Is a root barrier necessary? (Miscanthus)

What does a root barrier do?

One Root lock, even Rhizome barrier called, is to prevent plants from spreading unhindered in the garden. That is why it mechanically hinders the growth of the root, the roots cannot grow through it. Since Chinese reeds develop very strong roots, a root barrier would have to be made of solid material. Most of the time, however, these roots form clumps and not long runners, so no rhizome barrier is necessary.

Sometimes a root barrier is also used to protect other things, such as water pipes or cables that have been laid in the garden. The strong root of a Giant Chinese silver grass In the course of time, pipes can squeeze together or pond liners grow through.

Which varieties need a root barrier?

To the rhizome-forming sorts for example Miscanthus oligostachyus "Nanus Variegatus", a root barrier makes sense here. But also with

Giant Chinese reeds you should think about this limitation if you do not want to regularly control root growth yourself. Up to two meters deep growing After a few years, it is very difficult to get roots out of the ground remove.

How do I set a root lock?

The best thing to do is to set a root barrier at the same time plants Your Chinese help. To do this, dig a relatively large planting hole. It should be at least three times the size of the root ball of your reed. Then put the root barrier in the hole and the Chinese reed in the middle. Put a little ripe compost in the planting hole and fill it with fresh soil.

The essentials in brief:

• prevents uncontrolled spreading of the Chinese silver grass
• Root lock only rarely required
• useful when root growth cannot be controlled
• can protect pond liner from damage caused by roots
• Root barrier should reach just below the edge of the ground or even beyond
• use stable material