killing bamboo

I have two different bamboo problems.

First is one of my neighbors has a bamboo plant, that occasionally likes to send a cane onto our side of the fence, this is a clumping variety, so containing it, is usually a pruning of the cane.

The second problem is much more difficult. The previous owners had planted a variety of bamboo that sends runners. They had planted it in a buried pot, but of course it escaped the containment attempts. We've since removed the plant, but have been deal with the thousands of segmented runners, my strategy so far has been to spray the canes with round-up, wait a few days, then dig up as much of the runner as I can find.

Anyone have any better suggestions? It's been 2 years now, and I don't know how many runner segments still have a will to survive.

Snooze

Reply to
Snooze
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Use it to build scaffolding, or treat skin disorders, or a thousand other things http:/rhhardin.home.mindspring.com/japancut.bamboo.ra(a strange interview recorded off Radio Japan with a bamboo expert)

Reply to
Ron Hardin

sorry dropped a `m' and a `/'

formatting link

Reply to
Ron Hardin

Why are you bothering with the roundup if you can't be bothered to follow the label directions?

Reply to
Beecrofter

Snooze wrote [in part]:

Since you are trying to kill only one type of plant and not a broad spectrum of plants, don't use a broad spectrum herbicide such as Roundup. (No, I'm not against Roundup. I use it myself -- but only for general cleanup of an area, not for only one kind of plant.)

Bamboo is a grass. Go to a comprehensive nursery and get a grass killer. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY.

Reply to
David Ross

I've tried spraying round up on the leaves/canes and letting it die back, it doesn't work. The leaves die back, and it sprouts new leaves along with more canes. Spaying and waiting a few days seems to produce the longest results.

The shock produced by round up, plus digging up as many roots as i can find causes the bamboo to use up as much of it's stored energy. But in the interest of an experiment, I've left a patch of bamboo alone, after spraying. Let's see if the directions work this time.

Snooze

Reply to
Snooze

Running kinds of bamboo are a pain to kill off. Even translocating herbicides like glyphosate (Roundup) kill only the top growth, not the runners. If you keep killing or removing top growth, eventually you will starve the runners. If this is too slow for you, digging them up is the fastest way.

Reply to
Christopher Green

If you must use Roundup, here is a suggestion. Dilute it to only

75% of its usual strength. That keeps it from killing too quickly, from killing top growth before it has a chance to translocate throughout the roots and runners. From your first paragraph above, you are indeed killing the top growth without reaching the underground growth.

This method, however, requires that you respray about once every

1-2 months. About 3 weeks after each spraying, use a high-nitrogen fertilizer in the area and water thoroughly to encourage new bamboo growth. That new growth is most susceptible to absorbing and translocating Roundup.

When you do not get any new growth 2 months after the last spraying, you are done.

Reply to
David Ross

Way back when...before Roundup came on the scene...I had difficulty getting rid of another plant with rhizomes - bermuda grass. Finally stumbled across vapam, which did a bang up job. Of course, it killed everything else as well. Make sure you follow directions.

Reply to
Lawrence Akutagawa

I loathe Bermuda grass almost as much as the morons who sod/seed it. It is the kudzu of lawns and flower beds.

Reply to
Bob Chipeska

To make it even "better" I'm allergic to Bermuda grass.

Reply to
ellis

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