Bamboo - how to kill shoots

Discodog

A friend of mine has moved into a house with a lot of bamboo planted around the margins. He now has the classic problem of Bamboo shoots sprouting all over his gravel path. The problem is that a membrane was put down & then lots of rock so it is not realistic to lift it - there would be a mat of roots underneath.

So can anyone think of an easy way to kill the shoots without killing the main plant that they are attached to ? Pulling them up is impossible as they are rooted under the membrane & cutting them is only a short term answer.

Sonnenblumen

Your options are limited to cutting emerging shoots. This will be an ongoing requirement and if your friend is fortunate, a manageable problem? Unlikely to be be the case though, if as you describe the roots are establishing well under the membrane. I'm afraid, there's trouble ahead. The bamboo should have been planted with root barriers originally.

Containing the spread of even 'clumping' bamboo in open ground can be problematic and very difficult to control.

Discodog

I am wondering whether a contact, not systemic, weedkiller might work on the more distant shoots.

slowburner

Traditionally, slates were buried vertically around the parent plant to restrict shoots.

recedite

Insert the barrier of roof tiles now at the edge of the path, cutting through any rhizomes there, then use Roundup on anything the wrong side of it.

Discodog

The ground is too rocky & the shoots are pretty thick. I lifted a small section of membrane & the is an incredible mat of shoots, some of them 1 cm thick :eek:. It's either going to need a trench dug with a mini digger or steel plates hammered in.

recedite

A garden spade will easily cut through 1 cm roots.

Cicero

any chance I could ask- how can you transfer bamboo to another part of the garden- any links or advice greatly appreciated....(didn't want to start a new "bamboo" thread)

Discodog

recedite wrote: »

A garden spade will easily cut through 1 cm roots.

They are shoots not roots & are remarkably tough. I ended up using a serrated knife to saw through them. Also the bedrock underneath makes using a spade difficult - there is no point in going through this unless we are certain that all the shoots have been cut & that a barrier is making an effective seal.

What makes it far worse is that the bamboo was planted in a trench so that the soil level is a foot below the level of the membrane. The shoots had an easy journey up & under the membrane.

beer enigma

Discodog wrote: »

They are shoots not roots & are remarkably tough. I ended up using a serrated knife to saw through them. Also the bedrock underneath makes using a spade difficult - there is no point in going through this unless we are certain that all the shoots have been cut & that a barrier is making an effective seal.

What makes it far worse is that the bamboo was planted in a trench so that the soil level is a foot below the level of the membrane. The shoots had an easy journey up & under the membrane.

I have a similar problem & a spade just doesn't work - the roots are matted together intertwined with rocks etc - the spade just bounces, I started using a long handled axe & am gradually working my way around.

Problem I have is that the shoots that are separate from the bamboo will still grow away, so its going to be a long winter

slowburner

A good sharp mattock is a great tool

looksee

Cicero wrote: »

any chance I could ask- how can you transfer bamboo to another part of the garden- any links or advice greatly appreciated....(didn't want to start a new "bamboo" thread)

Just dig it up and move it. It will die back so you might as well cut it down to ground level now, it will send up new shoots.

johngalway

slowburner wrote: »

A good sharp mattock is a great tool

Yep, I use one about the farm, they're a great job

MarchDub

Cicero wrote: »

any chance I could ask- how can you transfer bamboo to another part of the garden- any links or advice greatly appreciated....(didn't want to start a new "bamboo" thread)

looksee wrote: »

Just dig it up and move it. It will die back so you might as well cut it down to ground level now, it will send up new shoots.

I've been trying to grow bamboo for a few years. Transplanted some from a friend's garden two years ago but it didn't take. Tried it again this year - no luck. I didn't cut it back very much - is this the trick? To cut it back to ground level?

Discodog

slowburner wrote: »

A good sharp mattock is a great tool

I have one that I bought in England. I am now trying to find a lighter version without the axe part. Years ago I saw a set of planting hoes/mattocks. It was three different heads & two lengths of handle in an aluminium case ! The handles were shaped like axe handles so perfect for one handed use. Even with Google I have never seen anything like it since - I've even considered buying an Adze !

The problem is that in my neck of the woods a sharp mattock doesn't stay sharp for long.

Discodog

MarchDub wrote: »

I've been trying to grow bamboo for a few years. Transplanted some from a friend's garden two years ago but it didn't take. Tried it again this year - no luck. I didn't cut it back very much - is this the trick? To cut it back to ground level?

I would always cut any plant back when transplanting. The theory is that you want the roots to take & not be struggling to feed stems & leaves. Water is critical to Bamboo - it is almost a pond marginal. So any young plants need regular watering.

One technique is to take a strong plastic container & cut out the base. Then bury it & put some biodegradable bin liner in the bottom. The idea is that the container restricts the root/shoot spread & the liner helps to retain water until the plant grows & pushes it out of the way.

deandean

These are quite effective::D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyyJSkObD-0

MarchDub

Discodog wrote: »

I would always cut any plant back when transplanting. The theory is that you want the roots to take & not be struggling to feed stems & leaves. Water is critical to Bamboo - it is almost a pond marginal. So any young plants need regular watering.

