Historical Cemetery/Bamboo? (sensitive subject matter)

[Denise_in_MI]

There is an old historical cemetery in my community that dates back to the early 1800's, if not earlier - noone is certain. It is along the banks of the Detroit River. The cemetery is not legally owned by any one entity, the descendants of those buried there (if anyone can figure out who they are) are responsible for the upkeep of individual plots. The new 'adopted owners' are members of the local community. My DH and I are considering volunteering 1 day a month for maintenance in the cemetery. This could include mowing, pulling weeds, resetting stones, adopting a grave site, planting flowers or trees, etc.

The whole cemetery is a virtual sea of deep ground divets from decomposing wooden caskets. This is a fact of nature. I am sorry if I am upsetting anyone.

Anyway, there is a large low spot (1/4 acre or more) in the oldest section of the cemetery which has been swampy/marshy over the last ??? years. Apparently, there is bamboo growing there that they cannot get control of. They have had groups come in and whack some of it down. They are even trying to add fill dirt -- left at the gates by the City. ...Since this is a preservation effort, they do not allow heavy equipment into the cemetery. The pathways were made for horse and carriage, not automobiles and dump trucks.

Can bamboo here in zone 5b/6a-ish be controlled by adding fill dirt to try and smother it out? Is it really bamboo or just a general term for woody hollow weeds? I, personally, find the thought of cutting out the roots - spine tingling...this is a cemetery. Yeesh. I have a good idea of where those roots are! I'm not sure if the preservation group are open to using herbicides in that area. What may be left of the grave markers that they haven't been able to get to, will be made of wood, not stone, this could be detrimental in their preservation efforts. ...and I don't know if they (or myself) are into disturbing those gravesites.

A fascinating note about this site, one of those buried there, a sea farer, wanted to be buried right next to the Detroit River...at their best guesstimates, he was. Currently, his gravesite is about 25yds. away from the current shoreline. Others were buried closer to the shoreline after him. ...Just one of the many mysteries surrounding this cemetery.

[viktoria]

I suspect your "bamboo" is Japanese Knotweed. Is there a philosophical objection to using RoundUp to eradicate it?

[Denise_in_MI]

Thanks for the info Victoria, I googled the Japaneese Knotweed...it doesn't look like that. The Japaneese Knotweed is more shrublike. What I have seen is more like bamboo. Tall, woody stems, thin small leafed canopy.

I haven't asked yet, but I'm guessing that Round-up is out of the question...at this point. Not to say that it won't be allowed in the future.

[Kas]

Try looking up "canebrake". It could be what you have is native bamboo. If that was the case, it would seem that it is the right habitat for it. Marsh, that is. Call or email your local bamboo society. The American Bamboo Society's website is http://www.bamboo.org/abs and they might be able to help, also. But to just get rid of it, the less invasive or damaging way might be to just keep cutting it down until the rhizome is out of fuel.

Kas

[DryGulch]

Try the least agressive and what might be the most successful...no light = no plants. Try to put down black plastic weighted with rocks or some such for at least 6 weeks, especially as it gets hot. Between the heat and the absence of light, that should do a lot to get it under control.

Not attractive, but beat digging and is environmentally sound, I would think.