how to kill bamboo in your yard?

Question

My ex-husband planted bamboo in our backyard about 5 years ago and I have been fighting it ever since. I have tried Ortho Heavy Brush Killer but it has only killed my grass. Please tell me how to get rid of this stuff without killing my yard. I hate this stuff

Answer 1

I have read that bamboo is even harder to kill than ivy, and that both are foolish to plant. I once decided not to buy a house because the backyard was all ivy.

I also read that after the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the bamboo began growing back right away.

Sorry you have it, but I think you are stuck...

Answer 2

A lasting memory of your ex......lovely.

You'll need a campaign of Roundup.........many applications and then a fortified version. First off all, buy the conentrate that you mix with water. Also buy ammonium sulfate fertilizer, 22-0-0. A small bag will probably be fine, otherwise a big bag, you can use it elsewhere......like the lawn.

Warm water, not hot, just nice and warm......start stirring and slowly adding the fertilizer. When the solution will no longer accept anymore fertilizer--that is it is a saturated solution--add the Roundup concentrate. Spray with this. Spray just the bamboo, if the boo is mixed into the lawn, sacrifice the lawn, it is easily replaced after the boo is gone. When finished, wash out the sprayer well, don't pour the rinse on any vegetation. Do this again every 2 weeks. (bummer) In the mean time, keep watering the darn boo to encourage it to grow (and move the poison thru it's system). You must kill every silly millimeter of the stuff above and below ground. It will take a full year......trust me, we did it for clients around town. If any of this stuff has slipped into your neighbors' yards, it can return to yours.

As a side note: when the state decided to upgrade the freeway in one section I asked the person in charge what they did with the bamboo along the side. He answered,"We buried it 8 feet under dirt. Our landscape architect assured us it wouldn't come back." I bet him the boo would be back within a year........I won.

Answer 3

Ok we just had a guy come and get rid of ours. You basically have to dig up the main plant- roots and all. You will still get shoots popping up here and there that you will need to pull up, but eventually it will be all gone in time. No amount of killer gets rid of them once they root in. You are wasting your money. Either hire someone to come in and rid you of them or you can do them yourself. It is a lot of work depending on how much you have. Good luck. We had a bunch around our pond and to tell you how quickly it seeds both of our neighbors now have it in their yard from ours-hehe. The ivy that we had was worse. It was 2 houses down. They are awful. Two plants that should be outlawed- Bamboo unless it is contained and ivy! YUCK! They may be beautiful at first, but then you realize what a mistake.

Answer 4

I had Giant Bamboo on our side yard, we were told not to plant it because it would grow out of control... Of course we didn't listen. so after chain sawing down and filling 2 - 30yard containers, the sprouts came back within 2 days. I dug & dug & dug & dug for about 2 years. Tried total vegitation killer and every chemical known to Home Depot. I poured 80 pounds of rocksalt on it watered it in (this did slow it) I tried bags of charcole and lighter fluid to burn the stuff out. I tried dock and post presertative (Copper Tox) And still had to dig the roots out....

We did get rid of it eventually.... We sold the house!!!!

There was also an elephant ear tree in that same yard that was just as hard to get rid of.... the power company had to come out because the branches grew around the power lines...

Answer 5

I feel your pain, the only thing that will permanently get rid of bamboo is digging ALL of it up. We rented a teramite(machine) from a rental store and dug it up. You can prevent it from spreading if you dig a trench 12-18" deep and place ametal barrier. Digging up Bamboo is no easy job and requires a lot of labor and disposal.

Answer 6

Just recently took down my deck. Now I want to do something nice in the backyard, and bamboo from my neighbor has spreaded everywhere. It's even busting through my driveway in the front. I'm afraid it's going to ruin my foundation. New shoots pops up everywhere in early spring. Loved it at first, but now, it is frightening.

Answer 7

Sorry, the root system generated by bamboo is such that the only way you can get rid of it is to dig up all affected areas and replace with sterilized soil, re-seed or sod.

Answer 8

They had an episode that covered this on HGTV and it may provide some information for you. See link below..

Answer 9

first of all what kind of bamboo is it and why would u want to get rib of it at all? bamboo is beautiful and if u dry it out you can use it for many beautiful things. please add more details to your question

Answer 10

Hope this helps!