Stumped homeowner seeks help over mischievous pest in yard: 'God help you'

On r/whatsthisplant, a British Redditor got the unwelcome news that the mystery "pointy cone things" emerging from their lawn were bamboo. 

The reactions were sympathetic if rather ominous.

"Oh no. That's bamboo. I'm so sorry," said one commenter. Another was even more stark in their assessment: "God help you; it's a 'running' bamboo."

There are 1,400 varieties of bamboo with two growth patterns: clumping and running. The former is more contained but can be a major hassle to get rid of thanks to its dense roots. The latter, which the unfortunate Redditor appears to have, spreads rapidly through an underground network of rhizomes. Put simply, a rhizome is a stem that grows horizontally underground and can extend several feet from the main plant. 

Bamboo can cause major property damage if left unchecked. 

In the 1990s and early 2000s, bamboo was fashionable on gardening television shows in the United Kingdom, according to The Guardian, but the long-term implications were poorly understood. The planet's rising temperatures could exacerbate the problem, as warmer soil leads to the faster spread of bamboo, even in not-so-sunny Britain. 

Planting an invasive, non-native species such as bamboo harms native plants and disrupts the balance of the local ecosystem. Native plants, on the other hand, have adapted to their region over thousands of years. They form the foundation of an ecosystem and are crucial for local wildlife. 

Rewilding your lawn isn't just environmentally beneficial; it's also a good call financially, as it requires less maintenance and less water to sustain in the long run.

Still, amid the bamboo horror stories shared in the Reddit thread, one commenter did offer some words of solace: "The issue and horror stories come from when people let it become an infestation. These are stories of compounding negligence spanning years. Bamboo is not a scary plant like Japanese Knotweed. It is controllable with the right knowledge, tools, and not leaving it to just go mad."

What's the worst thing about taking care of your yard? The time it takes ⏰ How noisy it is 🙉 It's too expensive 💸 I don't have a yard 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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