1/2 acre of bamboo — fencing ideas?

[paintedpennypony]

We have a ton of invasive bamboo that we’ve started removing. It has been allowed to run wild for at least 20 years and is covering an estimated 1/2 acre.

I just learned that people will use bamboo for privacy fences and I’m now wondering… would it be bananas to use some of it for a round pen? Like use wooden posts as you would a normal fence but instead of boards, use dried bamboo. My concerns would be it splintering pretty easily in the event a horse runs into it. A horse would not be left in the round pen unsupervised.

Our backyard is fenced with horrid old chainlink that’s falling down in some spots. I’m pretty sure we’d have more than enough bamboo to refence the backyard and have some leftover for other projects.

I’m not against just getting rid of it but there is truly so much that I would like to repurpose at least some of it.

[Simkie]

Doesn’t bamboo get super sharp and splintery when broken? I would be concerned using it around horses if so. That could be pretty ugly

[paintedpennypony]

Yes, you and I had this thought at the same time, and I’ve updated the post to reflect it. We could fence our backyard with it… gosh there’s just so much I feel compelled to make it useful.

[Quincy]

Depending where you live, people will happily pay for bamboo canes to use in their yard/garden. Perhaps list some canes on facebook marketplace (if you’re on it) or craigslist. I wouldn’t use it for a roundpen, but I have made fences of it. Plus I know of an artist or two that use bamboo.

[Simkie]

It also makes great stakes for like tomatoes or peas or beans, if you’ve got a veggie garden? Using it as (non horse) fencing sounds like a good idea!

[paintedpennypony]

How do the fences look in your opinion? The images coming up on google look pretty slick!

[Quincy]

I’m going to be honest, and say I put minimal effort into my fences just to keep the dogs out of certain plants (one dog likes to lay down on my plants grrrr). But I like the look anyway. If you put in more effort and time, you can make a very nice fence. There’s so much you can do with it. Omg if I had half an acre, I would develop a whole artistic bamboo garden (I can bend bamboo by heat), create beautiful fences, use the canes as stakes…so many ideas! I have some green bamboo growing in my yard, but it’s not a lot (it’s contained), so I have to ask my neighbor for bamboo when I need it for fencing.

[B_and_B]

I wouldn’t use bamboo in the round pen. Natural bamboo can splinter into spears very easily. And even a supervised horse could hit the fence.
That being said, I think the idea of using it on your chainlink fence areas is awesome!
I grow and use willow for wattle fencing. There are so many fence types out there using natural materials.

[Red_Dust]

I would kill to get my hands on a load of Bamboo, especially a large cane size.
grab a book on Japanese gardens for inspiration. There are many ideas on fencing with Bamboo usually.
It being Spring (almost) you can probably put it on Market Place or Craigslist if you have too much to use up yourself. Fishing poles, garden stakes, artistic endeavors - endless opportunities

[paintedpennypony]

@Quincy @Red_Dust

If either of you are near me within a reasonable distance (SE) I would be happy to bring you a truckbed full it’s so thick we can’t even follow our property line through it. Cutting a path straight back to our fence line took me an entire afternoon. Send help!

[mmeqcenter]

I’m in middle Georgia if you want to bring some here or meet halfway! Are you cutting it, or pulling it out by the roots? I would love some living if you’re pulling it!

There’s tons you can do with bamboo canes, but you can also just sell it/give it away if you don’t want to do those things. They make privacy fence panels from bamboo, you could diy this for your yard or garden. You can make various crafts to sell.

[JB]

invasive anything needs to be eradicated, rather than finding any “good” use for it, even if it was a safe option for the “users”

[paintedpennypony]

I normally agree with you. I am well-versed in this stuff. It will be eradicated. But it is an excellent building material, and we have things that it could be used for. From a sustainability standpoint, it seems unarguable that using the bamboo cut and dried on our own property vs. spending $$$$$$ on Canadian lumber that has been cured with carcinogens and shipped thousands of miles, is the more sustainable option

[Simkie]

I’m not sure if jb gets that you’re taking it out & using the product of that eradication, which is super reasonable.

Better to use the canes productively than just toss it into the landfill. Sounds like you’re well aware of what you need to do to dry & keep it from propagating further.

Best of luck. Bamboo is SUCH a bear to remove!

[JB]

I did miss that you’d be cutting it, rather than growing it as a living fence, so sorry! I still wouldn’t, for the reasons listed

And also, my comment was partly for those who are advocating for giving away living sections. Invasive bamboo is a serious threat

[mmeqcenter]

I would grow it in pots, but thanks for your concern.

[Quincy]

@paintedpennypony a bit of an aside, but I don’t envy you in regards to getting rid of the bamboo. If you want to fully eradicate it, you’re going to want someone with heavy machinery to come in to dig up the roots. My friend was taking out her bamboo patch (maybe 15’ length, 6’ wide) and the roots were absolutely monstrous.

Also, getting a little off topic, but if you want to check out a bamboo artist’s amazing work, check out Charissa Brock. She has done some bamboo fence building, so she may be worth a consultation fee if you have questions.

If you decide to build a fence, post photos!

[paintedpennypony]

GA is too far I think

[paintedpennypony]

We’re going the chop and drench in herbicides route. I’m prepared for it to take a solid 2yrs before it’s gone and another 1-2 years after that before grass comes in. We’ll see!

[SusanO]

My sister had a neighbor that loved bamboo and planted a patch of it decades ago. It took over their neighborhood and the culprit had to do bamboo remediation to the tune of $55k. She, and the rest of the neighbors, hated it. I took my truck to her house and loaded up on long thick poles. I had a vegetable garden that the deer had discovered, eating everything in two nights. I put up 4 and 5 foot tall field fencing around it and then strung up bird netting and electric tape above the wire fence, attached to my newly acquired bamboo poles. Ugly as heck but I have no real neighbors back there and it did the trick keeping the deer out. The poles will rot in time and I don’t think I would try to use it as horse fencing. I really like the look of bamboo fencing done by an expert. I am no expert so it is Ug-lee.

There are patches of it out here that I think was planted decades ago for fishing poles. I have some in the bottom lands of my pasture and it doesn’t seem to be as invasive as what my sister dealt with. I certainly would not plant it though. There is also a patch of it along a creek next to the highway. So if I need some for the garden, I just drive the 2 miles down there and cut away since nobody else seems to want it.