Phecda
ArboristSite Member
Aside from renting a skid steer or trackhoe, or tearing up the property with our dozer.
Chainsaw? Seems like it would be hell on chainsaw chains
Chainsaw? Seems like it would be hell on chainsaw chains
Best way to remove bamboo?
- Thread starter Phecda
- Start date
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IyaMan
Addicted to ArboristSite
Remove bamboo -do you mean to cut it down, or get rid of it permanently?
If its permanent, you gotta get out all the roots (use a shovel and pick, or backhoe, not a chainsaw). If roots remain, it'll likely come back next year. But if continually for a few years you constantly cut out all the sprouts before they get too high, you may eventually kill the root (since no photosynthesis can happen), but depending on the breed it can stay dormant for quite a while. I don't know of any weed killer specifically for bamboo, but maybe some guys here do.
(and good luck with the roots, they're not very deep, but can be nasty and long reaching. Best to thoroughly soak the soil so its softer)
If just cutting it down, it'll depend on if you want to keep/use the bamboo or just trash it. And how big around the bamboo it is. I've cut very big bamboo with a chainsaw (up to 5 or 6 inch diameter), but you must be careful about it pinching the blade (watch how it leans). It can pinch tight and differently than a tree, and can quickly/dangerously rip off the chain from the bar. Just cut the lean side enough to break through to the hollow center (or not at all), then do a deep back cut about an inch above, letting it fall away as you do so. You may get partial barber-chairs (though not very dangerous like a tree) if the lean is heavy, so keep your face out of the way. Also, using a chainsaw can 'explode' the fibers in that area, possibly causing cracks a couple feet up the trunk, so if harvesting it for use, be careful about that (or use a handsaw).
However, new/sprouting bamboo will cut super easy. I often just slice it on a downward angle with a nata (like a small machete) if only a few pieces.
I do not recommend using a chainsaw if cutting large, tight clumps of thin bamboo. If they can't easily fall away if the branches are tangled, so you have a high risk of pinching and/or pulling off the chain.
And if there is a lot of bamboo to cut for harvesting, there are special chains made for bamboo (smaller teeth with one on each link).
If its permanent, you gotta get out all the roots (use a shovel and pick, or backhoe, not a chainsaw). If roots remain, it'll likely come back next year. But if continually for a few years you constantly cut out all the sprouts before they get too high, you may eventually kill the root (since no photosynthesis can happen), but depending on the breed it can stay dormant for quite a while. I don't know of any weed killer specifically for bamboo, but maybe some guys here do.
(and good luck with the roots, they're not very deep, but can be nasty and long reaching. Best to thoroughly soak the soil so its softer)
If just cutting it down, it'll depend on if you want to keep/use the bamboo or just trash it. And how big around the bamboo it is. I've cut very big bamboo with a chainsaw (up to 5 or 6 inch diameter), but you must be careful about it pinching the blade (watch how it leans). It can pinch tight and differently than a tree, and can quickly/dangerously rip off the chain from the bar. Just cut the lean side enough to break through to the hollow center (or not at all), then do a deep back cut about an inch above, letting it fall away as you do so. You may get partial barber-chairs (though not very dangerous like a tree) if the lean is heavy, so keep your face out of the way. Also, using a chainsaw can 'explode' the fibers in that area, possibly causing cracks a couple feet up the trunk, so if harvesting it for use, be careful about that (or use a handsaw).
However, new/sprouting bamboo will cut super easy. I often just slice it on a downward angle with a nata (like a small machete) if only a few pieces.
I do not recommend using a chainsaw if cutting large, tight clumps of thin bamboo. If they can't easily fall away if the branches are tangled, so you have a high risk of pinching and/or pulling off the chain.
And if there is a lot of bamboo to cut for harvesting, there are special chains made for bamboo (smaller teeth with one on each link).
logeeland
ArboristSite Operative
We have it all over Maine where I live. Here it is knotweed. Sibling to bamboo. To remove it you need to do what IyaMan said. Dig it all out and then dig out 2 to 3 feet around it to make sure you got it all. It will keep coming back. I have been told if you spray RoundUp inside the stalk it will kill that clump but not any unseen clumps. Who ever thought it was a good idea to plant in the wild should have to remove it all as punishment.
