Gardening and Horticulture - Bamboo Removal. HOW?

Hello,

I have a grove of "running" bamboo trees. I estimate about 200+ total trees. Some trees as thick as 2+ inches. How do i go about removing these green peices of crap? Ive try saws, axes, chain saws... ALmost nothing makes this job easy.

Ive been bending the trees and snapping them, then saw or chopping off the bottom of the tree where it snapped. With a grove this size Im wanting to remove them FASTER and EASIER! How/What do i use to kill/remove these suckers?

(Small budget)

Thanks

There are two ways to be rid of bamboo: dig it out with a backhoe or cut it all down and spray it with roundup over and over and over while keeping it cut short to encourage new growth for spraying with roundup. Bamboo is right up there with kudzu as far as difficulty of elimination is concerned.

The most effective method of removal of bamboo is to dig out the entire root and rhizome mass, including fragments. Water deeply a few days before digging to make digging easier. Roots usually aren't deeper than 6-18 inches. You can chop in chunks and pull out pieces. Over the next few years you might see an occasional shoot which you can snap off with fingers.

If you choose not to dig, but just to cut, you cut within 4-6" of ground. Within 15 seconds have a helper paint the culm with Roundup. The timing is important because the Roundup must enter the sap. When bamboo is cut, the sap draws downward into underground stem.

Bamboo is not a tree. It is a grass. It naturally regenerates quickly into harvestable crops for manufacturing of such things as flooring.

Ive been chopping for a couple weeks with an axe. That seems to be the best way so far.

Since it's rainging right now, Ill go out soon and try digging them up like ya'll suggested.

Thanks for the tips :cool:

I've had the same problem in the past with my parents house.

Get the backhoe.

Sachin