There are many plants, such as the popular bamboo, that reproduce underground through so-called rhizomes. This can be done very quickly and if these meandering roots are not stopped, the plants can grow unhindered anywhere in your own garden and even in your neighbor's garden. A rhizome barrier, which is inserted into the soil around the plant when it is first planted, helps against this. These locks can be bought ready-made in stores, if you want to build it yourself, you can find the instructions here.
Rhizome barrier definition
Different types of plants also have different roots. There are shallow roots, deep roots and plants such as bamboo, which is popular in the garden, that have rhizomes. If these rhizomes are not prevented from spreading, the plants will grow out of the ground in the entire garden and even in the neighboring garden. A barrier is required so that the soil sprouts from which the new plants grow cannot spread underground everywhere. This must also delimit the area under the ground in which the plant is allowed to spread. The rhizome barrier must be so tight that no sprouts can penetrate through. These usually look like this:
- made of durable plastic
- Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- are available in roll form
- Plastic or metal tubs are also suitable for smaller restrictions
- an old plastic rain barrel can also be used for small beds
- Pond liner, roofing felt or other tarpaulins are only suitable to a limited extent
- only recommended for lighter rhizomes
- Bamboo rhizomes can pierce one another
properties
In order for the rhizome barrier selected to achieve the desired effect, it must fulfill certain purposes. Therefore, the size of the desired area and the strength of the shoots must always be considered in advance. In addition, the rhizome barrier used should have the following properties, as otherwise the strength could be impaired:
- Parts above the earth must not be affected by the sun
- Frost must not lead to brittleness
- it must be resistant to rodents
- it must not release any pollutants into the earth
Tip: Just putting a plastic wrap around the plant in the soil does not have the desired effect. Of the
Hobby gardeners should therefore seek good advice from retailers before buying the lock, even if the purchase could involve a few more costs.Plants with rhizomes
It is clear to every hobby gardener that bamboo can spread unhindered in the garden if it is not stopped. But there are many other plants that also find their way underground over the rhizomes and then on one start in a completely different place in the garden or even with the neighbors to sprout from these soil sprouts again from the ground. It only takes a short time and the entire garden can be conquered; in such a case, other plants often have no chance of surviving. But which plants have rhizomes that should be contained by a barrier when planting? Some of the examples are presented here:
- Raspberry bushes also belong to the rhizome-forming plants
- Shallow roots, but still build a barrier at a depth of 40 cm
- new popular plant sea buckthorn
- a depth of 60 cm is to be planned here
- often popular in the garden, the vinegar tree
- Roots not as strong as with bamboo
- a pond liner thickness is sufficient as a barrier
- Mint is not stopped, it conquers the whole garden
- Ideally, cultivate in a vessel
Of course, there are many more plants that need a root barrier. Ideally, when buying from a good gardening shop, the seller is asked directly whether the plant reproduces underground via rhizomes. If this is the case, one should not forego using the barrier directly when planting, even if this means more work at first. Otherwise, reproduction can be poorly controlled and the sustainable removal can usually only be carried out by specialists.
Required tools
The required tools and materials should be put together before installation. Depending on which plant the barrier is required for, the thickness of the foils used must be selected. A small excavator that can be rented from a specialist shop should be available for installation. Because a bed that can be a good twelve square meters, with a spade and a shovel up Excavating to a required depth of 65 cm takes a lot of work and effort themselves. Especially with the
Bamboo plants must be dug very deep so that the rhizomes don't find their way under the built-in barrier. Additional tools are required as follows:- Cordless screwdriver
- small drill
- for screwing the locking rail
- alternatively a film sealing device or hot air blower
Choose location
Now the location for the plant is chosen. A bamboo, for example, should have at least an area of three square meters in which it can spread, but a larger bed is ideal. The border is cut off with a spade, after which the entire circumference can be measured. Correspondingly, the rhizome barrier is then bought in stores in the specific length required. It is important that the barrier closes well at the seam so that no roots can pass through here. Once the location has been chosen and the material has been procured, installation can begin.
