Suggestions for removing bamboo?

NUTNDUN

Tractorologist
Staff member
Administrator
We have bamboo that is making it's way onto our property from the neighbors property which is basically a fenced in swamp area for preservation. I wasn't sure if anyone had any ideas to get rid of it completely other than making sure you get all of the roots which can be pretty difficult to do.
 
It's just like banana trees, very tough to get it all out. If you can get by with it youight try something to treat the ground with that will stop the roots from growing
 
a few people I know on smaller lots dug in pressure treated 2×12 along there property lines to keep the runners from shooting over, that's invasive stuff lots of townships are now passing ordinances banning and making owners responsible for removal and damages
 
Will Roundup kill it just where sprayed or will it kill it all?
 
The perfect solution- have Cat come over with his 385. Except he might give you a lake around your house. On the serious side, I think the roots need cut and stopped somehow.
 
Purge with fire?

Keep going over the area every few days with a disk, that'd eventually kill it off...
 
If it were me I would try digging a narrow shallow ditch along the property line and fill it with something like lime or salt. As it leached down into the ground it should stop the roots from spreading your way. The rest I would try spraying with 2-4-D as that won't kill grass.
I could suggest other things to put in the ditch but the tree huggers would be all over me I'm afraid. :mad:
 
Where I work, we had the person who excavates dig it out and lay the weed cloth over the spot and cover it back up. Guess what. That worked. It now grows outside the weed cloth area. It's hard to get rid of. I like the idea of digging a ditch and filling it with lime or salt. If it's a big area, a backhoe or small digger might need to be rented.

Good luck, it's tough stuff.
 
We have bamboo that is making it's way onto our property from the neighbors property which is basically a fenced in swamp area for preservation. I wasn't sure if anyone had any ideas to get rid of it completely other than making sure you get all of the roots which can be pretty difficult to do.

If there is a Botanical Gardens anywhere close, check with them. There is usually a display of bamboo. They should be able to explain how they contain it from spreading. Or how to fight it back from your property.
If I remember correctly, I read that you needed to encircle the roots with metal sheeting. It had to be fairly deep and overlap the ends quite a bit, to keep the runners contained.
It sounds like you have quite a problem brewing. Good luck dealing with it. Rick
 
I have dealt with a lot of bamboo especially Sasa palmatum which is a creeping bamboo. The first thing I did was was to cut the bamboo down to a few inches above ground level using a hedge cutter. I then light a bonfire on that site to burn the debris. The heat will reduce the vigour of the plant. Depending on the size you can use a mini digger to dig it out or a mattock and then put the roots on another bonfire on the same site. Any regrowth you should be able to root it out and discard of properly. It worked for me.
 
Scorched earth, the only option.View attachment 1377
If only that would work.
I never in a million years thought I would see a thread about bamboo. I've been fighting this crsp for years now. I made the mistake of planting it for a hedge because it grows so fast and thick. It works great for that, but it's not happy with staying put. It's gotta creep out into the surrounding areas. And if you have ever tried to dig it up, you'll know why it's so hard to get rid of. Stuff grows up, down, over, under, through and around anything and everything.
And if you don't get every little bit of root out, you'll soon have another crop of this crap to contend with.

I didn't mind it so much until the dead shoots out numbered the live ones, and to cut down the fire hazard, i tried to pull the dead ones out. What a job that is. I found it easier to plow it all down and haul it all away. The new shoots grow in really fast if you do this in the early summer before the monsoon rains.
But this year the rain hasn't been coming, so everything is dry. A real fire hazard now.

I got tired of trying to dig it out with a pick, so I took a 1 1/2" bar and put a point on it and mounted it on the bucket on my old ford tractor. It gets down under the roots fairly well and makes it easier for me to dig it out the rest of the way.

I'm torn between wanting my privacy hedge and not wanting the fire hazard. Keep hoping for the rains to get here and green things up a bit. So far no luck. Gotta learn how to do a rain dance I guess.
It's thundering and lightning all around me right now, but not one drop of rain yet. I think we're in for another drought here if this keeps up. and the dry dirt makes digging impossible.
Can't win fer loozin' !
 
Tried Roundup once, it only kills what it touches, didn't do anything to the roots, and new shoots popped up in less than a week. So much for that plan.
Another issue is that I have a well that is shared with the neighbors on all sides, so there's a water line just inside my fence, and the bamboo is growing over it. I know, stupid idea planting it there, but at the time I had no idea how much trouble it was going to turn into.
So what this means is that I can't use the tractor to dig it up for risk of breaking the water line.
Can't win fer loozin'!
 
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