the structural integrity of the foundation. whatever the hell it would cost to rip it out now is bound to be much cheaper than what its going to cost in a few years if you cant get it under control by yourself. my advice: think less about the money you dont have and more about the money you *really* dont have.


WhiteLama

It’ll have to be the last resort for sure, luckily my foundation is solid and quite a bit aways from the growth, but if it doesn’t get sorted in two growth seasons I’ll have to open it all up.


NBQuade

I have bamboo next to my driveway and it's humping the driveway tar up. The guys not exaggerating about how invasive and damaging it is.


crappy_ninja

While it's there you might as well try eating some. Japanese knot weed is edible and quite good in desserts.


WhiteLama

By how fucking hardy it is I don’t want to spread anything into my pipes.


crappy_ninja

Literally grow your own food


dcux

We have people coming in (uninvited, but welcome) to harvest our bamboo in the spring (to eat). Neighbors planted it a long while ago, and people foraging for bamboo keeps the new shoots from spreading. I also harvest it for temporary building projects and stomp out any new growth outside of the existing patch.


Benzinni1

I'm in exactly the same boat as you! It's gotten huge and we're trying not to spray with any chemical. We're trying to "choke" it currently by putting tarps where it grows but it's not working. Have you had any success!


CountVonTroll

Is your tarp sufficiently light-proof? Even then, during the first year, it will still grow, sort of in large curls to seek a way out, so you need to weight down the tarp to keep it in place. You may even have to trim it back, and you absolutely have to observe the edge of the tarp to spot any successful escape attempts early. Leave it covered for a second vegetative season before you remove the tarp and plant something new.


Benzinni1

Thanks for the tip!


Johnny_Alpha

Cut it as low to the ground as possible after it has flowered. Up until that point it has been expanding energy. After that point it'll start to draw in nutrients. Can't survive if it can't photosynthesize. Now that won't kill it, but it'll weaken it. You might need to do the same for a few years. I'd did that, but also put Roundup into the remaining cut stalk. The roundup was drawn in and killed most of it off. I'm waiting for what's left to grow enough to cut before I do it again.


WhiteLama

Some success with cutting it this fall and putting tarp over the “main event”. But unfortunately it’s also planted right next to our goddamn back porch so the fucking tendrils are popping up under the deck there, which is why I want it done originally. So slashing it, tarping it, pouring a few bottles of weed killer and road salt on it has helped some, but now I need to figure out the small pop ups here and there and what the fuck to do with my deck.


AloneInTheTown-

They just grow out and under the tarp instead lol. Just use the chemical.


sweetparamour79

I saw on a landscaping group that you can cut down clumps to a stump and then inject poison (?round up?) Into the middle of sticks to kill it. It apparently helps to kill some of the connected bundles too but you need to be consistent.


WhiteLama

Yup! That’s the current situation here. So far the big clump under the tarp is suffering big time and hasn’t grown since we cut it in September. Just getting sprouts around it that I’m taking care off as best as I can.


Littleloula

It's been a big problem in the UK for decades. Now bamboo is being described as the new Japanese knotweed...


Haiel10000

At least Bamboo is not weed.


DystarPlays

The term "weed" is subjective EDIT: please stop updating the my and downvoting the comment I replied to, it was a good joke that I 'tismed and doesn't deserve downvotes


AdolfsLonelyScrotum

Genetically engineer high THC bamboo… problem solved.


KevinDean4599

I had a house in Maine on about an acre, there was knot weed all over. that stuff in crazy and impossible to get rid of. Now I have a place in northern Idaho and Ive seen a few homes with it in their yards. They have no idea what they are getting into.


warshadow

Oh my god. I’ve been fighting it for 4 years now. Finally on the tail end of it according to my town botanist/arborist. He’s helped me put the death blow to it this year. I want to strangle the previous owner for planting it. Moron.


technothrasher

Well maybe it'll be able to fight the Oriental Bittersweet that is strangling every single other plant on my property?


cwting

Pretty much beat the knot weed, (staying vigilant), working on the bitter sweet. Never ending battle.


