Best attachment to dig up bamboo rhizomes?

[CampyVA]

Hi all,

This spring I had an entire stand, about an acre, of running bamboo mowed down by a forestry muncher I hired. As expected, the bamboo is growing back, but I’m hoping that with repeated mowing and applications of herbicide it will eventually die.

To speed the process up, I’m wondering if there’s a ground engaging implement I could use to dig up the rhizomes. They grow only about a foot or less below the surface.

Any ideas?
Thanks!

 

[CoyPatton]

Short of a backhoe or excavator, I do not know of an implement (3ph) that will dig that deep.
You might encounter a few attachments (FEL) that will allow you to dig that deep—stump bucket comes to mind. But these will be terribly slow even compared to a backhoe.
I would suggest grouping together several projects and rent an mini excavator for a few days or a weekend, if you do not want to just control them with frequent mowing.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

I’d try something that gets down close to 12” deep. Start with scarifies and see if they can do anything constructive or just buy one of those rippers that goes 18” deep. I’m sure any agitation will be better than none.

The rhizomes, which is the part that actually spreads, usually stay fairly shallow, less than 12 inches.

 

[Jchonline]

Maybe a middle buster or plow? What have you tried?

 

[ptsg]

My experience with those is that the only way to get rid of it is to take all the rhizomes out.

Mowing or tilling over it, will just cause it to grow faster, strong and to spread everywhere. Yeah, I've tilled over those, only to just have it spread all over the place.

So something that can dig under the roots and pull it up is the way to go. Probably a plow like Jcholine suggested.

Or maybe a potato digger like this one, although, these won't go that deep and may not be strong enough.

 

[Scar0B2150]

Bamboo roots can get as deep a 2'-3' below grade. Backhoe or excavator is the way to go if you don't want it back. The majority of the rhizomes are in the top 12"-18"

 

[jeff9366]

I have excavated a thousand Palmettos with a FEL bucket spade.

My bucket spade is from Bucket Solutions. It is a little too heavy and too long for your Deere 3032e. There are other bucket spade brands suited to tractors of Deere 3032e weight. Paumco is likely the brand matched to your Deere 3032e.

MORE:

Front-End Loader - BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT

I am a fan of Bucket Solutions' clamp-on Bucket Spade. It is

www.tractorbynet.com

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=paumco+quick+spade+attachment

I suggest renting a mini excavator for a few days or a weekend if you do not want to control them with frequent mowing.

Another good approach.

Attachments

• 
  DSC00692.JPG

  4.7 MB · Views: 1,517

 

[Kennyrichmond]

Local ordinance adopted in Philadelphia suburb left my son threatened with extremely onerous fines for bamboo spreading onto neighboring property. Landscaper wanted $16K to cut it down and process it through a powerful chipper. So, we chained sawed the 40-50 foot high stalks down, grappled them, and pushed them into a rented heavy duty diesel-driven chipper. Next, we quickly took care of the visible Rhizomes with a Woodmills stump grinder, waited two weeks after rain until more appeared, then ground the remainder out. This was all done with a Deere 1025R FTLB SCUT with an
Artillian grapple/diverter. The rhizome grinding dulled the carbide teeth on the Woodmill Stump grinder, but these were easily redressed with a $50.00 modified Harbor Freight diamond carbide saw blade sharpener. 1/4 acre, 3 men, three days = bamboo gone.

 

[MoMower]

My experience with those is that the only way to get rid of it is to take all the rhizomes out.

Mowing or tilling over it, will just cause it to grow faster, strong and to spread everywhere. Yeah, I've tilled over those, only to just have it spread all over the place.

So something that can dig under the roots and pull it up is the way to go. Probably a plow like Jcholine suggested.

Or maybe a potato digger like this one, although, these won't go that deep and may not be strong enough.

Who makes that? Thanks

 

[Botaskinner]

Hi Campy,
I had a similar situation with running bamboo coming under about 90 feet of fence and invading our property.
At the time I had a Kubota B2320. I used a TSC middle buster for the first attack, making multiple passes at 0, 90, 45, and 135 degrees to the fence. Next was the box blade, scarifiers full down, multiple passes until the entire area was completely dug up.
Since I needed to regrade the area for drainage, I piled the roots and soil for transport off the property to another lot where the owner needed fill.

I never heard of those cuttings regrowing at the new location.

I probably removed the first 12" of soil in the process. No regrowth except at the fence, and that was manageable..happily we sold the property 4 years later and it's someone else's problem.

And we did disclose that situation.