Backhoe + dump truck
Phecda
ArboristSite Member
This will be a permanent removal.
I am putting a circle drive in and the culvert will be where the bamboo is now
I am putting a circle drive in and the culvert will be where the bamboo is now
hseII
Addicted to ArboristSite
Phecda
ArboristSite Member
Looks like dozer it is.
Phecda
ArboristSite Member
Well, once it's gone, a culvert is in place and rock covers the culvert, we'll see how successful it is at returning.
jrider
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have a friend who had it creep under a fence from a neighbors yard and put holes in the liner of her above ground pool. The neighbor paid for a new liner, removed all signs of it and placed a metal barrier 18" in the ground on his side of the fence. A few years later, it popped through her liner again. The stuff is relentless.
Phecda
ArboristSite Member
Rolled the entire root cluster out. About 8' in diameter. Took both of my dozers, a pulley and 3/4" braided cable and some creative dead legging to large hardwoods.
Holy crap I hate bamboo haha
Holy crap I hate bamboo haha
Now that you have ripped out the majority of it, you need to go through with a shovel/pick and make sure you got all the rhizomes (runners). It would be better to let it sit for a while to see if anything sprouts.
Remember bamboo was one of the first things to regenerate after the atomic bombs in Japan.
Remember bamboo was one of the first things to regenerate after the atomic bombs in Japan.
IyaMan
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yes, that's the only way to know for sure, but unfortunately it could mean waiting till next spring when bamboo naturally sprouts (depending on the species). The stuff by me comes up only once a year (around now).
And I also agree that combing through the dirt to get out any leftover runners will be important. When yanking it out some could have broken off. I've seen bamboo pop up through asphalt, so if paving you probably want to be sure..
There are two kinds of bamboo systems - running and clump. The running kind will send out ground shoots many feet - sometimes even under a roadway. REALLY hard to get rid of that kind. The clump kind stays in a clump and only spreads very slowly.
Ash_403
Shop smart. Shop S-Mart.
Also, if trying to contain the running bamboo, the pro's recommend around 30" buried 60 mil polyethylene barrier. I'm not surprised it went under the 18" deep metal barrier that jrider mentioned.
Phecda
ArboristSite Member
Great.
The kind I removed is the clump style, which we have had for probably 30-40 years on the property.
We have several of these clump systems around 10' in diameter.
I was driving the UTV in the area the big clumps are... And found bamboo shoots 1' apart and 20+ foot tall all over the place.
So I guess we have both styles now.
I've successfully controlled bamboo but it takes persistence!
Once bamboo has been cut down or removed like you have done what I do is monitor the area for any new shoots. I cut them with a pocket knife when they are soft and use a homemade quart applicator to pour mixed roundup into the stem. I try to cut an inch above a knuckle so there is a cavity to hold the liquid.
You may have to do this for a few years until it stops coming up. Even if the shoots are coming up in existing flower beds, etc., this technique will work and not damage the other plants. You'll notice new shoots come up wilted and soft, it's working.
My home applicator is a quart Gatoraid bottle with a single hole filed into the cap using a chainsaw file and an eight inch length of 1/4inch plastic tubing inserted firmly into the hole. No vent hole is needed. This applicator drops a small amount of mix on every tilt and waste or spread very little if any.
Once bamboo has been cut down or removed like you have done what I do is monitor the area for any new shoots. I cut them with a pocket knife when they are soft and use a homemade quart applicator to pour mixed roundup into the stem. I try to cut an inch above a knuckle so there is a cavity to hold the liquid.
You may have to do this for a few years until it stops coming up. Even if the shoots are coming up in existing flower beds, etc., this technique will work and not damage the other plants. You'll notice new shoots come up wilted and soft, it's working.
My home applicator is a quart Gatoraid bottle with a single hole filed into the cap using a chainsaw file and an eight inch length of 1/4inch plastic tubing inserted firmly into the hole. No vent hole is needed. This applicator drops a small amount of mix on every tilt and waste or spread very little if any.
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