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.
Best attachment to dig up bamboo rhizomes?
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kenmbz
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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.
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
Veteran Member
ptsg
Super Member
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
Platinum Member
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..
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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...
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
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I think you are spot on!
DieselBound
Elite Member
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.
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
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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.
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
Elite Member
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.