FYI, Sodium Chloride is the scientific name for table salt.

We live in Pennsylvania. To my dismay, we moved into our house in April 2007 only to see a stand of bamboo grow up in the back. I hae been cutting it back, and - based on what I've read here - squirting the weedy variation of roundup down the tubes within seconds of cutting, one by one. Some of the runners have turned brown as a result but I think I have only stunned it. It's a patch about 30' by 10' rectangle, with a couple runners over into the neighbor's yard. There are scores of stumps.

I can't get a bobcat in here without busting an opening in a hundred year old stone garden wall. The bamboo is growing along the wall (of course). Surely there's something that will posion this monster ... will I get there eventually with years of round-up or is there a faster way?

Jeezzz, what a nightmare.

Hello,
FREE Bamboo to anyone who would like to dig it up. After reading most of the posting; I now know IÂm not alone. I purchased my home two years ago and my new yard had bamboo. In the beginning it wasnÂt an issue; since I knew nothing about my monster. However my neighbors who are not happy informed me of the many issues they have had with the bamboo and the old owner. And now two years later the yard is a mess and I need to get rid of the bamboo. So I would like to offer the bamboo for free since within the next few weeks I plan on getting someone to try to kill it.
Sincerely,
ICB

Just want to add to this interesting discussion a warning about low growing, ground cover bamboo (Sasa pygmae I think). It is just as invasive as the larger varieties! Of course the stalks and rhizomes are smaller but don't let its cuteness fool you. Of course we planted it in a raised bed on a slope which we had amended with loads of super rich amended soil, so it went nuts.

We also have large running bamboos and we're fighting with one of them to finish encircling and (hopefully) controlling it. Other places we've planted running bamboo it's growing down into the wild forest and ravine so it's not a big threat to our landscaping efforts and water gardens.

I'm crazy and admit to loving bamboo so am hoping that a peaceful coexistence can be achieved. It does have great screening properties and the beauty is undeniable.

The one clumping bamboo (Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Kerr') we have is lovely but only hardy to z8, so it gets a lot of leaf burn below 12 degrees (which we probably get one or two winter nights of here). It looks ratty until mid-summer, then it shoots and sends out new leaves and is great looking with yellow and green striped culms.

Despite my own irrational preferences, I really wouldn't recommend running bamboo to anyone unless they have a huge property and the time and equipment to contain it adequately.

The "salt" does work. My son did this for me last year and the areas in which he poured the salt hasn't come back. However, the folks at Wal-Mart thought we were crazy with all of the salt we bought last summer. We poured it straight on. I also had tried straight bleach. I know it's terrible for the ground, but it was in my children's play area which is all stone. I wouldn't let them play there for two weeks and I also haven't seen it return in that area.

I have a lot of bamboo like plants infesting the back yard. I want to kill them with any means to make it fast but not having to dig up the roots. I belive it is running bamboo that grows in clumps. Here are exact pictures of them i also added pics of a root i dug up to show you the root structure http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/coolj89186/bamboo/
of course you'll have to copy and paste the link. Weed killers will work as well i don't mind if nothing grows there i just dont want the bamboo. BTW this bamboo dies in the winter then grows back in the summer/spring. It seems to expand every year, this year it expanded drastically. the stems are really weak you can just snap them off by hand if you wanted. Thanks for any help provided.

The good news Justin Landry is that you do not have bamboo. The bad news is you have japanese knotweed.

A particularly evil plant and as difficult as bamboo to eradicate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese knotweed

Maybe if you offered the bamboo to your gardening friends, then they could help you to cut it down. The stuff is great for making tomato, and pole bean supports. That is of course only a begining step. Good Luck!

