Q&A for How to Kill Bamboo

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Will bleach kill bamboo?

Community Answer

No, bleach will not kill your bamboo. However, it will take the stains out of your bamboo.

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Can the area be covered with concrete if I want to get rid of bamboo?

Community Answer

Bamboo can not only survive concrete, but also break through it eventually, cracking and ruining your concrete.

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Will dry ice kill bamboo?

Community Answer

Yes, it will.

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Question

Will vinegar harm my soil?

Al Rosenberg

Community Answer

It should not. It may increase the acidity for a short time, but the acid is quickly neutralized.

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Will a controlled fire destroy bamboo?

Community Answer

Unfortunately, no. The bamboo will regrow.

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Question

What should I do if the bamboo that is entangled in my fence is growing from my neighbor's property?

Community Answer

Some municipalities have laws regarding "encroachment" of vegetation, shrub overhang, etc. It means legal intervention, but bamboo will spread further into your yard as time goes on.

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Can I use a heavy-duty tiller to break up the rhizomes?

Community Answer

Yes - if you want a whole bunch of new rhizomes evenly spread out in easy-to-grow-in soil so they pop up even better. The only way to get rid of it is physically removing the roots and watching out for what grows from seeds, then remove any of that new growth with gusto.

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Question

After removing bamboo, do I need to remove the remaining roots in the soil or can I kill them off with root killer?

Community Answer

The roots will be attached to a bit of rhizome, so you do need to remove everything that you find. You can remove most of it and then treat new growth as it appears, thus getting the best out of the two methods.

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Question

Where do I buy the bamboo barrier?

Community Answer

Try your local hardware store. Or google it - there are plenty of suppliers online. Don't forget eBay, too.

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Question

Will boiling water kill the roots?

Rob Taylor

Community Answer

Technically, yes. But on order to kill it, you must heat the root up to boiling point. The most you will accomplish by pouring hot water on it is to scald the outside surface of the root.

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Question

Can I kill bamboo with spray paint?

Community Answer

No. It is a rhizome, and it requires killing the root. Spray paint will only serve to make your yard colorful.

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If invasive bamboo is growing in an area that I plan to backfill, will it grow up through my new soil?

Community Answer

It will, though it may take a little time to show through.

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Question

My neighbor's bamboo is growing into my yard where I have a well. What's the fastest, least work-intensive, and safest legal way to drive the bamboo back and contain it?

Community Answer

Cut the rhizomes or use glyphosate on the bamboo and shoots. Make sure the adult bamboo is already cut.

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Question

How can I kill the bamboo in my farm pond without hurting the fish?

Community Answer

Bamboo does not normally grow in water. It must be another type of weed. Check with your local extension service.

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Question

Does the poison have any harmful effect on humans?

Community Answer

It is toxic to animals (including humans) at some doses, but glyphosate is a pretty safe option for killing bamboo.

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Question

If I use glyphosate to spray bamboo shoots, can I replant in the same area in a few months?

Mark Harrison

Community Answer

Yes. Glysophate is a "systemic" herbicide. That means it's basically absorbed through the leaves (and then carried down to the rest of the plant internally). It's not well absorbed through roots, and degrades quickly. Note that there are sufficient concerns about its effect on human health that some countries have banned it, and others are considering banning it. So I'd avoid its use if you are going to be planting things you'll ultimately eat, and avoid spraying on a windy day.

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Question

What is the best thing to use to cut the bamboo stalks?

Community Answer

You should use loppers (mentioned in the beginning of this article). You can find them at your local hardware store.

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Question

How long will it take dry bamboo to break down in a compost pile? Is there any way to hasten this?

Community Answer

It could take several years for bamboo to begin breaking down. After it becomes brittle, you could hasten the process a bit by breaking up the bamboo.

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Question

Will pouring lots of salt on the area work?

Community Answer

Salt does not harm bamboo; you may end up harming all plants around the bamboo (also the soil). You can try hydrochloric acid, but in an extremely diluted concentration so you don't harm the soil.

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Question

Instead of using chemicals on the shaft, once cut, would rock salt poured in and covered kill it?

Community Answer

No. About the only thing that will kill it is Triox, if they still make it.

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Question

Would bamboo roots do damage to our foundation and invade into the house?

Community Answer

It could. It will grow through concrete.

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Question

If my bamboo is growing up through existing trees and shrubs, will they be harmed if I use the method of cutting and painting on root killer?

Community Answer

Glyphosate shouldn't harm the other plants, as long as none of it contacts them.

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Question

If I cut the bamboo down to soil level and soak with creosote, will this kill it?

Community Answer

No, it won't. Creosote is a petroleum-based product and won't affect it at all.

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Question

Will cutting bamboo to one meter high kill it and its roots?

Community Answer

No, it won't. Not even cutting it to the ground will kill bamboo. To kill it, you need to remove the rhizomes from the ground.

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Question

Will Epsom salts kill bamboo?

Community Answer

Salt is very effective at killing bamboo. Tables salt, pool salt, does no matter. I let the stalks get large enough to there is a hallow cavity between the joints. Then cut just below one about a foot off the ground. Fill it with salt, leave a little space at top for rain water to enter. In about a week or two the stalk will start to turn brown ad the top, refill with salt if needed. Over the course of a few weeks to a month, the stalk will die all the way down to the room ball and stop growth of roots from that source. You literally can pull the dead root ball out of the ground after a while. I have controlled spread around perimeter and slowly moved inward.

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Question

Will vinegar kill bamboo stumps?

Community Answer

One of the best organic methods to kill bamboo is with distilled white vinegar. Vinegar is highly acidic and will kill new growth. If your bamboo grows in clumps, then you don't have to worry about it having underground rhizomes.

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Question

I dug up the main bamboo plants last year but there are thousands or what I assume are rhizomes - they look like dead hairy twigs, are the bits of rhizomes able to grow again?

Community Answer

Yes, it is possible that they can still be alive. Remove them and discard in the dump or other waste area to prevent possible regrowth.

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