We have a lot of clumps of bamboo we want to remove in a property we have just moved into. I think(wildly guessing) that it’s clumping bamboo not running. There is some bamboo about 2 meters away in their garden but that’s the only other bamboo. It’s also growing around a big sweet chestnut tree and a couple small unknow trees. Is anyone knowledgeable enough to know the best way to remove this? I know it’ll be difficult but would rather not go in blind where possible.
by idonthaveasingleclu
4 Comments
So long as you are reasonably strong, you need a mattock and maybe loppers and a pruning saw: dig out as much of the root as you can.
Wear gloves and long sleeves: you can get hives from some bamboo, particularly the rough drying outer bits of stem.
Edit to add I’m not too sure how well you’ll do around the trees as there’s a risk you’ll damage the other roots.
That’s pseudosasa japonica. I have a grove of it myself that I contain inside a trench that I dig out about twice a year. It’s classified as a runner but has characteristics of a clumping bamboo. The rhizomes don’t go terribly deep but that looks like it hasn’t been maintained at all. So it’s going to be a challenge.
Be careful digging out around the horse chestnut. You don’t want to damage the tree, I hope. You could cut the bamboo canes down to the ground in the area around the tree. Then, as new culms emerge, let them grow and cut to the ground just before they leaf out. Eventually that will exhaust the bamboo. It will die and you can leave it in situ.
Whatever you do avoid injecting glyphosate or applying chemicals. That will kill the bamboo but it will also cause a bunch of collateral damage to insects and surrounding nature. It’s generally better to leave herbicides to the professionals who can apply it properly and keep it contained as most are carcinogenic.
Good luck.
Its not going to be a lot of fun.Digging it out is easier said than done-if its ran through the chesnut’s root system its basically impossible anyway.Cutting down to ground level is a recipe for it to ‘run’.
If the clump isn’t too extensive there may be a case for letting sleeping dogs lie.
It can be a nightmare to deal with.
I’d rather tackle J.knotweed all day long tbh.
Are you sure you want to remove it?
It’s nice to look at, clumping bamboo is safe, and it looks quite mature (which takes many years to get to).