Would not expect it to grow into the water. If the liner can be pierced by new shoots, sticks up next to where the clump would be that might happen some day. This would not affect the pool's ability to hold water.

bboy, I'm not sure I completely understand your answer. Are you just saying that if it did pierce the liner, it would most likely be so close to the top that it probably wouldn't be below the pool water level?

Six feet from the pool would not be a problem, unless over the years, you let it grow culms close to the pool.

It also depends on what your pool liner is made of. The thinner ones will let bamboo penetrate them.

The roots of the clumper are no problem, but the rhizomes are, and on a clumper, the rhizomes remain close to the plant, so if you keep it from putting up shoots close to the pool, you will not have any problem.

I'd keep it at least two feet away to be safe.

Kt

appreciate your response kentuck.
just what I wanted to hear. Thanks!

First, just as an anecdote, one side of my family are Trusses, and an ancestor great-great-great was the founder of Trussville. I'm descended from one of the younger ones who had to move on (because the farm was taken by the older brothers) to the Oklahoma land run and then, in the Great Depression, to California. The family "hit the edge" so to speak and has bounced back eastward to Colorado and Oklahoma. Go figure.

Anyway, I have bamboo surrounding a pond in which I have a pond liner--one of those heavy duty, industrial strength things. Under the manufacturer's advice, we put old carpeting underneath the liner to protect it from incursions like the one you foresee. Water itself will stop the bamboo (they don't like to get their feet wet, just damp). But, under a liner it gets dry and the roots will explore the area for a vulnerability. So, old carpeting is the first line of defense, followed by the poly liner membrane.

Better safe than sorry! Hope that helps.

--Robert

Robert, thanks for the bamboo info.

In your anecdotal comments you didn't mention if you've ever been to Trussville, AL., so just in case you don't know, it's not the sleepy little town it used to be. We've grown up, we now have our own Hooters & Home Depot, so some folks have ditched the old "TrussVILLE" for the more jazzy, contemporary moniker "TrussVegas"!!! LOL

John, You haven't said what is between the pool and bamboo. ( sidewalk etc.)I think it would be wise to put a barrier between the pool and bamboo especially if it is a large clumper. Some clumpers can actually spread faster than you may think. even though it doesn't run, it can be a powerful "expander". Having said this I think bamboo around a pool is beautiful. What variety are you thinking about?

John,
Does your pool have a concrete bottom and steel or polymer plastic walls, all under the liner? Mine does. I would be more concerned about the roots getting entwined in the plumbing.

ld14501-
The concept of bamboo roots getting entwined with the plumbing shouldn't be much a concern. First, bamboo rhizomes cannot get "into" (i.e., penetrate) intact plumbing, and they are not like tree roots that dive down to infiltrate loosely jointed drain pipe. The only issue would be if you had plumbing that was really close to the surface -- like a foot or less -- and then you could have some intermingling of the rhizomes with the pipes over time. I think the main issue would be if you planted the bamboo right over the pipes and then had to get through the root system at some time in the future if the pipes needed maintenance.