One technique is to take a strong plastic container & cut out the base. Then bury it & put some biodegradable bin liner in the bottom. The idea is that the container restricts the root/shoot spread & the liner helps to retain water until the plant grows & pushes it out of the way.

Thanks Discodog - very helpful. I knew about the water, and kept them watered but I didn't cut them back enough I now think.

I also like the plastic container technique to retain water- will try that.

slowburner

Discodog wrote: »

I have one that I bought in England. I am now trying to find a lighter version without the axe part. Years ago I saw a set of planting hoes/mattocks. It was three different heads & two lengths of handle in an aluminium case ! The handles were shaped like axe handles so perfect for one handed use. Even with Google I have never seen anything like it since - I've even considered buying an Adze !

The problem is that in my neck of the woods a sharp mattock doesn't stay sharp for long.

I cut the axe part off mine - it's now one of the tools I use most for all sorts of jobs.
Here's a link to a range that might interest you - it's not the set you saw, I remember seeing it too - but it might do the trick.
If I remember rightly, there was an Irish supplier with a catalogue for the tool set you saw.

Merch

I had considered planting bamboo, someone warned me off, was still half tempted, maybe to put them in large/elongated pots, like the look and that they potentially grow quick and give good, but light cover.
After reading this, seems like too much work.

slowburner

Merch wrote: »

I had considered planting bamboo, someone warned me off, was still half tempted, maybe to put them in large/elongated pots, like the look and that they potentially grow quick and give good, but light cover.
After reading this, seems like too much work.

Not all bamboos are invasive. Some give the species a bad name and some are quite civilised

Cicero

Thanks for the replies guys

Merch

slowburner wrote: »

Not all bamboos are invasive. Some give the species a bad name and some are quite civilised

i see, hmm maybe I'll ask around a few garden centres at some point, or is there a better place? any names latin or otherwise?

slowburner

Merch wrote: »

i see, hmm maybe I'll ask around a few garden centres at some point, or is there a better place? any names latin or otherwise?

No better place to look than here (I'm not connected in any way)
http://www.stambamboo.com/

looksee

I had a small, dwarf black bamboo in a good sized pot for about 5 years, and it didn't progress at all, one additional shoot I think. So then I planted it in the ground and within 2 seasons I had a good sized plant.

I then moved it and it promptly apparently died, but when I saw a few new shoots coming up I cut off the dead top and it is now as big as ever, in the same season. I am not sure the cutting the top is essential, just saying that apparently they die back anyway if you move them. It is true they need plenty of water when they are moved.

I think if you are going to grow from a root you need a good big chunk preferably with some soil on. I have never succeeded in growing them from 'bits'.

Discodog

slowburner wrote: »

I cut the axe part off mine - it's now one of the tools I use most for all sorts of jobs.
Here's a link to a range that might interest you - it's not the set you saw, I remember seeing it too - but it might do the trick.
If I remember rightly, there was an Irish supplier with a catalogue for the tool set you saw.

I have been looking for a lighter mattock head to modify. How much weight is made up by the axe part ? The other problem is that the hole in the head is designed for a pick handle rather than a thinner curved axe handle.

An Adze could be ideal but I am a bit wary about using a tool, that has been tempered to cut wood, in stony soil. I think that the set originated in the USA & is probably an adaptation of a Japanese design because the handles were fibre glass whereas all the Japanese ones are wood.

I think that the answer will be to get another mattock head & cut bits off it until it feels right & then put in on a comfortable handle.

slowburner wrote: »

Not all bamboos are invasive. Some give the species a bad name and some are quite civilised

But there is also the problem of plants being mis-labelled or mis-identified.
I recently planted 50 dwarf lavenders along the side of a drive. The nursery assured me that they were all the same species but once they flowered it was obvious that they weren't !

slowburner

I wouldn't worry about plants being mislabeled from the link above. I've bought a fair bit from there and never had a problem.

johngalway

Discodog wrote: »

I think that the answer will be to get another mattock head & cut bits off it until it feels right & then put in on a comfortable handle.

Or visit a blacksmith with a drawing and a handle you want to use.

Discodog

johngalway wrote: »

Or visit a blacksmith with a drawing and a handle you want to use.

Might be tempted to do this as it would get a lot of use & last a lifetime so worth getting it right.

slowburner

I find the weight of the mattock (with the axe part cut off) to be just about perfect. The thickness and temper of the steel has evolved over time - I wouldn't risk changing that. It is a trade off between strength, heft and ability to take many regrinds.
The only thing I would change, is the length of the handle - I find the standard handle just a bit too short and back bending. I don't think I would change the thickness of it though; a fair diameter of Ash in the handle works as an efficient shock absorber - it's not as if you'll never hit a stone.


Isn't it odd that every other nation employs a tool like this for soil cultivation?