I bought my house in the spring of 07. there was a cute little bamboo tree in the garden. this year it sprouted. it shot up a 7' sprout in about a week! i was telling a friend about this, because i thought it was cool. she said "GET RID OF ALL THE BAMBOO! my mother had bamboo and it took over her garden". I hate to kill plants so i used my cultivator to see what was up. the more i dug the more i could see what a menace this was going to be if i didnt take care of it now. it was planted in an area of about 7 sq ft contained with a 4" plastic barrier. so made the decision after reading this forum to take out this plant. i tried to save as many of the other plants, lilies, roses, etc. and was pretty successful.

had i not done this now it would have become a bigger and bigger job! i dug down about 1.5 feet and removed the rhizome. i followed any roots that escaped the barrier. there werent too many and took them out as much as i could without digging my yard up. i got the main web of the plant out and raked out as many of the rhizomes as i could.

so now i'll just keep a look out for shoots and take care of them as i see them.

thankfully my bamboo problem was taken care of sooner than later! i could totally see how this plant could take over the whole garden then i'd have to dig it all up which would be time consuming and expensive.

where once i thought it was a cool plant, now i think of it as toxic waste.

Hi,

I just found this site, and have been reading up...

I love bamboo, but then I have 7 acres surrounded by woods, and horses that eat ALL my plantings, so that they would keep the bamboo to a dull roar...especially if I pay for it!!

I was wondering if anybody would consider sending me roots?? I will pay, at least for shipping... (: I guess you just dig a clump of the little stuff, wrap it in a bunch of wet newspaper, and ship.

My email addy is fatoldfarmwife@verizon.net

Thanks so much.

Beth (:

Hi,

I have just cut 30 sq.ft of Bamboo to the ground and now plan to eradicate the roots.

Is it realistic to expect that if I douse the main area with the Round Up (or put bags of salt upon the roots) it will reach out to all the runners?

Shoud I attempt to cut as many of the roots as I can to allow for better absortion or is it adequate to just pour the Round Up over the roots?

Lastly, the roots are now running alongside my neighbor's basement, is it possible that bamboo could be so invasive that it may crack the concrete foundation?

Brantley,

I can't answer your questions with certainty but much has been written on the subject. However, I would not use salt becauce it can permanently damage your soil.

Also, I believe the roots of bamboo can damage your neighbors foundation. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Eradicating bamboo

You can rip out the running roots, but they will only come back, in double. When they do, and you notice them when they are about 6 inches tall, cut to ground level and spray (or pour) with Rubbing Alcohol. I did this one summer and the next, almost nothing. Easy to control this way. I live in VA and it's EVERYWHERE.

Let me have some!!! Would love to plant around old drainage ditches!!!
Deb

Over the past four years or so I have filled 11 20 yard dumpsters, filled 500+ garbage cans and put out countless bundles of the Devils Grass. My neighbor planted it on my property when the lot was undeveloped. It had 12 years to establish itself in sunny FL. My neighbor built his house too close to the property line to plant it on his own property. So the bulk was planted on my property.

The rhyzone will die eventually if the clums are isolated. There is still existing bamboo on the neighbors property in that area it keeps coming up. I cut it close to below ground level.It's been a long battle but I got it under control, finally.

My neighbor tried the light in my window but I put a stop to that one. More later. Charlie

I have read all the posting going back a number of years. I have a contained area 4 feet by 30 feet of bamboo. I've cut it all down and I plan on covering this entire area with heavy weed barrier and then thick plastic sheating. Having nothing growing in this area for a season or 2 is no problem. My thought is to starve the bamboo. Does anyone out there have any thoughts on my idea??? Thanks.

A friend cut 50 to 100 1" to 2" bamboo poles. We took it to the local Gift/Thrift and sold the poles at 3 for $2. The friend had dried them for several years. Still looking for a new source of poles. --One man's junk is another's treasure!

Anybody in the Washington, DC area who wants to get rid of bamboo should check out this article in yesterday's Washington Post. The zoo is running out of bamboo and is looking for fresh sources for their pandas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zoo Asks for Help Feeding Its Pandas

Ah, the tales we tell! Here's my sad bamboo tragicomedy.

I'm currently in the process of destroying a 20 year+ stand of running bamboo. It was so bad; it was coming toward the house (foundation) very quickly, so something had to be done. I hired someone to cut down the bamboo to ground level and then to grind the stumps down to a depth of 1.5 feet. A big production!

