We may have to start a bamboo-for-sale business. My back yard is 1/3
full of it. Or actually, if someone wants it for free, I would give it
away.

Artal wrote:
We may have to start a bamboo-for-sale business. My back yard is
1/3 full of it. Or actually, if someone wants it for free, I would
give it away.

Where are you?

--


Travis in Shoreline Washington

On 24 Jul 2005 17:05:06 -0700, "Artal" wrote:

We may have to start a bamboo-for-sale business. My back yard is 1/3
full of it. Or actually, if someone wants it for free, I would give it
away.

what sort of bamboo is it? I'll start the bidding at a dollar a
stalk!

James, Seattle

RainLover wrote:
On 24 Jul 2005 17:05:06 -0700, "Artal"
wrote:

We may have to start a bamboo-for-sale business. My back yard is
1/3 full of it. Or actually, if someone wants it for free, I
would give it away.

what sort of bamboo is it? I'll start the bidding at a dollar a
stalk!

James, Seattle

You mean culm of course.

--


Travis in Shoreline Washington

I am in Mississippi.

I am trying to think of things to do with it. So far, I have thought
about fishing poles.

I have the same problem, i.e. bamboo with a mind of its own.

Some tips, all using a product known as Roundup

1-As the shoots come up, break them off, drill a hole down the center
to the root and then spray roundup in there - it tends to liquiefy the
root, destroying it
2-Get a sprayer and spray roundup on the bamboo trees - it does stun
them and often kills them.

Note: all those shoots come from one bamboo so you must go afte the
whole bunch of them...If you break a root, it is stil alive and both
1/2s will still grow....

Use roundup literally or do what my friend is doing, i.e. hiring a
backhoe to dig out his entire yard.

joe
Ringwood NJ

On 14 Apr 2005 20:31:32 -0700, wrote:

About 10 years ago, my parents decided to harvest some bamboo from a
family friend.

We placed them along the border of our yard.

Flash forward a few years...they start appearing in our neighbors yard.

So I spent 3 years a day for a week pulling bamboo out of the ground.
I dug until I got to the bamboo then tried pulling it out.

As you all know their roots go out far (in all directions), so pulling
took ALOT of effort.

Now they are over running our yard and our neighbors yard again.

What can we do?

Is there a spray that we can use that wont kill our grass but will kill
the bamboo?

Is there a easier way to get rid of them?

Thanks

Joe wrote:
I have the same problem, i.e. bamboo with a mind of its own.

Some tips, all using a product known as Roundup

1-As the shoots come up, break them off, drill a hole down the
center to the root and then spray roundup in there - it tends to
liquiefy the root, destroying it
2-Get a sprayer and spray roundup on the bamboo trees - it does stun
them and often kills them.
snip

Bamboo is not a tree it is a grass.

--


Travis in Shoreline Washington

"Joe" wrote in message
...
I have the same problem, i.e. bamboo with a mind of its own.

Some tips, all using a product known as Roundup

1-As the shoots come up, break them off, drill a hole down the center
to the root and then spray roundup in there - it tends to liquiefy the
root, destroying it
2-Get a sprayer and spray roundup on the bamboo trees - it does stun
them and often kills them.

Note: all those shoots come from one bamboo so you must go afte the
whole bunch of them...If you break a root, it is stil alive and both
1/2s will still grow....

Use roundup literally or do what my friend is doing, i.e. hiring a
backhoe to dig out his entire yard.


Using a backhoe is overkill, but it would give the neighbor's something to
laugh about....
Just keep knocking over/cutting each shoot as it comes up. The plant/grove
will eventually run out of energy & die. The rhizomes will then rot in the
ground.

--
SamMan
Rip it to reply

You may wish to have a look at this post:

http://www.minigroup.com/pfaf/board/viewtopic.php?t=29

This is the absolute best way to get rid of your bamboo problem forever. You must cut everycane to the ground flush. When it shoots wait until the shoot gets tall and cut down everyone of them. When it shoots again let it get tall and cut the shoots down again. Never letting them get their leaves and branches will exaust the plants energy. If they are allowed to get their leaves and branches the rhizomes will keep growing. They need above ground growth to survive. When you exaust all of the terminal buds on the rhizome the plant will surely die. So when you cut the canes flush with the ground you can then mow it every week and mow the new shoots down. You might have to repeat this step the next year but it will work. The rhizomes only have so many growth buds so eventually it will run out. And it's free. And doesn't poison the ground with chemicals. I have ten years experience digging and growing bamboo. This method is guanteed to work. It's funny how some of us will pay outrageous prices to get rare bamboos and they usually die but if you hate it and get it free it lasts forever.

Hi there......

I think using the below techniques will help you in removing the bamboo completely.


The aggressive and invasive nature of bamboo can make it undesirable to many gardeners. Once established, bamboos create a strong and complex network of plants making the emergence of new culms unpredictable. Removing a well established grove can be a daunting task. Simply cutting the shoots and culms at ground level will not suffice for effective bamboo removal. Rhizomes will continue to travel underground in search of new territory to colonize. The entire rhizome system must be removed or destroyed to completely stop the emergence of new shoots. In this article we have outlined several methods of bamboo removal for both running and clumping bamboo types. If you are only looking to control the spread of bamboo plant, check out our article on controlling bamboo.
Removal of Clumping Bamboo

Clumping bamboos stay confined to the area in which they were first planted, and are not considered invasive. This makes removal fairly simple in theory. There are 2 basic steps to follow.

1. Remove Exposed Culms (Canes) - Start my cutting the culms at close to ground level. This can be done with standard garden shears, or a chainsaw for larger plants. The purpose of this step is to give yourself an open space to work with. Once removed, the canes can be discarded, saved, or burned.

2. Dig Out Root System - Depending on the size of the plant, this is often more difficult than it sounds. The roots and rhizomes of most clumping bamboos are short and thick, making them difficult to dig out. Start by digging around the outer edges of the plant while going as deep as possible. It is helpful to use an axe or sharp garden spade to break up the main root system. Once the system has been sufficiently broken apart, simply dig out the remaining material. Finish off the process by examining the hole to make sure all rhizomes have been removed.
Removal of Running Bamboo

Running bamboos are invasive and can be highly difficult to remove. They have the ability to spread over wide areas and are connected by a system of underground stems, or rhizomes. In order to fully remove running bamboo, the entire rhizome system must be destroyed or contained. For well established groves it is recommended to make removal a seasonal practice, rather than trying to completely remove the plant in one swift blow. The rhizome system is typically too resilient and complex to remove in a single season. Patience is perhaps the most useful tool for the removal of running bamboo. The following removal method is a long term strategy that can be employed over the course of several years. This strategy works by exhausting the energy stored in the plants rhizomes.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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

Its difficult stuff to clear out once its well established. I tried various sprays and spent hours digging it out but to no avail, it always comes back. I have recently employed the use of a three year old panda which is on a chain attatched to the garage. He seems to contain the bamboo quite well aswell as protecting the garage from theives. Hope this helps.

Smart solution Arry, but I would just remind you that Panda's are an endangered species and as such you should always inform the World Wildlife Organisation that you have Panda's in your garden...it's only fair to let them know ...after all, they may have a spare one they can let you have as a companion for the one you already have..just a thought...

WD

I have a Fiat Panda in my garage too :)

I once bonked a Panda......Bareback.

Glad to help