What to do when canes overhang a neighbor's yard

A customer who planted a hedge of Graceful Clumping Bamboo along his property line several years ago recently wrote with the following question:  

Our clumping bamboo is growing really well, but starting to hang into our neighbors yard,  should I cut the offending canes in the middle or at the ground level to prevent this in the future?

My response:
You can cut the overhanging canes anywhere but I usually like to cut them off at the base for aesthetic reasons.  However, trimming existing canes won't stop new shoots which come up around the base to grow tall and eventually do the same thing - overhanging the neighbor's yard.  The only way to prevent that is to knock over the new shoots coming up on your neighbor's side so they won't grow tall.  When bamboo gets to the stage your has, it needs maintenance once a year.  Remember that the growing season continues through November so new canes will keep coming up.  We suggest doing a pruning once in the late winter before the growing season begins and then knocking over unwanted new shoots as they appear during the spring-summer-fall.

How do I control running bamboo?

A visitor to our website writes:
A neighbor has planted a running bamboo along our property line. Is there any way to stop it from coming into my yard?

My answer:
You can control your neighbor's running bamboo in several ways: A) mow down young shoots that spread into your yard and weedwack any shoots that come up by trees or in gardens B) install a bamboo barrier along your border that will prevent the spread of rhizome C) once a year use a sharp blade to chop off any invading rhizomes.

Herbicides and poisons won't kill the bamboo but will harm the environment. Best thing would be to talk with your neighbor and see if he/she will help you with the expense of installing a bamboo barrier on your side of the property line.