Well, that'd be great except the previous owner had created a lovely oriental garden, complete with a "stream" of river rock that the bamboo was meant to nestle against. Ha! "Nestle" doesn't begin to describe the relationship between rock and bamboo! I was digging out bamboo stocks with stones and brick wrapped in their roots -- they were like primitive clubs. I could bang the cement patio with one of these clubs (howling like a ninja because the whole thing is so insane!) and nothing would budge.

I'm currently mid-process of removing the stones, one at a time, while at the same time poisoning the stalks with Cross Bow (very toxic stuff). I'm liking what I'm reading about just breaking off the stalks to eventually starve out the whole plant.

But that leaves the hubs. Someone earlier in the thread had said that dead bamboo is harder to remove than living (plus I got all those rocks clinging on for dear life). So I was thinking -- what'd the ancient Chinese do? Surely they didn't have Cross Bow (or Knock Out). So I'm thinking FIRE!

My plan now on the upcoming Memorial Day is to put barbecue briquets (that white hot "gray dust" stage) on the bamboo (dead) hubs to see if that will burn them and soften them enough to decompose.* Those hubs are horrible -- you can't plant anything around them because they're as hard as rock and deep.

What a mess! Ah, for the sweet serenity of a flat lawn with a perennial border!!

*The interesting thing about burning bamboo for anyone who's tried this -- it "pops" due to the air in the chambers between the nodes. I have this vision of Mem Day with a great popping yard, bursts of soils thrown to the heavens.

I ran across this article:

Chemical herbicides canÂt kill the massive underground root systems of bamboo or thistle, but all-natural high-strength vinegars can! Cut down all the above ground growth and soak the area with a high strength vinegar (see below) when the soil is bone dry and no rain is predicted.

(Be carefulÂyou must wear protective gear, especially safety glasses.) The high acidity of the vinegar will lower the soil pH down to around 3, and that region will become a dead zone.

Leave it like that for at least a monthÂlonger if you can. Maybe even soak the ground again a week or two later for good luck. When youÂre sure itÂs really most sincerely dead, raise the pH back up with wood ashes or lime, and soil life will return and the ground will be fertile againÂbut those roots should stay daid.

Oh I should add this:

"Greensense 20% acidity vinegar" is white vinegar that's four times more potent than the household variety.

That's the vinegar they are referring to.

Hello,

if any of you have any bamboo left over and want to get rid of it, I am looking for some.

My email is fraserbest@gmail.com

I have faithfull cut down all new growth that comes into my yard from my neighbour. H efinally cut it down last year, but he has let the new growth come back with vengence. I am so tired of this bamboo, it is trying to grow into the walls of our garage! I have spent a lot of money on Roundup and now i am wondering about buying a torch and burning the new and old growth, has anyone tried this?

I started this year as soon as the leaves truned green on the bamboo.I sprayed round up bush killer and spectrium bush killer,I used both.At least once a week I would go out and spray ALL the leaves and all the new growth,Now about 3 months later Im Winning.I had this here for years,But now im getting the best of it.But im spraying the leaves at least once a week. At least I don't see the tall ones anymore. At first last year I removed many of the large stumps or roots that look like a large ball.
I just hope that I will win over the bamboo.
John

I bought my home 4 years ago which was very well landscaped and nicely appointed with different plants. The corner of the yard included a fish pond surrounded by bamboo. Within months of moving - we realized what a headache we had on our hands. Bamboo is CRAZY!!
I'm open to suggestions for eradicating the stuff! I hired a poor, unsuspecting tree service to chop it down. Now I need to know how to control the roots. Let me know.

Here's an excellent article on getting rid of bamboo. Using multiple herbicides at the same time is not recommended since the one of choice, glyphosate, works by being tranferred by the leaves to the roots. If you use a second herbicide that kills the leaves, the glyphosate can't do it's job. Repeated applications of the herbicide are usually needed to kill out an established patch.

Good luck. It's not an easy task.

Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: Getting rid of bamboo

can u give advice how 2 get rid the bambo n control it thx

We've got a big patch that's been there for about 20 years that we're cutting down and treating with round up. This is in a rural area where there isn't anyone to haul the bamboo away and turn it into compost. Can we leave it piled up until it dries out and then have a big bonfire? How long does it take to dry sufficiently? Bonfires are legal in this area. I've heard that the bamboo kind of explodes as the air heats in the segments. Is this a big explosion that would send canes flying, or is it just a popping sound? If we did this on the area where the patch has been growing, would the heat help to kill the roots? Any other advice you can offer?

Our bamboo is best kept under control by "constant" trimming, very low to the ground...IF you have NOT already used chemicals on your bamboo....then great!!...call up your local zoo....we take our "cut" bamboo stalks to the zoo on a regular basis....oh so yummy for the gorillas, etc...and saves the zoo a bundle of money....remember, it has to be "chemical free"...

Bamboo is the bane of my life. I have a large clump courtesy of a well meaning neighbour.
Last year I read somewhere that when you cut - with extreme difficulty- a piece down, within 15 seconds(?) pour some white vinegar down the stump. As the bamboo shrinks back it will take the vinegar down which will kill it internally. Not a speedy solution.
It seems to work a bit however I have a major job which I propose to commence this morning.
The roots which spread across the ground are so hard.
Is there anyway to soften them so I don't have to throw my 115lbs behind a hatchet which when colliding with the root sends shock waves through my body?
I live in E Tennessee and if anyone wants to to come and dig the wretched stuff up for themselves they are welcome.
jfeonak@aol.com

would anyone care to buy bamboo trees have plenty you would be helping an older lady thanks

I have two large stands of tall bamboo, but my biggest problem is with a shorter variety that has come in from who knows where and taken over my yard. The only thing that seems to keep it in one place is mowing almost to the ground, but around trees, it has filled in and actually killed ivy. I am going to try Roundup...it's not near a food source and I am confident in it's safety, if not in whether it can do the job. I was a little freaked to see that someone chipped up their bamboo and sent it to the mulch pile at the Loudon landfill. I am paranoid about this stuff sprouting from cuttings, and won't even use stakes from the tall stuff in the garden until it has sat cut for a few months in a warm dry place. A friend of mine got rid of a clump of the tall stuff in a desperate
manner that I would hesitate to recommend, but it worked.
He cut it low, then sprayed it with gasoline and fired it off. It was close to a building and in the middle of town, so it was perhaps not the wisest choice, but it worked.

I contacted the local Zoo to donate the bamboo in my yard, although it always grows back at least I feel I am doing a service for the animals and I don't do the work. Only problem is that they don't cut it all the way down and they leave a small shoot in the ground that can be a tripping hazard if you use the area in which it is growing.

Would anybody know more about the method of applying liberal doses of nitogen fertiliser then covering and sealing off the are with Black Plastic sheeting? We have heard that it works but we are not sure of the time period involved. Would be keen to hear from anyone who has had success with this. Chris

I had tried black plastic and smothering,round up,24damine, and digging. Some kept in check,or so I thought. There was a Hmong family who would come cut shoots. I offered it for free but people wanted me to cut it or dig it for them. I had justified not being upset with the black ants, thehits in the face when i mowed just because it was a have for multitudes of small birds. Then the crows moved in. It started to smell - bad really bad. It was also like having my own personal version of "The Birds". I cut the 1/4 acre down to about a foot off the ground. The city crew hauled off the cuttings for free. I didn't even have to cut it to 4 foot lengths. I then hired a man to take dig it out. He thought it would require his small tractor but eventually he brought out the big track loader. Did it get rid of it? Mostly. I had to go through the yard and pick up every rhizome I could find. My neighbor's young boys would help. I took a tiller and went over some of the yard. I pulled up runners over half of my 3/4 acres. Still have some that come up in different areas. I get out the mattic and shovel after a rain.

Forget it. Impossible.

