How to Get Rid of Bamboo with Herbicide
Invasive and hardy, bamboo frustrates countless home and property owners. Often, well-meaning but unaware people plant bamboo only to discover that what they thought was a controllable exotic plant is actually a wide-spreading forest. Fortunately, you can get rid of bamboo with herbicide--yet eradication won't be accomplished without meeting a few challenges. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Lopping shears or machete
- Glyphosate herbicide
- Shovel
- Garden hoe
- Gardening shears
- Gloves
Instructions
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Method 1
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1
Use lopping shears or a machete to cut the bamboo shoots off at the initial node to expose a hollow stem. A node is the raised, ringed area on a bamboo shoot.
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2
Pour full-strength glyphosate herbicide into the hollow stem until full. Repeat this action once weekly for one month. Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide that is used to kill annual and perennial plants. It is usually formulated as an isopropylamine salt, according to Pesticide Management Education Program at Cornell University in New York.
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3
Wait three months after the last application of herbicide, and then dig up the root system with a shovel and a garden hoe. Cut runners with the hoe or garden shears and pull them out of the soil with gloved hands. Runners are horizontal, stem-like growths on top of or just under the soil that form new plants at their ends.
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1
Tips & Warnings
When using herbicide, follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
