Bamboo - Help!

[hotpasty]

We are trying to eradicate bamboo in our garden before planting other things.... Have dug out metres of root system but the darn thing keeps popping up all over the place. Is it possible to kill it?! I'm starting to have nightmares about it.

ooh I'd like to know this too because my neighbours have it right up against their fence and it's now popping up all over my lawn

anyone?

ol @ nightmares, I am the same with bindweed....ARGH

What sort is it?

How deep are the roots?

well be thankful you don't have my garden then. I have bamboo AND bindweed lol.

the bamboo is the worst though, I pick the bindweed each day, but the bamboo is all spiky and horrible and really hard to pull out

I think if I had bindweed climing up bamboo I would have to move house

Bamboo total mare, neighbours had it, they've dug all of theirs out and now I have to dig up half my garden to get it out of our side too.........they're taking the fence out for replacement next year, so we're trimming it till then, then will be diging up the lot both sides to try and get rid. If you have Bamboo, keep it in a pot! PLEASE.

I wonder if I live next to you thisisyesterday. Our bamboo has gone insane since planting it out a couple of years ago - all over our garden, between the decking and I noticed all over the neighbours too. Sorry!
I would love to know how to calm it down - it grows so fast we spend every other week cutting it back....

lol, wouldn't that be weird penona? interestingly I think they did plant it only a few years ago and they do have decking as well lol

Do some species stop when they get to a certain size or do they just keep on and on growing? I am starting to panic now as I planted some out last year. Looks lovely this year but will it now get out of control???

or knotweed. my worst nightmare. knotweed with goose grass in among it and bindweed growing up it. urgh.

bamboo is very very tough (you know that). I can't find any specific advice so suggestion is start with a big bang then wage a long long war of attrition
a) keep digging it up getting rid of all the roots.spreading ones will grow again from little bits of root so you have to be really really thorough
b) when it pops up dig it up again
c) where it pops up between plants let it grow a little bit then dig it up again (theoretically letting it grow will weaken it a bit)
d) try weedkiller when the shoots are still young and soft, maybe bruise them then paint them with weedkiller of your choice

Good luck. if i find any advice i will pass it on. there is stuff on US websites if you google Eradicate Bamboo

Alan says ' some species are so rampant they can only be let loose in relatively wild areas' The gewneral size he quotes is 60cm -3m x 3m

Try a heavy dose of Weedol on the bamboo. Try not to get it on any plants that you want to keep - it will kill them. It may take a couple of weeks - but it should do the trick

General I mean.
I have bindweed growing up my bamboo.

goblinvalley do you think I could accidentally, spray weedol over the fence onto the neighbours stuff>
would it kill the lot?

You could try !

Although i am cutting the bamboo my side and putting the Weedol straight onto the cut, and spraying it as well I hate the bloody stuff and my 'neighbour' who planted it on purpose to spread into my garden - but that is a whole 'nother story

I shall give that a try.
my neighbours also have a cat that shits all over my grass, it's the garden from hell atm. bamboo, bindweed and cat poo. grrr

Very vigorous bamboos should be kept in pots (the books say). The pots can be buried in the ground but, if so, should have a few inches still above the ground so that the roots can't run. You can also use slates etc as a barrier, but not butyl pond liner as the roots will just go straight through it.

Glysophate-based weedkillers are ment to kill the whole plant so you may be able to kill the plant on both sides of the fence!