4 years ago we moved into a house that had all kinds of plants in the yard. Everything from a weeping cherry tree to rose-of-Sharon bushes and, yes, bamboo. And not the clumping kind! We've been waging a war ever since. We've got most of the yard (and it's a small yard) under control now. We only have to deal with the two most evasive plants I've ever delt with, the rose-of-Sharon bushes and the bamboo.
Some of the bamboo got behind our garage and is threatening the foundation! So we hacked it all down, put heavy plastic bariors over it and then weighted it down with cender blocks (over every inch!) and they STILL CAME BACK! So the next year we hacked it all down again and started digging then did the same thign as the year before, and the STILL CAME BACK! SO, because nothing is ever going to go back there, we decided to just hack it all down and poor salt back there at the start of the season. It worked! They didn't come back at all that year. We thought we'd poisoned the soil, which was fine by us. We'd rather have bare ground then that stupid bamboo.
Guess what, it FREAKING CAME BACK AGAIN! at least I had one year without the stupid stuff. But it seems like you have to poison the soil every year to get rid of it just for that year.
If I ever find the person who planted the stuff in our yard...I don't know what I'll do..but I'll at least have a few choice words for them.
DO NOT PLANT THIS STUFF!! Unless you are in a bamboo sanctuary or you own a panda, this stuff should never be planted...EVER!

Bamboo has destroyed our backyard, robbed my daughter of her place to hang out with friends, and my 1 year-old dog her place to run around. As we live on a lake, it has provided a shelter for snakes. It harbors Poison Ivy that you cannot easily see when walking through. It also creates a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The bamboo has destroyed many once beautiful plants, presently working on the once gorgeous camellia that no longer flowers, and multiple azaleas. Breaks my heart, as I'd enjoyed these hardy mature plants with boundless and colorful flowers.

It has merged through pavement cracks in our basketball court, hung over the side court, eclipsed the backboard, towered multiple feet over the top. It has blocked our once serene lake view, the nasty insidious stalks.

Our once tranquil backyard is an embarrassing eyesore. It is not only reminiscent of the jungles of Vietnam, but it is virtually unsafe & usable.

The bamboo was a controlled grove planted by the former owners when we moved in ten years ago. Although it wasn't a plant I cared for, for the first several years it wasn't unsightly for it had remained confined to a patch hugging the high wooden fence. But in the last three years it has spread. Stalks have shot off at random and multiplied like rabbits. It has infiltrated our neighbor's yard, and our sizable yard now sports sprouts on nearly half. I do enjoy gardening and do not mind a laborious task, however this plant seems to be a ruthless beast.

Whenever I look out into the backyard, Guns 'n Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" runs through my head. I miss the backyard we used to have when we moved here. My dog will never be able to enjoy her own fenced backyard as she would love to do unless this monumental problem is eradicated. It's so sad.

The man next door planted bambo about four years ago on his side of poorly fenced property line. I started noticing it shooting up about a year ago, and realized he had not planted with proper or deep enough barrier on my side.

I have read all the emails since 2004 and have an idea what I can do to get control it, as I am sure I cannot get rid of it, since he maintains it on his side. I think the most environmentally friendly way would be the Round-Up, but I get the impression a more effective method would be the salt or vinegar.

For the most part, that area is bare and unused and the only thing (other than the bamboo) that grows are weeds. The problem is that I have a real nice California Pepper tree about three feet from the line, that I don't want to hurt.

Will the Round-Up, salt or vinegar hurt my tree? It is about 20 feet tall, and a great shade tree, as well as blocking the unsightly house next door.

Thanks for all the great info!

Ynnrozs, Roundup is a systemic herbicide which means it kills by being absorbed into the plant through the leaves and into the roots. It will not damage any plant unless it touches the leaves so your Pepper tree will be fine as long as you are careful to avoid 'drift' when you spray the Roundup - don't spray when it is windy.

We have moved back into a house we have been renting out for 12 years & one of our tenants planted bamboo in the woods. It now grows in the lawn, & throughout the woods where it is really tough to kill without destroying the understory. We have over 8 acres so it is proving to be a nightmare.

Another mechanical method is to cut the entire grove of bamboo to the ground. Each time the
regrowth reaches 24 inches in height it must be cut again. To be successful with this method,
action to remove the regrowth must be prompt so as not to allow the plant time to manufacture
food reserves for the root system. This operation will need to be done many times over a period
of a year or even two. Consistency will ultimately starve out the bamboo.

