how to get rid of bamboo

[frontier landscaping]

a woman planted bamboo a long time ago and now there is a good amount of it how do i go about killing it and making sure it does not come back also what is the best way to cut it down ?

[JNyz]

You can use anything you want to cut it down, chain saw, loppers or shears. That is the easy part. The hard part comes with removing the roots. They can be over 10 feet in length and if you do not remove or disturb them you will get new bamboo shoots within a few days. The easy way to remove them is using a stump grinder like you would use a rototiller. Others will give you different opinions but this is the most effective way.

[frontier landscaping]

can i spray them with something then cut them ?

[topsites]

Eradicating Bamboo

In removing bamboo, the first concern is to separate what you want to eliminate from any portion that is to be retained; you must cut all underground stems. The root clumps of bamboos are very dense and woody. Some garden suppliers sell special tools for cutting through these clumps. According to Bamboo for Gardens, by Ted Jordan Meredith (Timber Press, 2001, p. 161-2): “The tool consists of a heavy metal rod with a sharp, heavy cutting blade welded to the bottom of the rod. A long, heavy, metal sleeve fits over the rod. The sleeve is lifted, and dropped or thrust downward, pounding the cutting edge through the cake of rhizomes. Reciprocating power saws and power digging tools are other options”

Systemic herbicides can be used to kill bamboo, but this may require several repeated treatments. Meredith says (p. 162): “cut the above ground growth to the ground. Water and fertilize to encourage the rhizomes to generate new growth. As soon as the new shoots have leafed out, stop all watering, fertilize very heavily with a high-nitrogen fertilizer, and spray with a strong herbicide. Remove the culms and foliage once the herbicide has been fully absorbed. Remove all subsequent shoots before they leaf out.”

Removing a Running Bamboo

If new shoots of bamboo are coming up all over your yard, it is a running bamboo. To get rid of it, there are four steps:

1. Cut it off.
2. Cut it down.
3. Water the area.
4. Cut it down again.

1. Cut it off. All of the culms (stalks) of bamboo in a clump or grove are interconnected underground by rhizomes (underground stems) unless you have cut them by digging a ditch or cutting a line with a spade. A bamboo grove is usually one single plant, not a group of plants. Many people have the impression that every bamboo culm is a separate “tree.”

If the bamboo in your yard has come across from your neighbor’s yard, separate your grove from his by cutting the connecting rhizomes, which are usually quite shallow. If you don’t, and his part is healthy and vigorous, the rhizomes in your part will still be supported by the photosynthesis in the leaves of his part, and your efforts will be in vain. On the other hand, if you do manage to kill your part with a herbicide you may also kill his part. Lawsuits or at least hard feelings can result.

Therefore, be sure to isolate the portion you want to keep from the portion you want to kill. Cutting rhizomes with a spade or a saw will do the trick if you do it every year. If the growth is old, you may need to use a mattock or a digging bar the first time. Digging a ditch and putting in a barrier* is a more permanent solution.

2. Cut it down

Cut the grove to the ground. All of it. If there is any part you want to keep, see (1).

3. Water and fertilize the area, to cause new growth.

4. Cut it down again. And again.

New shoots will come up from the rhizomes. Break them off or cut them off with pruning shears. Keep doing this until no more shoots come up. This will exhaust the energy stored in the rhizomes underground. Without green leaves to photosynthesize and produce new energy, they will no longer be able to send up new shoots. The rhizomes will be left behind, but will rot away.

That’s all you need to do. You need a saw, a pair of pruning shears, and patience, and maybe a spade and/or mattock. The widely advertised herbicides don’t work well on bamboo, probably because so much of the plant is underground. Since cutting the bamboo down will do the trick, and you have to cut the bamboo down anyway to remove it from your yard, herbicides are a waste of time and money in this case.
*Barriers:

To prevent a running bamboo from spreading, a “rhizome barrier” is essential. A barrier two or three feet deep is effective. It should be slanted outward at the top so that when the rhizomes hit the barrier they will bend upwards. A barrier does not stop a running rhizome; it only deflects it. The barrier should project an inch or two above ground level. Check the barrier once a year, and cut off rhizomes that arch over the top.

Barriers can be concrete, or metal, or plastic. The usual recommendation is high-density polypropylene, 40 mil or heavier, glued or taped at junctions, or clamped with stainless-steel clamps. This material comes in rolls, or as hinged sections, and is available from some landscape suppliers and bamboo nurseries, frequently termed root barrier. More elaborate barriers with corner posts that hold the material at the proper angle are also available.

[frontier landscaping]

i have no clue what to charge for this seems like its going to be very hard

[JNyz]

To do it correctly it is not an easy job. How many sq. ft. of bamboo do you have to remove? I would charge approximately $300.00 for the first 100 sq. ft. and $200.00 for each 100 sq. ft. after that. So if you have 500 sq ft. to remove the price would be $1100.00 to do it correct. That would cover the cost of the dump and stump grinder rental. If the client is bidding this out the prices they get will be all over the place. It will be your job to educate them in the correct removal process so you get the job. Don't worry if you don't get the job, chances are it will not be done correctly and they will call you back in June.

[kemco]

napalm. Well, that might not get rid of it either.

Just being a SA. Im interested in learning more about this myself. Turned down a bamboo removal job this year cause I didnt have a clue.

[JNyz]

The trick is to get rid of the roots. A stump grinder by far is the easiest.

[Kevin M.]

The tools and herbicide you need: Round Up, Chain Saw, bobcat and a backhoe and if that doesnt work dynamite always works.......LOL j/k dont use it and bamboo stinks thats for sure

[hackitdown]

If it has foliage, can't you spray it with Roundup? Wait a couple of days, then cut it down.

[JNyz]

If it has foliage, can't you spray it with Roundup? Wait a couple of days, then cut it down.


NO, we are talking about bamboo.

[Cloud9Landscapes]

Agent Orange :usflag::laugh:

Actually :nono:

"Both glyphosate (Roundup and others) and imazapyr (Arsenal), used at high rates, will control bamboo with time."

May all your troubles be gone: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag266

[frontier landscaping]

i think i am going to cut it down as a first step then just dig and dig

[cphillips0053]

Tell her to pack her sh*t up and move!

[Isobel]

a woman planted bamboo a long time ago and now there is a good amount of it how do i go about killing it and making sure it does not come back also what is the best way to cut it down ?

A Panda.....