How to get rid of invasive bamboo?

Among bamboos, they are usually split into two categories: 'well-behaved' cespitose bamboos, non-running and therefore non-invasive, and bamboos far less well-behaved that eventually invade whole garden, and sometimes even neighbour's garden. What to do if you did not take care to place a solid anti-rootstock barrier around those bamboos or if you inherited a plot already well invaded by bamboos? Let's discover how to tackle these invasive bamboos!

Why are some bamboos invasive?

Certain species of bamboos (Phyllostachys sp., Pseudosasa sp., Pleioblastus sp., ...) have running rootstocks that allow gradual spread. Shoots or turions can then emerge several metres from parent plant. To reduce vigour, it is necessary to prevent plant from carrying out photosynthesis by cutting culms flush and regularly removing turions (young shoots) or suckers. After 2 to 3 years, bamboo should be dead.

Among most uncontrollable bamboos: Phyllostachys and Pleioblastus

Required equipment

• Pruning saw
• Chainsaw or brushcutter
• Lawnmower
• Tarpaulin
• Pickaxe

When to act?

March is best time to act.

How to get rid of invasive bamboos?

1. First: dig a 60 cm deep trench around bamboo stump to be removed. Without this trench, cutting culms can trigger bamboo to send its rootstocks much further;
2. Cut all canes (culms) flush using a pruning saw, a brushcutter or a chainsaw;
3. Regularly remove (for 2 to 3 years) turions that reappear from soil: do not wait until they are too large to prevent rootstock from rebuilding reserves. Also, when young turions are very tender, so easy to remove by hand, or simply by mowing over them;
4. An alternative is to spread a black tarpaulin over area where turions usually reappear. Deprived of light, they will die. To hold tarpaulin in place, use breeze blocks or large stones;
5. Finally, and to speed up process, you can try to remove large rootstocks using a pickaxe. In case of bamboo invasion persisting for several years, it may be useful to call professionals with an excavator. Note that a single piece of rootstock with at least 3 nodes can allow bamboo to regrow;
6. Keep tracking down every young bamboo shoot for next 3 years.

Track young bamboo shoots relentlessly, cover area with opaque tarpaulin. In difficult cases, use mini-excavator.