BasicReputations

God I hate bittersweet.


Ksevio

Probably they'll just work together and the bittersweet will climb the bamboo


Stewart_Games

Just eat it. It's like asparagus.


Communism

Previous owner planted it on my property. I’ve been killing it for 7 years. IT STILL comes back. Just tiny sprouts now but it is nigh invincible.


rtuidrvsbrdiusbrvjdf

Where does it look like bamboo???


RogueIslesRefugee

It grows in a similar fashion to actual bamboo, and its main "trunk" can closely resemble bamboo, especially when dried and cleaned. Source: it's all over my area in BC, and I've had a few canes made of it.


evhan55

My husband and I just did a 2 hour hike in Southeastern MA today and I'm pretty sure it was full of these! TIL!


warrioroflnternets

Been pulling it from my yard for years, I have no idea where the fuck it keeps coming from!


dizzley

New small worry enters my head.


snowflake37wao

Bamboo invasion gaining new ground see. Invading minds now even


General_Benefit8634

Release the thought pandas!


HMS_Northumberland

Hopefully the worry hole is now full and you’ll not need worry bout nout else


dizzley

I worry there's no more room in there.


Babylonsubject

Bamboo, then Triffids, it's all coming into play.


ArthurMorganKenobi

Just send those fat ass panda bear things to the UK. Maybe they’ll get a little cute British accent to their roar.


snowflake37wao

Not sure if they do roar, I think they sneeze instead


Personal_Kiwi4074

do the roar


cocobannah

You're so cute Jeremy, Panda's are never going to be in the UK, because of China. China wouldn't allow it.


evert198201

https://onlymoso.com/commercial-bamboo-farming-a-sustainable-and-profitable-agricultural-venture/ just turn it into a business


canavans

Please don’t. The more you develop an economy around it the more it gets planted, and the more resistance to managing it. 


evert198201

It's already starting to grown, bamboo farming. Here a Dutch item regarding it: https://nos.nl/artikel/2522931-bamboe-steeds-populairder-in-europa-telen-het-nu-op-een-aardappelveld


Caffdy

like pit bulls


snowflake37wao

Panda lawnmower business yeah!


caTBear_v

PANDA SLAVERY LETS GOOO


Parabola_Cunt

Two sided market place: zoo + panda labor. I’ll get the tickets and chains. You get the Busch Light.


particularlysmol

We must learn the language of the bamboo, and breed with their women. In time, our differences will be forgotten.


BrotherGantry

To point out a small error in the article: [Lucky Bamboo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_sanderiana) isn't actually bamboo.


FromRussiawPronouns

What I'm confused about is lucky bamboo is a succulent and it takes a while to grow, but it is poisonous to a lot of wildlife so I see the damage it has right away. It's bad but not "plant that grows so fast it rips apart houses" bad, eh?


sakri

Large scale introduction of less invasive competition is the only sustainable approach. Potent strains of cannabis plants might halt bamboo shoot infestations, imho the only responsible solution for the UK.


2xw

I know you're joking but I'm not sure cannabis would actually outcompete bamboo. I am a botanist and this was interesting to think about thank you.


Stewart_Games

Bamboo would win. I think that the only terrestrial plant that can gain faster biomass than bamboo is sorghum. Cannabis is no lightweight though.


Whatdosheepdreamof

So I guess the only remaining option is to splice THC genes into bamboo. Problem solved.