Build in
Ideally, a small excavator is rented for large areas with which the bed can be excavated. Then the work goes faster. These excavators can be rented by the hour or by the day. This makes it a little more expensive, but if a large bed has to be dug out about 60 centimeters, then this is not done so quickly with the spade. When installing, proceed as follows:
- Cut the plastic film to the required length
- Drill holes for the aluminum rail in both ends
- work carefully, holes must be at the same height
- Insert the foil around the bed
- about five to ten centimeters should look out of the earth later
- this prevents roots from growing over the barrier
- Position the lock at a slight angle in the upper area
- so the roots do not grow downwards, but rather upwards
- fix the ends with an aluminum rail to the holes with screws
- alternatively close with a film sealing device or hot air blower
If the film is attached from the inside around the bed, part of the earth is poured back in along the barrier so that it is fixed. Then the desired plants can be used and the rest of the soil can be filled in again.
Tip: If you want to install a rhizome barrier made of resilient plastic, you should get another person to help, because it can be right It will be difficult to unwind the hard film from the roll and sink it into the ground around the bed so that no roots can find a way can. And four hands are more helpful than just two when fastening the seam later.
Lock from tub or barrel
For only small beds that are to be created, for example for a single raspberry bush or a mint plant, you can also alternatively A tub made of plastic or metal can be selected, and an old rain barrel cut to the desired height can also be used. The procedure is as follows:
- Dig out the bed according to the size of the tub to be used
- Remove the bottom from the tub or rain barrel
- alternatively, drill holes to allow the irrigation water to run off
- then put in the bed
- about five to ten centimeters should be above the ground
- Partly fill in soil
- insert desired plants
- fill up the rest of the soil
Tip: These tubs are suitable for small beds, as the walls are very solid and the roots cannot find a way down. Likewise, there is no way for the rhizomes to get through
a possible seam to get through, as the tub is inserted seamlessly.Rhizome barrier made of pond liner and Co.
Pond liner can also be used to a limited extent, but it can only be used for plants with weaker rhizome formation, as otherwise the thinner liner can be broken through quickly. Also, this film is usually not strong enough to offer enough protection against roots growing up from the ground. Roofing felt isn't always a good choice either. But these materials are often used when they are still in the shed from other work and are left over. If bamboo is planted, these materials should not be used. The raspberries or the sea buckthorn can be stopped. However, if you want to be absolutely sure, you can build a barrier made of solid plastic materials.
Tip: Especially when bamboo is planted on the bank of a pond, it is always advisable to also shut it off with a barrier to surround solid plastic, since the pond liner is in no way sufficient to curb the increased growth to the outside territories.
Install later
Of course, rhizome barriers can also be used retrospectively if this was neglected when planting or the garden was already taken over in this form. If the root runners are already everywhere in the garden, this is recognized by the fact that the corresponding plants spring up from the earth everywhere. These must then be removed as soon as possible. Likewise, all root runners from the mother plant to the daughter plants must be torn off and ideally completely removed from the soil. This can be very difficult, especially with bamboo, because it has very strong roots that cannot be easily cut through. Then a saw or an ax is sometimes needed. The procedure for setting up the block is as follows:
- Dig a gap about 60 cm deep around the plant
- put the lock in here
- look up about five to ten centimeters
- Bend the upper edge a little inwards
- close with aluminum rail
- Fill the soil back into the gap
The next few months should always be on the lookout for any sprouting seedlings outside the bed. Because it can always be the case that not all roots have been removed. The daughter plants can also have already formed their own rhizomes outside the bed, which allow further new plants to emerge.
Conclusion
Anyone who brings new plants into the garden should find out in advance whether these rhizomes, So form underground runners, from which new plants from the earth grow everywhere in the garden can. Most hobby gardeners know that bamboo needs a rhizome barrier, but many other plants, such as the tasty raspberry or mint, are forgotten here. Installation is easy if the instructions are followed and should definitely also be carried out with the initial planting. Because it is not impossible but definitely more difficult if the lock has to be installed later in order to limit any damage that has already occurred. Ideally, a robust plastic film is always used for the barrier. If you want to work with materials such as pond liner or roofing felt, this is never one hundred percent protection that the The plant cannot spread because it is material that some rhizomes can easily break through. As an alternative for small beds, however, plastic or metal tubs or old rain barrels can be used, which also offer adequate protection.