Bamboo invasion! (aka The Day of the Triffids)

[Pistil]

Hi estimated gardeners!
Some years ago my parents planted some bamboo in my garden, they grown at an impressive ratio and some months ago i had to cut them because it was no longer possible to pass with the car near them.

Since i cut them they have started to invade all the rest of the garden, see the pics. I thought that the new little plants was born from seeds but, today, i tried to extirpate them and i discovered that they are all emerging roots of the main plant… impressive! They are getting all the garden for their self!

What could i do?

The photos are showing the following:
- bamboo1: the place where bamboo has been planted (behind the roses)
- bamboo2: part of the very tall original plants
- bamboo3: a sample of the bamboo babies emerging everywhere
- bamboo4: if i extirpate a baby a big root emerges from the ground

Thanks in advance for any eventually advice!

P.S. I really would like that MJ could grow at the same ratio :giggle:

 

[pcduck]

Need to dig them up some and chop out the roots. Then give them to your friends. The chopped root section will grow

 

[Grower13]

Kill bamboo with herbicide:

To kill bamboo with herbicide you will need shears, a brush and a pale of herbicide (I have heard that vinegar will work). First, cut the shoot six inches from the ground then within 15 seconds you must paint the herbicide onto the shoot. It is important to paint the herbicide onto the shoot as soon as possible if you do not then you will not kill the bamboo. This is because the sap will retreat back down into the rhizome within 15 seconds and you want the sap to carry the herbicide with it and kill the rhizome. To kill bamboo this way you will want to have only a few shoots.

Kill bamboo by containment and starvation:

This is to kill large groves of bamboo. To kill bamboo this way you will need to spend some money. You will need a backhoe! Use the backhoe to dig out all of the bamboo. Go down about 16 inches. Now, create a trench at least 30 inches deep around the perimeter of the bamboo, and the width of the bucket. Fill the trench with concrete or gravel. This will contain the remaining rhizomes. Spread at least two inches of concrete or gravel on top of the pad. If you use gravel then place black plastic on the gravel. This will keep all of the rhizomes contained below the surface and they will eventually starve without reaching sunlight and die. Next fill soil to ground level and plant grass to cover the area where the bamboo used to be.

You can use these techniques to kill running bamboo or to kill clumping bamboo. If you do not want to kill all of the bamboo but simply want to contain it the dig the containment trench and fill it with concrete. Some types of bamboo have been know to grow through concrete but if it is wide enough this method should work well. To kill bamboo shoots that get through the barrier use the herbicide method.

 

[Grower13]

1

Dig up unwanted bamboo using a mattock and spade. The pointed mattock will help loosen the tangled rhizomes from the soil and the spade will lift them from the ground. Except in unusual circumstances, bamboo rhizomes do not grow deep in the soil.
2

Use lopping shears to cut through thick rhizomes. Make sure to remove every bit of rhizome or the bamboo will come back stronger than


3

Starve plants to death by cutting off all new growth before it reaches 2 feet in height. Bamboo needs to photosynthesize, just like any other plant. Inhibit its ability to do so and the plant will eventually die. Be persistent! This method may take more than one year.
4

Pour straight glyphosate herbicide directly onto freshly cut stumps. Systemic herbicides are favored over contact killers in the removal of bamboo. Keep in mind that once the plants are dead, you still have to dig them out of the ground. They are much easier to dig when alive.
5

Solarize the enemy. Cut the bamboo to the ground, spread a thick layer of high nitrogen (lawn) fertilizer over the entire area, and cover with clear plastic sheeting. Secure the plastic sheeting along the edges with bricks or boards. This technique is best used during the hottest part of summer and will literally cook the bamboo in the ground. Leave the plastic in place until all signs of life have been extinguished.

 

[dman1234]

just think of all the bamboo fishing poles u can make, LOL

 

[Pistil]

@pcduck:
I would give it just to my enemies! It's impressive, more you cut it more it grows…

@Grower13:
Hey thanks very much! That's an MVP nomination granted!
I've read your explanation quickly and i still need to translate some terms but you gave me all the infos i was needing (btw, i want to get rid of them totally)… the war begins!:hubba: I'll keep you posted and thanks again!
BTW, that 15 seconds thing is scary!

