Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Kill bamboo with chemicals
• Method 2 of 3: Kill bamboo without chemicals
• Tips
• Warnings

Although bamboo can look beautiful, it is also an invasive plant. Whichever method you choose, it is difficult to get rid of it. Fortunately, it is not impossible to delete. Whether you choose a chemical, natural or physical method, you will have to dig up a lot of rhizomes (underground roots) and cut stems. Of course, it is better to prevent your bamboo plant from ever becoming a problem.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Kill bamboo with chemicals

1. Cut the bamboo close to the ground and wait for new shoots to grow back. Before spraying the new bamboo leaves, make sure you cut or mow the plant and let it grow back afterwards. That sounds crazy, but you have to grow new bamboo. Bamboo herbicide is not effective if the bamboo canes have developed well.
   • Bamboo is tough but not very hard. Loppers, which look like scissors with long arms and a small beak, cut much better than a saw.
   • At the end of winter, cut the bamboo so that you can spray the herbicide on the new shoots in late spring or early summer.
2. Apply glyphosate herbicide to the leaves, stems and shoots of the bamboo. Glyphosate herbicide only kills the plants it comes into direct contact with. This means that you have to be careful that you only apply it to the bamboo. Most glyphosate herbicides should be sprayed onto the leaves, stems and shoots of the plant, and it should be allowed enough time to set before any water dilutes it. Unless instructed otherwise, do not spray glyphosate herbicide on the soil around the bamboo, as that will not work.
   • To reduce the risk of killing the wrong plant or spraying too much, you can also apply the herbicide to the leaves with a brush instead of spraying it on the plant.
   • If your plant is close to water (a river, a lake, the sea, etc.), make sure to use a herbicide designed to destroy plants that grow near the water. You don't want to contaminate the water.
3. Alternatively, you can use a stump and root exterminator for the bamboo plant. Another way to cut bamboo is to cut the sticks and then apply a stump and root control agent with glyphosate or triclopyr to any shoots and the stump.
4. Repeat the treatment. One treatment does not eradicate the overgrowth; bamboo is persistent and tends to spread like wildfire. (Unfortunately, even fire cannot completely destroy these weeds!) When the bamboo plant continues to grow shoots, keep applying the herbicide to the plant's leaves, stems, and shoots for good extermination.
   • When using herbicide, don't forget to read the instructions on the package. Some herbicide instructions differ significantly from the advice in this tutorial. When push comes to shove, use the instructions on the herbicide product.
   • You should also use this herbicide method along with uprooting the rhizomes so that new shoots don't keep growing back.

Method 2 of 3: Kill bamboo without chemicals

1. Make a limiter with an open side. Dig a curved trench or semi-circle around your bamboo. The limiter must be buried at least 70cm deep to be effective, which is deeper than most rhizomes can go. The advantages of a limiter with an open side are that the bamboo cannot take root too much in its enclosed space and that the bamboo has enough drainage. You can also use it to create a boundary along a fence, which will keep your bamboo from shooting into your neighbor's yard, or vice versa.
   • If you're in a DIY mood, you can make the limiter out of concrete, metal, or plastic. They are all good. Be aware that rhizomes can grow through wood. The use of wood is not recommended.
   • A very effective and commonly used material is high density polypropylene - 40mil or heavier. This specially crafted bamboo rhizome barrier normally costs between € 4 and € 10 per meter, depending on the material and thickness.
   • If you are making a limiter along a fence, place it directly along the fence about 1 inch above the ground.
   • With an open-sided limiter, you have to prune the carrots annually to control the bamboo.
2. Create a closed limiter. Like an open-sided limiter, a closed limiter should be approximately 2 to 3 feet deep. Unlike the open-sided limiter, it encloses the bamboo so that no rhizomes can escape. The main benefit of this is obvious - it keeps the bamboo completely contained, although you may still need to check for rhizomes anyway.
   • Again, make sure there is at least 1 inch of the limiter visible above the ground, as this may allow you to notice rhizomes trying to escape over the sides.
3. Consider enclosing the bamboo on one side near a pond or stream. If you plan it properly, a pond or stream along with a three-wall fence will keep the bamboo back in a decorative but effective way. The stream itself is the fourth wall, as the bamboo rhizomes cannot pass through water.
4. Check regularly for escaping rhizomes. If your fence is deep enough and well constructed, your bamboo will not have many places to grow. Still, you should keep a close eye on your bamboo to make sure it doesn't grow out of its allotted space. If you find some naughty bamboo rhizomes, remove them completely: cut them below the surface and consider using one of the steps above to kill the bamboo completely.

Tips

• Non-invasive bamboo (as opposed to invasive bamboo, which is the most invasive and the hardest to control) may be a better option if you still want bamboo in your garden. However, this can also get out of hand and the methods above are good for getting rid of this.
• Dried bamboo leaves can be sharp. The unwanted bamboo is best disposed of in a place such as a compost heap or in a place for environmentally friendly waste.
• Some zoos adopt bamboo to feed pandas. If you want to donate yours, find out if they want it before you cut it down and wait for the chemicals to get out.
• Dried bamboo can be used to build structures in the garden or for small construction projects.

Warnings

• Wear gloves when applying the herbicide or your skin may be irritated.
• Make sure to only apply the herbicide to the plants you want to kill or you will damage other plants in your garden.