Thanks Bob,

I'm in Palo Alto. I might try your solution. I purchased the top of
the line anvil looper from OSH, ratcheting mechanism, extension handle
etc. but it couldn't cleanly cut through the more substantial timbers.
It was a pathetic performance and I brought it right back to OSH.
Fiskars and Gardena are probably of higher quality and I might try one
of them via amazon.com. I looked for a PVC cutting tool at Home Depot
and OSH (recommended in this thread) but could find only a small one
which looks more like a rose pruner. I didn't try one of these but
doubt it would work. Reciprocating saw sounds tempting--I was hoping to
solve this without a motorized gadget, given the tranquility of the
bamboo forest I am up against -- I don't want to disturb the peace!

Dan

On Fri, 04 Apr 2003 20:45:35 GMT, Dan Epstein wrote:

Thanks, Chris. I'm in the SF Bay Area.

BTW: the best way to manage the shoots seems to be to let them grow to
5-6 ft. and then snap them off. Otherwise they just keep coming up.
Folklore has it that once the bamboo root structure musters the energy
to drive the shoots to that height and then gets cut down, it can't
muster enough to continue spreading. In any case it seems to work for
the new shoots.

Dan

On 3 Apr 2003 20:44:39 -0800, (Chris) wrote:

Dan Epstein wrote in message


Dan,

The best way to deal with the uncontrolled bamboo problem is to mow
down the shoots as they come in. As they are shooting, they are very
soft and easy to cut down, you can even kick them over. Large timber
bamboo (as you are describing) will shoot April, May and June, with
some wimpy shoots about a month on either side of it.

As for cutting down established and hardened off culms, good luck.
I've used a sawzall and a chainsaw. They are both pretty effective,
but the "fiberglass" nature of the plant will dull many blades.

Ask around if there are people in your area interested in it. You
described what sounds like Phylostachys Nigra "Bory", usually pretty
sought after. Some people will be happy to help you harvest your
problem. What part of the world are you in?

Good luck!

Chris
Chino,CA