Re: stubborn bamboo

Hi there. Bamboo is really hard to get rid of - especially if the bamboo thicket has been there for years. Bamboo is very resilient and its roots grow sometimes grow down several feet deep and the root "network" covers a wide area. Even if you pull out all of the roots, bamboo shoots will appear again in a matter of months - maybe weeks even. The trick you tried to do is one of the popular methods for starving the bamboo root. However, that technique is a 50/50 proposition AFAIK.

I think your best bet would be digging up all the roots, getting rid of the root network, getting rid of the soil that has the bamboo..."spores" (I forgot what those are called) and just be vigilant that every time a shoot grows, pull it out.

Good luck.

Re: stubborn bamboo

Bamboo is a grass and we know how difficult it is to kill grass.

Herbicides or weed killer chemicals can be tried, but I doubt if they can reach the deep roots of bamboo. So long as the shoots are killed as soon as they sprout, the bamboo clump will soon exhaust its resources and eventually die. But any shoot allowed to live a few days will already be recharging the roots with nutrients.

Re: stubborn bamboo

thanks guys.. what im dealing with are several bamboo thickets(?) so going for the roots would really require much effort. and yes, they were years old.

as regards to appplying herbicides, would it not affect the soil if i eventually garden it after clearing?

anyway, il just have to cut and cut and cut the shoots till they they eventually ..die.

Re: stubborn bamboo

Well, you can try another way pero this would me much harder and would require more work and..well...money.

Once you have pulled out all the thicket roots, you can remove around a foot and a half (maybe more) of the soil where the thicket grew then replace it with new soil then pack the soil.

Re: stubborn bamboo

dre... anong klase bang kawayan yan? baka naman yung onamental type at pwede nang ma-retain sa garden mo....who knows baka mangailangan ka ng kawayan e di may source ka na....:)

Re: stubborn bamboo

hintay mo na lang ang bamboo shoots (labong), sarap nyan. may source ka na ng ulam lagi ;D

Re: stubborn bamboo

Please do not use herbicide, it's not environmentally friendly. You failed to mention how big is the area coverred. If it's not wide enough, why don't you just dig and cut starting from the outer portion going to the core. You don't have to do it at one sitting.

Re: stubborn bamboo

I agree with manggyver, herbicides are not good because it seeps down the groundwater and can contaminate the soil for years to come.

Re: stubborn bamboo

how about using saltwater or apog?

Re: stubborn bamboo

there are several thickets.. they're big and old with the highest at around 75 meters. pero ok na, na-clear na. yun nga lang tumutubo uli. going for the roots would be cumbersome at maluwang yung nacover nung kawayan. wala man nagbabantay and mga once a month lang ako nakakapasyal.

i dont think ornamental yung klase ng kawayan na yun, makalat coz of their falling leaves and pinamamahayan ng mga lamok. napakinabangan ko nmn mga kawayan at nagtayo kmi ng bahay-kubo-kahit-munti na di pan tapos at gazebo.

i agree with the point re the use of herbicides.. yung apog ive heard about it na rin.. how about the kalburo? may nka-try na sa inyo?

yes, masarap ang labong. yun ang inuulam nmn nga mga kasama kong nag-clear ng lupa. dami nmn nakuha 🙂

thanks for the replies.

Re: stubborn bamboo

I've tried apog and kalburo at my nanay's place - same result: them shoots keep showing up.

Re: stubborn bamboo

I have to agree with Bunge - Kung kawayan tinik or giant bamboo yan I would wait for the labong - did you guys see the price of labong in the market? In fact nagkakanakawan ng labong sa Tanay pa nga eh 🙁

Re: stubborn bamboo

Bamboo is a grass and we know how difficult it is to kill grass.
but Please do not use herbicide, it's not environmentally friendly. You failed to mention how big is the area coverred. If it's not wide enough, why don't you just dig and cut starting from the outer portion going to the core. You don't have to do it at one sitting.

Re: stubborn bamboo

Think well