@dman1234:
Lol! I'm really trying to recycle it as much as i can… see my ugly tomatoes soupport and, because bamboo is closed inside its internodes, i've also made a tons of micro-pots that my wife is giving away to almost everyone as placeholders for the table… it's unbelievable but they are appreciated

 

[Rosebud]

Good luck with that HUGE job. Maybe you should just invite a bunch of gorillas over for lunch. Sorry for all the work ahead of you.

I like the vase you made and your pictures. Best wishes to you.

 

[Pistil]

Thanks Rosebud!

I think i'll do most of the work the next week-end, fortunately i love to work outdoor in the garden... but yes, it's going to be an huge work

 

[ozzydiodude]

If you dont plan to grow anything around the edges of the bamboo. You can take salt tablets used in water conditioner and bury them 2 inches under the soil around the bamboo, This will kill the root off shoot and not hurt the bmboo that is growing,

 

[Pistil]

I confirm that all the rhizomes are just few centimeters underground and i think i'll try the mission impossible of poisoning every single of them with herbicide within that time limit. I know from your answers that this is crazy because there's an huge number of them but i'm starting to love the idea of trowing a litre of poison directly in the veins of that creature. Sadism apart, i have to get rid of all of the emerging babies because seems (this is just an impression) that they can even create other main site through the rhizomes, not only babies. I say this because of those very tall plants that are growing through the bush in the picture bamboo4.png… this seems a new main site to me but maybe i'm wrong.

Ozzydiodude i WANT to hurt the bamboo that is growing! I prefer to do not rent a backhoe for the moment but i'll try to mix your advice with Grower13 ones to apply some kind of containment to the main site. I'll start with the cheaper solutions and we'll see if i'll have a bit of luck. If not i'll get ready for the second round. I'll keep you posted and thanks all again!

BTW, i cut the grass of my garden just the sunday before the one that is just passed, so those bamboo babies showed in the photos have less than 2 weeks of grow!!! This looks very impressive to me… and all is begun when i cut the main site few time ago, before of the cut they was growing just in height and few babies was emerging only close to the main site… just to make you know Never plant bamboo!

 

[Pistil]

...
seems (this is just an impression) that they can even create other main site through the rhizomes, not only babies. I say this because of those very tall plants that are growing through the bush in the picture bamboo4.png… this seems a new main site to me but maybe i'm wrong

Well, 5 minutes are passed and i'm already changed my mind:doh:
Those are not secondary main sites... it's just that i didn't cut the grass under the bush... :stoned:

 

[gourmet]

I use a spray that prevents the plant from photosynthesis. I also use it for mulberry, that dreaded trumpet vine, highly invasive plants only as I dread using any type of chemical. But it kills the plant without killing anything you didn't spray. I protect the other plants with cardboard between or plastic just for the very short time it takes the spray to dry. Here I call it mulberry killer and it is sold as just that...mulberry bush killer.

 

[Pistil]

Hi gourmet and thanks for the advice! I think i want to try with the poison first but i still have to buy it so i'll check if they have that spray as well… seems very interesting and it will probably become very useful as a coadjuvant of the other techniques

Have a great day guys!

 

[CasualGrower]

Bamboo is well... RESILIANT LOL..... Kill it with herbicide!!! then dig and chop.....otherwise it will just get bigger and bigger

 

[TheKlonedRanger]

Kill it with fire!!

Man, I hate the job ahead of you. I've battled bamboo before. Big ole pain

 

[Pistil]

Well, first of all, sorry for not updating this thread... there's a reason of my silence, i failed
Bamboo has won his battle for life:holysheep:

I tried everything but the backhoe and the concrete, bamboo is still there emerging everywhere. Digging around the main site is pretty impossible, the roots are so big, old and strong that seems to dig in a solid rock!

I simply gave up, i'll have to move in a new house in some months and i'm just cutting the grass with all the bamboo babies every 5-6 days max so that the garden looks nice, just this

I already have an interested customer for this house and i've already told him about the problem... it seems that he doesn't know bamboo because he said that he isn't worried


Thanks all for the assistance!!!:cool2:

 

[dman1234]

I already have an interested customer for this house and i've already told him about the problem... it seems that he doesn't know bamboo because he said that he isn't worried

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

 

[drfting07]

Pistil, i just saw a special on bamboo on hulu. Check out gardening by the yard. Its one of their first episodes. Free on hulu.

 

[Pistil]

Ouch, seems that those videos are unavailable in my country. I also tried to find other links to them but everything i find returns the message that "the video is unavailable"… probably for the same copyright limitation.

Thanks anyway mate, i would have gladly seen it!