How to Remove and Kill Bamboo
Removing and getting rid of bamboo is perhaps one of the most challenging tasks for gardeners. Bamboo is invasive by nature and some species can spread up to 20 feet in a single season! This article deals with the removal of running bamboos. Expect a lot of patience and hard work to fully eradicate bamboo from your landscape. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Sharp Garden Spade
- Shovel
- Garden Shears or Chainsaw
- Patience and Hard Work
Instructions
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Isolate Desired Areas (Optional) - This step is NOT required if your goal is to completely eradicate the bamboo. Unlike most plants or trees, each culm in the grove is belongs to the same organism. If there is a portion of the grove you would like to keep it must be isolated by severing its rhizome connection to the rest of the grove. The rhizomes are generally close to the surface and can be severed with a sharp garden spade. Start by marking out the desired perimeter. Once marked, you can sever the rhizomes by plunging the spade through the soil along the entire perimeter. This will effectively isolate your desired plant from the remainder of the grove. Keep in mind that this will need to be done every year to prevent the bamboo from spreading outside your desired area.
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Remove Exposed Clums (Canes) - Cut the culms at ground level. You want to remove every culm in the undesirable grove; be as thorough as possible. The point of complete removal is to prevent the bamboo from gaining energy from photosynthesis. Because the the grove is one single organism, it has the ability to spread its nutrients and energy gained from photosynthesis over wide distances. Complete removal will cause the bamboo to rely on energy stored in the rhizomes.
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Destroy Future Growth - This is where the patience comes into play. You will need to monitor the area periodically to see if any new shoots have emerged, most frequently in the springtime. Immediately destroy the new shoots by simply stomping or cutting them down. The bamboo will be using the energy stored up in the rhizomes to send these new shoots through the ground. Consistently thwarting the plants efforts will cause it to exhaust too much energy and die. The length of time needed to kill the plant will depend on the species, climate, and its level of establishment.
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Tips & Warnings
The key is consistency. Don't let any new stalks grow.
This method can take up to 3 growing seasons to complete.
Make sure you isolate a plant if it is growing from a neighbor's property.
Resources
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Comments
View all 7 Comments-
No, it's a pain in the back.... literally. It doesn't even look like I put a dent in it and my back is killing me.
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Lol, hey...can I say TOLD YA SO???? Bamboo might be purty, ut it's a purty big pain in de arse!!!
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The part of bamboo that most of us don't see when we dig up the sprout is the underground wire roots. If you dig an additional 6-8 inches you will see what I'm talking about. It is long, thick, and a pain the neck. Cut it into pieces, throw it in a bucket or a bag, and you've started killing the re-growth. Yes, I understand when you pull a shoot there is already roots on it thinking you've gotten it, but no, there's more. The removal process will be long, painful, and aggravating, and it's not promised to make it stop permanently.
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If you can afford, bulldozer the menace. My neighbor did it.
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Can we use acid?