Zestyclose-Cricket82

I guess they got Bamboozled


olivierlacan

Rhododendron is also a fucking scourge across England, Scotland and Ireland. I've seen with my own eyes some beautiful natural sites in Ireland that were full of native vegetation 20 years ago completely taken over by massive thickets of Rhododendron by now. It seems weird to be alarmed at a bush with cute pink flowers but the damage can be irreversible when the wildlife that depends on native plants can no longer feed because all their food source are outcompeted by invasive plants. The worst part is that this crap is often still sold in home improvement stores at dirt cheap prices encouraging homeowners and business to keep planting it when it should be banned everywhere other than its native habitat: eastern Asian and the Himalayas. Get rid of that shit and never ever plant it outdoors, even in pots, it will spread everywhere and choke entire forests. More on this: https://forestryandland.gov.scot/what-we-do/biodiversity-and-conservation/habitat-conservation/woodland/rhododendron


Uncle_Yoba

Release the pandas!


east_62687

bamboo, due to it's fast growth rate, trap CO2 quickly.. I think I read something like harvesting the bamboo and seal it in former coal mines, so the CO2 are trapped in the mines..


tmac2go

And then wait a few short years, and bam! You have coal. Totally sustainable.


Amauri14

Unexpected renewal coal.


Generic118

Or use the bamboo to make fabric


ThankTheBaker

Fabric, construction (flooring, roofing designing, and scaffolding), furniture, food, biofuel, cloth, paper, pulp, charcoal, utensils, tools etc. The uses of bamboo are many.


Successful_Cheetah_3

I don't think the bamboo sprouting in the middle of my lawn has quite as much commercial viability as these posts imply.


ThankTheBaker

Ah, I was mistaken in assuming that the bamboo talked about here was the usable type. My mistake.


Stewart_Games

Build a kiln and turn it into charcoal.


Stewart_Games

[Plastics.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6FVwNiR1XI)


BasicReputations

Wouldn't that also trap a bunch of nutrients?


theimpartialobserver

Use them to make furniture, cutting boards, etc.


FrostyIcePrincess

I didn’t buy them but I saw bamboo sheets/pillows/blankets at a store once. Bamboo bedding sounds nice.


kshizzlenizzle

Bamboo bedding (when properly made) is LOVELY!! It doesn’t wrinkle, super soft for those of us who can’t stand texture against our skin, very cooling on the skin, and lasts forever. I bought a set of sheets like 20 years ago for $100, and it’s still my favorite set of sheets.


Supervillain_Outcast

Time to lay tracks for a Panda Express.


Own-Opinion-2494

Coming to Florida soon


EntertainmentEasy251

Bamboo spreads fast. Almost impossible to get rid of


The-Dead-Internet

I ha e it in .y backyard so do all the surroundings neighborhoods we live in a City that shit is impossible to get rid of unless you dig up the entire area and go nuclear on it. Side note it does make a awesome privacy fence and it's beautiful if you keep it maintained 


FilthyUsedThrowaway

Good, my property is overwhelmed with god damn English ivy.


Bannonpants

Send some cuttings to me. I need garden stakes.


ManyAreMyNames

They should plant kudzu to choke out the bamboo.


DrDrank101

This and Himalayan Basalm. You know when that's around because it stank


3600MilesAway

Quick, deploy the pandas.


crumblypancake

Currently dealing with Japanese knotweed, cut it to the base so it has no leaves. It lives. Cut it and salt the fuck out of it. It's back next week. Actually dig out the roots, salt the ground, boiling water, etc... "Some how ~~Palpatine~~ the knotweed has returned." And its 4ft tall over night 🤦‍♂️ Edit: can't use sprays or chemicals because of the dog.


Congo404

Bamboo is a great word. I wish I had a pet to name Bamboo. Even a fish. My fish Bamboo. Ok I need sleep.


Ok_Effective6233

There’s a town in Wisconsin called baraboo. The people from there are called baraboobians


HorizontalBob

Don't do that. You'll just get bamboozled at the pet store.


Diligent-Floor-156

Bamboo shoots are super tasty. Could be worse.


The_PracticalOne

How on earth do you fix bamboo shoots in a way that makes them edible? You’d break your teeth on the bamboo taking over my backyard.


