Removing bamboo

[didireallysaythat]

We have a smallish (2mx3m) patch of bamboo, mostly about 3+m tall but some shorter bits which I presume are younger bits spreading at the edges. I'm keen to get rid of it all but my gut feeling is that this is going to be awful. So how do I start ?

I was thinking cut some down, think about digging out, discover that's hard work and then google for weedkillers (not used one before), apply, cover (I presume the cat won't want to lick it off) and see what happens ?

I can start with a patch around the back that's well hidden (ie if I make a pig's ear of it I'll still want to go into the garden).

Hahaha! No, it won't be easy!
It spreads like crazy via long suckers underground. Your plan looks good and the RHS website agrees, giving details of the weed killer to use.
Good luck!

Good luck.

You could also consider getting a local gardener to quote for digging it out.

Some bamboos spread and some don't so it might not be as bad as you think. You could take a photo and ask for advice at your local independent garden centre. I find they are always very knowledgeable.

Alternatively just mention my name - that alone has been known to kill plants at thirty paces. Alternatively for chocolate cake and a glass of dry white wine I'll come and lurk menacingly near it. Can't fail to cause it to keel over!

I can confirm that bamboo is a bastard.
When we moved into our house there was a patch about a metre square.
We sawed it off to about 20cm tall then, following advice from a gardening site applied neat weedkiller on it. No change.
DH had the brilliant idea of pouring it down the channels and putting cotton wool in as a plug. No change.
he spent a good 3 days digging it up. It has roots the length of Luton (slight exageration, the longest was about two metres).
It is a proper fucker.

I have planted bamboo inside sunken pots because I was terrified about it going mad, am eyeing it cautiously through the window. Have a feeling that it will still find a way to burrow through the lawn.

Sounds as bad as I'd feared. I may concentrate on felling two enormous conifers instead as I think we'd get a nicer garden (more light) and maybe I wouldn't focus on the bamboo

i.e. put off doing the job cos it looks hard

our neighbours removed theirs last year.
it was sunkn in pots, but the roots went through the drainage holes and spread from there.
took a gardener a whole day to dig out. then they burnt the earth with a blowtorch thingy (didn't want to use weed killers as wanted to plant a hedge there).

Oh dear perhaps I should dig mine up now save myself some future problems!

Now I'm wondering if I get the conifers down and the roots ground out if the bamboo could be... No wait... I'm guessing grinding bamboo routes is a BAD idea as I'll end up with thousands of shoots. But what if I promise to weed them out (knowing full well that I'll get bored of doing it).

Did the blow torch idea work?

We're in the process of buying a house with a massive blank canvas,fab garden, which I'm really looking forward to playing with.
But.....there is a massive bamboo in the neighbours garden that has spread across 2 other gardens!
The current owners have kept it mown down but I'd really like to try and get rid!
Any success stories at all?

Oh dear. I love bamboo, but only plant the clumping variety.

No help, I know, but understand the running kind is a bugger.

I'm not sure which type it is to be honest. I guess to find out I'd have to dig a bit up and see how it's growing?

Had another visit to the house and asked the owner if she knew what type the bamboo was. She seemed to think it was clumping!
That's good isn't it?
Can I still get rid permanently though?

I hacked a bit down today to the ground. Well, as close to the ground as I could get as it's incredibly dense at the base.. I think I'm going to need a crowbar to make an indentation there.. No idea if this is clumping or not. All of a sudden the setting fire option looks quite attractive..

The owner also said that tomato fertilizer killed it.
I have learnt through googling that you can cut it to the ground, apply fertilizer and repeat until it burns itself out and dies.
Apparently if you can get it to flower, by fertilizing, it will die.

following!!

Oooh ! I'll try the fertiliser trick and report back.. Thank you

Borrow a panda from the zoo?

We used an axe to break up the clump. It spread under the paving and nearly got as far as the house. Found the original tag, it was clumping! saved some into pots but will not plunge these into the garden as don't want it to find a way out. Have planted a new tree, but left that in its pot until sure the bamboo has gone...

We have friends who bought a house from people who had a passion for bamboo. They have been physically digging it out for the last few years and still have a way to go. They say that digging is the only way - the upside is that it is keeping them fit