I feel all of your pain!!!
My neighbors bamboo is spreading over to my lawn. I have
dug it up, chopped it up, mowed it over, used round-up, and
herbicides!!!! It is a giant to kill!!! It has completely
ruined the side of the lawn that it is growing under.
The problem is that it is my neighbors bamboo and it is planted
next to a building that protects their lawn from it but shoots
strait into mine... I want to blow it up!!! The leaves don't even
fall onto their property but over takes mine... I am sick of it..
Round-up does not work...
So I went to the lawn and land scape supply store and let them
advise me...
What I am doing is chopping the roots and spraying a mixture of
a VERY strong herbicide and dish liquid.. The dish soap makes the
herbicide stick to it.. It is suppose to go systemic... They said it might take a year or so to completely kill it off and that is with
constant persistence of fighting it back... I have to do something!!!

couri,

If you cannot work towards killing off the main stand of bamboo because it is your neighbor's, there are two main methods you can try for best containment.

Open trench
Dig a trench 12 - 18 inches deep the length of the property line involved. Bamboo root are close to the surface, usually found in the first 12 inches. Inspect the trench about four times a year and prune off any rhizone roots that begin to protrude. No more spread.

But having an open trench in your yard can be dangerous so make sure that is properly marked or isolated.

Or use method #2 - Install a bamboo barrier membrance.

Dig a 28 inch deep trench the length of the property line. Install a 30 inch 60 ml plastic membrane (see almost any bamboo nursery web site for details). Cover over leaving about 2-3 inches of the membrane sticking up, which will look like any garden bed border. Check each late spring to remove any rhizomes that reach the surface so they don't jump the membrane.

This is an expensive installation best done with a trencher, but done right, you'll never have to do it again.

And you can have a nice lawn in the future without a fight.

I planted what was said to be clumping bamboo 10 years ago in an area that is surrounded by an alley and a 15 foot wide patio on three sides. For the remaining 4 foot area not surrounded by concrete, I put in a 24 inch deep 1/4" thick plastic barrier. It has managed to get out several times with each time being more difficult to stop.

The first time my neighbor across the 20 foot concrete alley had several shoots come up in his yard. He dug up the root and was careful not to damage it. He put the root in a gallon of vinegar. After several months the root turned brown and after a year, one of the original plants on my property died. Okay by me as my original spot was now thick with bamboo.

Then, I had a sprout come up on the other side of my 15 foot concrete patio in my own yard. I used the same vinegar treatment and it went away. But . . . . It has gotten away around the plastic barrier and is invading another neighbor's yard and my yard again.

I've decided to try the "fish and chips" method of erradication (salt and vinegar). I wish I would have bought a couple bags of rock salt this winter. I'm also going to look for the 20% acid for to use instead of regular vinegar. I hope I haven't waited too long.

Mark

How can you cut it when is dry and 20' high, what kind of equipment work the best

I've heard from a fireman and tried cutting bamboo and to stop it from growing back I put diesel fuel on the end that I cut and they havnt grown back yet.......got my finger cross

I moved into a house about 5 years ago with a patch of lovely bamboo, thin stalks about 8' high, but it was spreading where I didn't want it. About the same time I moved in I purchased a bottle of Walmart Eliminator Weed/Grass Killer, currently about $14 for 32oz. It's 41% glyphosate. I still have 1/2 a bottle left. I pour a little bit into a small baby food jar and use an eye dropper to place just enough to cover the stem top of a freshly cut stalk. I think the best time to do this is in the fall. Cut flush with the ground and apply to freshly cut stalk tops. The root system will allow the glyphosphate to kill nearby stalks. I still have the main patch growing as I didn't try to eradicate it all, but I've controlled the runners this way. This system works well on tree stumps as well. Paint it on with a foam brush right after cutting and new shoots won't come up.

Bamboo is great, but stay away from river cane. I am 79 and get plenty of exercise removing river cane stumps. Sharpen your pick-axe to the max, roots come right out. I save money by not going to the gym. Then as new growth appears use a small Ryobi electric grass trimmer and control new growth. When cut a 16' bamboo makes a nice fishing pole for kids! Love it!