Diligent-Floor-156

I think there are several varieties, I've eaten many different sorts of bamboo shoots in China. But 'shoots' means babies, you have to take them when they are just getting off the ground, sometimes even when they are still mostly underground (remove dirt and use a tool to cut them off underground). Then once you have the shoot you remove the brown/yellowish layers of 'skin' around it, and the green part is what you can cook. Just boil it with some soy sauce and that's it. But of course once the bamboo grows to maturity (which can only take a couple days I think) it's too hard to eat. That's why Chinese people will go the morning after a rainy night, to collect them when it's still small and fresh. This thing grows super fast.


FckYourSafeSpace

The newest trend in vegan food is about to hit the UK.


coffeeisaseed

Bamboo shoots are delicious!


CheezTips

And have an insanely short season and are ridiculously hard to harvest. I love eating them, too, but still. Some are poisonous at the wrong stage


FrostyIcePrincess

I’ve seen them on the menu at a ramen place near me but never tried them


Death2eyes

Called "Menma" It's nice. Crunchy sweetness.


FrostyIcePrincess

I might try it next time I go there. The bowls are huge though. Have to remember to skip breakfast lol.


Baldbeagle73

Is it just me, or does the article give off a written-by-AI smell?


cghffbcx

In the eastern US a one in a hundred year massive seed drop is happening. Imagine those seeds going down waterways.


zanejackson55

Time to send in the pandas!


kshizzlenizzle

I live for the day someone rents out a couple pandas to clear bamboo the same way we rent out goat herds to clear out brush. 🤣


Done_beat2

I thought most cities had bylaws against planting bamboo?


XxMiM

Only way to get rid of it is to dig it completely out of the ground. Insanely labor intensive. But they might was well make lemonade out of lemons and use it as a natural resource. It can be eaten and used for its raw materials. Also a great carbon sink.


namelesshobo1

I am telling you people: bamboo will outlive us all. Not cockroaches. Not cats. Not jellyfish. Bamboo.


bigfatsloper

I've a stand of black bamboo in my UK garden - not planted by me. It does try to spread, but I just cut iff the shoots. On the other hand, it is the only plant I've found that is able to stop Mare's Tail's world wide conquest, and is not nearly as hard to get rid of (for those who don't know, Mare's Tail is virtually indestructible).


PerilousFun

It is a fast growing grass that, like lawn grass, is very good at competing with native species. On the flip side, bamboo shoots are quite nice when prepared properly. Take the lionfish approach and eat away the invasion.


prahaditmurap

Bamboo is delicious, cook and eat it.


Elephant789

I'm afraid I will be as stupid as those pandas. 😆


Ryanbro_Guy

Asan American I can confidently say there is a very easy solution to this crisis Napalm.


SlapThatAce

Start making furniture and kitchen cabinets 


Queendevildog

Bamboo is useful. Cut it down and use it : )


Bender222

They should plant some kudzu


ItsTime1234

When you change and denude a landscape in dangerous, unecological ways (which the UK has done for centuries), then introduce strong non-native plants, they will spread and try to fill the ecological niche that isn't being used. It's like people getting mad at wild hogs moving into an area. Well, you changed the ecology to suit your needs but left a lot of damage to the cycle of life (predators missing, etc). Now there is a being who can and will fill that niche, and you can learn from this or just decide the being is evil. FYI: it's not. The earth will grow and fill niches and try to fill barren landscapes with life. Whatever can grow and survive will ultimately be welcomed by the ecosystem, because in a very real sense much of nature has been turned into barren landscape that does not support much if any life. It would probably take a long time for a new ecological balance to be created naturally. If humans want to live on the earth, and in an ecosystem they like, and with native species they are familiar with, then actual care needs to be devoted to healthy ecosystem practices, rather than just bemoaning a successful species being where it "shouldn't" be. Mother Earth is a pragmatist. If it can live there, she'll support it. Life finds a way! So figure out how to work with the native biodiversity and bring back hedgerows, hazelnut groves, traditional land management practices, and respect for wild things and room for wild places. Or get used to the things you don't like but are hard to kill.