For digging, I've heard that a 90 pound jack hammer with a wide blade
works well. Also I killed some vivax by putting on too much ammonia
nitrate once, I thought it would be good fertilizer but it killed it
very quickly.

kathy king wrote:

I live in Seattle and have had a wall of bamboo for 25 years now. When
we bought the house we had 3 feet of it and gradually we dug up and
transplanted it to be as it is. It is 20 feet long and 6 feet wide. The
first 15 years were great and now we wish we'd never encouraged it! It
is the plant from hell.

We did not use a barrier and now it is coming up in our neighbors yard
50 feet away and all over in our lovely garden. We have tried
everything to kill the plant where it comes up and nothing does it for
long. The best thing is to dig it out down a foot. and that only
controls it at that spot. It pushes up the bricks in our patio, too.
You cannot dig anywhere around it unless you use a hatchet! The roots
are as thick and tough as the stalks. I recently carved a path of
flagstone next to our gove and it was pure hell cutting through the
roots. New shoots are coming up between the flagstones!!!

Yes, we loved it for the privacy and the exotic look--but I would NEVER
plant it again. It is truly uncontrollable. I know the experts claim
that barriers will stop it--but I'd talk to someone who has had bamboo
with barriers for a long time before I'd chance this plant. It is
really tough stuff. I doubt a barrier would control it. I'd investigate
'clumping' bamboo before I'd plant the creeping kind. Maybe it doesn't
spread. Also, it is VERY messy as beige covers fall down all the time
and must be swept up constantly. they do not decay and keep water from
sinking into the ground.

Sorry to be so negetive-but I'd look into fence/vine combos, hedging,
etc. Skip the bamboo!
--
kathy king
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