Bamboo Wars on Another Coronavirus Day

Was yesterday really Wednesday? I remember something about "Hump" Day, but lately so many days are similar to Saturdays that sometimes they blur. Coronavirus stay-at-home and now safe-at-home orders make many days pass in a sequence of sameness. I sincerely hope that retirement is not like this.

The significant difference between the days has been the weather. This morning it is only 47 degrees outside of my window. It is early and still dark, but I hear birds chirping. I know that is five degrees colder than yesterday. I also noted that this morning's low is seven degrees below the normal low for the day. 

Bamboo Growing on the Edge of my Yard
Elkridge, MD
May 20, 2020

While mowing, I made a disturbing discovery. The bamboo that has been growing on the property of the condo homeowners association, which borders my property, has begun to encroach into my yard. Not a good thing since bamboo is difficult to control. Bamboo is considered an invasive species and should be controlled or removed. 

In reading about control measures on the web, the most effective, and easiest they wrote, is to dig a 36 inch trench and fill it with a concrete or very thick plastic sheeting. That does not sound easy to me! I have to protect my entire yard. So while working for a more permanent solution, I cut the bamboo stalk down, dug up the roots, and sprayed the hole with Round-up. I also cut a few of the stalks that were behind it and sprayed the stumps with Round-up. I do not know if Round-up kills bamboo--but hopefully it will at least slow the growth. I also wrote and mailed a letter to the condo association advising them of the problem and my desired solution. I further attempted to contact the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for assistance, but was only able to leave my name and phone number hoping for a callback. The callback will likely never come.

I do not want my backyard to become an Asian forest suitable for pandas. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD