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What can I kill bamboo with?


Le_Jars

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Sounds unlikely - what is it growing among that you want to keep?  If it just needs keeping in bounds then sinking paving stones or similar around the limits works.  It is not very deep rooting - you should be able to dig it out from the areas where you don't want it (though you may uproot other things in the process and have to replant them).  Or do you want rid of it altogether?

Phil

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If it's possible & you want to keep some Bamboo, this might help.  We were advised to keep the Bamboo in a plastic pot & then plant it in the garden - to stop it spreading.  I know it may be a little late now, but if you transplant some into a pot, it would keep it under control.
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[quote user="Le_Jars"]Sounds like I'll just have to dig up what we don't want then. Oh well... I assumed (knowing the French) that they'd have a chemical solution.
[/quote]

Or some massively powerful chain saw.

Ian

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[quote user="Ab"]Don,t panda's eat bamboo?-if so it would be a nice idea for you.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

There was a joke about “the panda” with the punch line “eats, shoots and leaves”.  However, the rest is not repeatable on a public forum !!

 

Ian

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

We have a huge bamboo and like it very much however it has a habit of producing new shoots at this time of year and they seem to appear a little too close to the shed and the swimming pool...any suggestions? We have been told that the best way to deal is to dig a trench around it and then what?

Help please..nothing too compicated or backbreaking as we're both have dodgy backs!!

 

C

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We have one bamboo and considered buying another 3 to form a screen, but I only want something 'light' looking. The 'big plant' nursery that we would buy from said it was fine just to thin out the older canes, I assume they meant prune them at ground level ? Although you may need a fairly hefty pair of pruners for the job !
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[quote user="cameol"]

We have a huge bamboo and like it very much however it has a habit of producing new shoots at this time of year and they seem to appear a little too close to the shed and the swimming pool... We have been told that the best way to deal is to dig a trench around it and then what?

[/quote]

Stick paving slabs (or slates - lighter on your back) vertically into the trench then backfill.  The slabs/slates need to be twice as deep as the normal root depth of your bamboo.  Don't leave any gaps between slabs or the devils will escape.  For slates overlap them slightly.  This forms a (usually) impenetrable physical barrier.

Running bamboos (I don't now whether yours is one, so ignore this if it isn't) shouldn't be planted where they haven't got room to run - you'd be better off with a clump-forming type if this one is too rampant.  Even the clump-formers want to spread eventually, though.

Phil

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[quote user="Russethouse"]We have one bamboo and considered buying another 3 to form a screen, but I only want something 'light' looking. The 'big plant' nursery that we would buy from said it was fine just to thin out the older canes, I assume they meant prune them at ground level ? Although you may need a fairly hefty pair of pruners for the job ![/quote]

I love bamboos.  Fargesia murieliae is quite light and feathery, grows to about 3-4 metres and is good as a screen.  It grows fairly quickly but we've always found it easy to keep under control as it's a clump former.  If it got too big we used to hack a bit off the edge and give it away.  The plant we brought over here from our old garden isn't at that stage yet, unfortunately.

We used to buy one large sized pot then chop it into three with a sharp

spade or an old bread knife to make more of a display or screen - most

bamboos will soon fill out.  Keep well watered until established but

don't feed or they can become floppy.

If you're getting more of whatever you've already got then chopping out at ground level, or as near as you can, is fine if what you want to do is make the stand more airy.  Alternatively you can strip the lower leaves which also reveals more of the stem if it's an attractively stemmed type. 

Phil[:)]

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Thanks for all of that, unfortunately ours is huge,albiet very 'handsome' and greatly admired. I think its a 'clump' type and has probably been there for some years. We bought the house 2 years ago and now realise we will have to do something to stop it spreading its roots as we had the shed and the above ground pool installed since we moved in and the bamboo is in fairly close proximaty. The slab suggestion sounds the nearest to a solution, may have to wait until out sons come over and inform them that they need to work for their board and lodging!!!

I have a digital photo of it but not sure that I can include it in this post? Please feel free to contradict me should this not be the case.

C

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