23 HP is probably the minimum I would want for this kind of work. I did hit a few clusters that stopped the tractor, just had to back up and plow some more until the roots gave up.

 

[PuffyC]

There are a million different kinds of bamboo so it might help to know which variety you're dealing with. I've dealt with a lot of bamboo in a few different places and in my experience simple mowing will keep it in check. Anything left living will always spread of course, but if you can isolate it and keep it mowed, the rhizomes will eventually die on their own.

 

[kenmbz]

I used a brush cutter trimmer and herbicide, had quite a few hundred square feet.
Wherever it came back, backhoe to catch on the rhizome and lift out.
Not fast, but effective. The stuff will keep popping up for a while, so need to keep a watch unless you have the time to lift everything. and yes they can go down a foot or two under ground. They should outlaw this stuff. It's no fun when driving down the backroads in winter to find a whole stand of bamboo laid down with snow on the road.

 

[i7win7]

Would a tree puller work? not a bamboo expert

 

[ptsg]

Who makes that? Thanks

These are made under several Portuguese implement manufacturers. All pretty much similar, just slightly different construction between them.

They also made a vibrating potato digger powered by PTO.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

The only bamboo we see up here is in the form of a long handled back scratcher...

However we do have creeping "bush" that will encroach into and swallow up pasture or hay fields unless you are diligent with it..
-- --- --
Anything left living will always spread of course, but if you can isolate it and keep it mowed, the rhizomes will eventually die on their own.
++ ++ ++
That seems the thing here.. I have found with what we deal with, that if you keep it mowed, paint the cut ends with Round Up and keep at it, the stuff will eventually die out..

It seems the WORST thing you can do is disk it, cut it up with a sub soil shank or the like.. This seems to create more "ends" that will sprout new trunks..

Again it is kind of time consuming but if you put a soup can on a short stick, and a small paint brush on a short stick, this to paint the fresh mowed ends of the trunks as you go.. The quicker you can paint the ends before they dry the better.. Painting cut ends usually does not seem to adversely affect near by things you do not want to harm..

My 5 cents of experience...

 

[two_bit_score]

The only bamboo we see up here is in the form of a long handled back scratcher...

However we do have creeping "bush" that will encroach into and swallow up pasture or hay fields unless you are diligent with it..
-- --- --
Anything left living will always spread of course, but if you can isolate it and keep it mowed, the rhizomes will eventually die on their own.
++ ++ ++
That seems the thing here.. I have found with what we deal with, that if you keep it mowed, paint the cut ends with Round Up and keep at it, the stuff will eventually die out..

It seems the WORST thing you can do is disk it, cut it up with a sub soil shank or the like.. This seems to create more "ends" that will sprout new trunks..

Again it is kind of time consuming but if you put a soup can on a short stick, and a small paint brush on a short stick, this to paint the fresh mowed ends of the trunks as you go.. The quicker you can paint the ends before they dry the better.. Painting cut ends usually does not seem to adversely affect near by things you do not want to harm..

My 5 cents of experience...

I think you are spot on!

 

[DieselBound]

Repeated mowings will kill most everything, eventually. "Repeated" means several times per year, as well as over the course of several years. Roots/bulbs will starve if you deprive them of energy (from above-ground). I've spent MANY years fighting blackberries (reed canary grass will also, eventually, succumb- kept mowed and other grasses will replace).

I've made plenty of messes using excavators. I can't fathom using one to tear up large swaths of land. But, one has to do what one has to do.

 

[Richard]

We had a patch along the drive between the houses & the lake. I didn't mind it at all. Wife & neighbor (her cousin) decided they'd like it gone.

His nephew came out with one of those forester grinders (no idea what it's called....a big NASTY drum on the front of a skid steer and simply ripped everything before it to shreds)

He shredded it and I/we've since mowed over them a couple times with a rotary cutter.

Today if you go down there you can still see greenery where it is/was standing but, instead of up to 2 1/2" stalks coming up, virtually everything I can see is about knee height (growing VERY slow compared to normal) and is about the size of a pencil.

It's due for another cutting but I've been watching it as I'm curious why it's different than before. (could it be tunneling underground preparing to sprout up elsewhere??)

Aside from that, it's been managable now to simply mow it down.

 

[Smokeydog]

Don’t have bamboo experience but the Danuser Intimdator has been helpful to control the many invasive plants we have. Many grow where we can’t mow. Particularly close to fences, ditch banks and buildings. Shallow rooted privet, multifora rose and Russian olive. Many the small B26 can handle. Built to take out trees with the bigger tractor.