We went after one of our bamboo plantings this weekend, the Asian Lemon Bamboo (Bambusa eutuldoides viridi-vittata -- with the yellow canes in the picture below, at age 18 months), with a Sawzall.

We thinned the other one by about a third a couple of weeks ago (it's a Bambusa chungii Barballata, or Barbie for short), and it now has about a dozen new culms (the individual stalks), the tallest of which is about 12' (in two weeks. You do the math). I think we made it mad.

Both of these stay shorter than about 25', and both are the clumping type; nurseries, or at least responsible ones, don't sell the running bamboos. But even these clumping bamboo expand their territory little by little. I put them, each tiny guys in 3-gallon containers, in above-surface planters -- rings of landscaping bricks filled with topsoil -- a couple of years ago, and new we're getting the occasional new culm sprouting outside the rings.

They're both supposed to be good down to about 20

 

I vote you save some time and get the pet panda!

Looks neat!

 

I hate bamboo!!!

I have tried about 10 different methods to eradicate without success. I could kill the previous owner of my house, who had the limited vision to plant it as a ground cover.

If anyone has a good method to kill it off, I would like to hear it.

Michael

 

There used to be some kind of liquid poison that you painted on freshly cut stumps that would (supposedly) be taken up by the tree's sap system and kill the roots.

I don't know if it's still available, given all the controls on such things we have now, but perhaps that would work. Prune off a baby shoot and paint the stump; doing it enough times might kill the underground root system.

Good luck -- I can see how the running bamboos would be a real nightmare. HPH

 

Our previous next door neighbor planted his entire forest in bamboo -- at least a half acre of the stuff. It has been invading our lawn for at least 10 years. We even had a backhoe come in, dig it up, and then we had a big bon fire. The popping sounds it makes when burning sounded like mortar rounds. Yet, it still comes back. We're now facing the dilemma of trying to get rid of a huge new stand . If you discover a way to kill it, please share.

 

dont live in your area of the country but would think a functional broad leaf herbicide would be successful on bamboo. dont purchase the herbicide from home depot tho, take a field trip out of town to a agricultural co op where they sell the stuff en mass.

people in my neighborhood have an older house and rely shallow wells, apply the junk with respect.

 

I really want to be careful with any kind of herbicide since we have a creek at the border of our lawn. Don't want to poison the wildlife.

 

Round-Up is biodegradable, at least. But it isn't selective, so be careful. HPH