Anyone found a cheap source of root barrier?

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samtobuk
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:24 am
Location: Cheltenham

Anyone found a cheap source of root barrier?

Post by samtobuk »

Got a fair few bamboos to go in the ground, and want to make sure I at least try to contain them to minimise yearly maintenance. Used some aluminium sheets from B&Q last year which should be long-lived and very solid, but weren't cheap.

Looking at the 'official' rhizome barrier plastic, it is about the same cost. Has anyone found an online supplier at a good price (with a good quality product of course!)? Don't want the barrier costing as much as the plants, but struggling to find any at an attractive price.

Not keen on the conctrete route, as like to keep my options open for reshuffling planting in the future, so nothing permanent, but if you have any other ideas for root barrier, please feel free to suggest.

Thanks
GoggleboxUK

Re: Anyone found a cheap source of root barrier?

Post by GoggleboxUK »

Make your own.

I used polytheme 1mm carpet protector on a roll and doubled it over but another method I considered was to use builder's damp proofing membrane and join it with silicone sealant or gorilla glue.

Either method is considerably cheaper.
kata

Re: Anyone found a cheap source of root barrier?

Post by kata »

Its hellish expensive from my searches yesterday for rootbarrier..... :evil:

Some £100.00

Surely there was someone selling rootbags not too many years ago.
flounder

Re: Anyone found a cheap source of root barrier?

Post by flounder »

There's always the plastic dustbin with the bottom cut off, or for smaller species, the plastic swing bin again with the bottom cut off. Can normally pick either up fairly cheap if you keep your eyes peeled for sales and the like. You can even put in a couple of lengths of seat belt webbing before you plant just in case you do re arrange stuff. Still not easy lifting them with this method, but less hard.
samtobuk
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:24 am
Location: Cheltenham

Re: Anyone found a cheap source of root barrier?

Post by samtobuk »

Plastic dustbin sound like a good call for clumpers, but need something a little straighter for screens - perhaps the damp proof membrane is the way to go. :roll:
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karl66
Posts: 2646
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:39 pm
Location: halesowen. west midlands

Re: Anyone found a cheap source of root barrier?

Post by karl66 »

You wont need anything for clumper's i.e fargesia etc, I got several different method's on the go with my boo's, some of my large bin's without the bottom's are buried 3ft down!! this is an overkill as even the largest phyllostachy's don't have much rootmass below 18inches deep, this method does however restrict the natural look of large species. I'm a roofing contractor & on some of my large boo's I've installed high performance sbs felt membrane which will never rot!!, this is a miles better way especially if you want to constantly separate clumps to sell on etc, growing large boo's in small compact barrier's just encourages thin feeble cane's.
Neil Ziemski

Re: Anyone found a cheap source of root barrier?

Post by Neil Ziemski »

I have been looking for root barrier for a while as well.
I totally agree with the over pricing of it.
Keep an eye on e bay, a fair bit on there
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