Some time ago we had a massive problem with some wisteria that had escaped cultivation. Countless hours were put into a failed attempt at its removal. Hurricane Katrina blew in the Chinese tallow (aka popcorn) tree which has proven to be equally resilient to eradication attempts. A doctor I go to church with has vainly waged a life-long battle against Chinese privet hedge. Japanese honeysuckle is so prevalent here that one would think it a native species. Trifoliate orange escaped cultivation 'round here long before I was born and has form thickets that makes a dewberry patch look like a feather bed in comparison. And then there is kudzu - the only method of control yet seen effective in dealing with it is to turn an infested area into a pasture or to move to a part of the world not yet infested.
Having been exposed to all of these pests, adding another potentially invasive plant species has been placed low on the list of priorities. I did an Internet search some years ago about invasive species and found, to my eternal surprise, that bamboo was at the top of the top-ten list of the worst offenders.
Having said that, I can't get the desire to have bamboo out of my mind. I think I've read before that it is the world's most useful plant. I know that I could find MANY uses for it beyond just fishing poles. I think I would like to have two varieties: "timber" bamboo which has up to a 6" diameter and "fishing pole" bamboo which has up to 1 - 1.5" diameter. Neither of these types are "clumping" varieties.
Since bamboo only flowers once ever 30 - 100 years, seed dispersal seems like it would be easily controlled - just bush hog the whole patch the the year it is scheduled to flower before it has a chance to set seed. The other way it propagates itself is via rhizomes. This SEEMS like bamboo would be easily controlled if planted out in the middle of a cow/hog pasture and fenced in. If the animals didn't keep it under control for you, easy access with a bush hog would allow one to prevent it's spread via regular mowing around the perimeter. I know that I've never seen it cross a road so there seems to be a limit to how far it can spread via rhizomes. These factors taken together seems to indicate that even though the potential for bamboo to become invasive exists, an intelligent, carefully thought out method for its cultivation could allow one to have this cake and eat it too.
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge along these lines that could either confirm or allay my fears or have a better method for having it and keeping it under control?