Bamboo Wars

Bamboo Wars

Some 40 years ago I started planting clumping and running bamboo for screens along the street side of my place. Since the bamboo has been established, I am constantly bothered by those breaking or cutting my bamboo.

It is amazing to see the types of people involved in bamboo theft, or damage (from little girls to insurance executives):

---those wanting plant stakes

---those wanting to start up bamboo, yet have no idea of how to do it

---those wanting fishing poles

---those wanting play sticks or swords or switches

---those wanting walking sticks

---those that like to mess with other people

---those that like to destroy things

---those bending bamboo over the road so cars would hit it, or have to go around overhanging stalks

Asking people to stop damaging the bamboo, or offering to cut the stalks I wanted removed did not work. Finally, it got so bad I had to think of a solution. I decided to cut stalks that were either dead or in places not wanted and place them along property next to street for people to take without them having to expend any effort on their part to get the bamboo. Since a lot of people are basically lazy, the offering of already cut stalks (usually about 15-20) is apparently working. There is less breaking of my bamboo screen.  Those that like to mess with others or destroy things are still breaking the bamboo. I have to replace the stalks about twice a month.

Adrian R. Lawler,   (C)  2012 --