Invasive black bamboo ! Help!

Hello fellow Shoot Gardeners / Designers ...

Help / guidance required.... we've just moved into our new home and inherited a lovely garden that has sadly been neglected for ten years. So much clearing and shaping and new planting to be done!!

However, in the garden there is the most beautiful section of Phyllostachys nigra, common name black bamboo. It's reached its maturity height wise, but the pesky runners are shooting out and coming up in the lawn looking like little pointing spears.

I'm planning on redesigning certain aspects of the garden and wondered whether the only way to keep this beautiful plant under control will be to dig a trench around it, line trench with a liner that can't be penetrated by roots / runners and fill with hardcore / concrete or something to restrict its roots and runners from going wherever they please.

Is this the best idea? Or can anyone else help with other thoughts?

Only slight concern is not knowing how far the roots and runners go down underground as our sceptic tank which has feeders is very close to where the bamboo grows and I don't want to dig into the feeders....!

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you



Liz