12174 Attack of the bamboo.

Ronan, I'm sorry to say you have a problem as we had a similar one years ago in Australia. That bamboo that looked so beautiful became a nightmare. Cutting back the stalks will only encourage growth. What you need to remove are the rhizomes and it is very hard work. They do not run too deep, but they are very strong and you need a very sharp toot (and lots of care) to do it. There are special barriers made of material, but this will also require digging and the possibility of the slope subsiding. Not many weedkillers work with bamboo. We ended up having to use one as well, but I can't remember the name. What worries me is how can you control a pesticide when you have a slope for it to run. Just an idea I had, and I do not know whether it may work, but it will not cause damage to other plants. A French neighbour showed me how she used to kill weeds, some of them very strong using only boiling water. You simply boil the kettle and immediately pour it on top of the problem plant. Now, it has to be really boiling, not simply hot water. Try to drench the area with boiling water several times. Possibly, this would weaken the rhizome and they may be easier to remove. I would start with a small area and see how it works. Keep us posted and good luck!

Hi Ronan

In addition to the ideas you'll pick up here, go and ask the boss man at Benedetti's consorzio opposite Penny Market. He is very knowledgeable and will give the local solution if one exists. I unfortunatley had to kill off a large heavily deseased tree last year and did so by chopping it down to knee height and then injecting the stump (into a series of pre-drilled holes) with some liquid that had a skull and crossbones on the bottle.

Failing that buy a Giant Panda :bigergrin:

Good luck

A solution that works in the UK on Japanese Knotweed is to cut down the stems you want to lose.
Pour into the hollow a glyphosate based weedkiller - Monsanto do a professional version of Roundup.

You may have to repeat, and the weedkiller may spread further into the plant than you want, but whatever is left will regrow quite quickly.

You may be able to limit the extent of the regrowth by driving steel plates into the ground to define the boundary - shouldn't br too deep if Gala is correct.

Glyphosate does eventually kill the Japanese knotweed rhizomes, but it does tak a few goes.

The problem with that idea here in Italy is can the chemical affect the well, that may supply your drinking water? Professional strength weed killers are only supplied to farmers who are licenced in some way. If you bring the stuff over form England I think it is illegal but people do apparently.

Better check if you Well or Spring water will be affected. Sorry I am not an expert on these matters but it has come up in past discussions locally.

I suggest contacting local bamboo enthusiasts, such as [URL="http://www.bambuitalia.it/"]AIB - [/URL][URL="http://www.bambuitalia.it/"]L’Associazione Italiana Bambù[/URL]. Your bamboo seems to be a large-growing, timber type and the culms (poles) would be valuable for woodworkers and craftsmen. Also, if the species/cultivar you have is unusual enough, some of the AIB members might be keen to come dig out some of the offending roots so they can have them!

When the roots are under control, I suggest digging a trench between the bamboo and your patio, and pouring a concrete barrier (about 18in/45cm deep or more, 4-6in/10-15cm wide). This will 'deflect' advancing rhizomes. It also helps if this barrier is a few inches above ground, but this can look unsightly. One very attractive treatment I recall was an interesting undulating barrier (like a very low serpentine wall) - not only was it attractive, it also gently 'turned around' the rhizomes instead of them hitting it square-on!

Consider why the bamboo is advancing in this unwanted direction. If available water or soil lies only in this direction (I am not sure about your 'slope'), the above measures may need to be fortified further.

[quote=hortulus-aptus;117121]I suggest contacting local bamboo enthusiasts, such as [URL="http://www.bambuitalia.it/"]AIB - [/URL][URL="http://www.bambuitalia.it/"]L’Associazione Italiana Bambù[/URL].[/quote]

I'm amazed ther is such a thing! I mean don't get me wrong, it's jolly useful stuff for tying up your beans and tomatoes and numerous other uses, but boy is it a b****d to get rid off. Ou plot of land was a complete jungle of bamboo, combined with brambles. We have had a hell of a time getting rid of it for the last 4 years and it still comes back. Manual digging and removing them several metre long rhyzomes was the only option on our terraces, which are also planted with numerous fruit trees and now vegetable beds.

I've always wondered, if anyone's written a book such as 1001 uses for bamboo.

[quote=Heiko;117128]I'm amazed ther is such a thing! I mean don't get me wrong, it's jolly useful stuff for tying up your beans and tomatoes and numerous other uses, but boy is it a b****d to get rid off. Ou plot of land was a complete jungle of bamboo, combined with brambles. We have had a hell of a time getting rid of it for the last 4 years and it still comes back. Manual digging and removing them several metre long rhyzomes was the only option on our terraces, which are also planted with numerous fruit trees and now vegetable beds.

I've always wondered, if anyone's written a book such as 1001 uses for bamboo.[/quote]

In fact, there are many!! Bamboo is used for countless types of constructions in Japan and China, from buildings and structures to simple and spontaneous ways of carrying something home from the market. Its pliable but strong nature has been exploited in myriad ways.

I agree that it is a real problem to remove, so whenever a client suggests planting it, I always carefully make sure they really know what they are getting themselves into! And yes, there are many who feel it is the best thing to plant in their garden!!

If you do your research well, and have a reliable source, there are some beautiful 'clumping' types that stay within bounds or 'run' very little.

And I believe bamboo is used for construction in earthquake zones so possibly we should be growing more of it?

Are you sure what you are describing is bamboo - we have been fighting to rid our plot of cane which sounds very much as you describe. I believe it was often introduced to form a solid bed of shallow roots to purify waste water / sewage etc from farm properties. Unfortunately this has left many of us struggling with the stuff which is invasive, pretty ugly and very difficult to be rid off.

It is possible to dig up as the tubers are shallow and persistance over some years will work but it is hard work and only a viable option if the plot to be cleared is relatively small.

Weedkiller is an option using repeated doses of Round-up, or you may be able to buy something more potent. Not sure about needing a license, the very nice man at our local consortio has suggested a combination of two chemicals which I am currently testing. Round-up will work better on re-growth which is in the process of re-growing after cutting back to ground level.

Another option is to hire a man with a good sized digger who can literally lift the tubers which fail to re-grow if turned upside down and exposed to the sun to dry out.

Basically we are using all approaches and we are winning but it will probably take three more years to be rid of the stuff.

Good luck

Mama mia! I think I think I will continue to cut out the odd bunch of pea sticks from local hedgerows and not plant my own bamboos. As for distinction between bamboo and giant reed - the bamboo stem is a lot harder and will last a couple of years in the garden whereas reed will only last one season. There is an estate near here with several miles of bamboo hedge I wonder if they really realised what they were doing when they planted it?

Is it bamboo or canna? Down here canna is technically protected - being mediterranean fauna, I gave up trying to dig it out, I just harvest it. Cut it in January, let it dry out and then use it/sell it for pergola roofs, or to people for the almond/carob harvest!