Bamboo.

[David Cropper]

In January I will be using the stump grinder to "scarify " dead bamboo stalks, done it a few times before,  quite effective,  then explain to the clients to constantly mow over any new growth. My problem is the bamboo is  growing next to and into the river, obviously treating with glysophate is out of the question. I've started killing weeds in my gravel drive,  60 metres long, with a flame wand using Calor gas. Brilliant job and of course doesn't harm the bees etc. I've searched briefly on the internet and using heat is generally advocated for killing bamboo. Health and Safety stipulates that any giant pandas or Japanese snipers are removed beforehand. Any thoughts? 

[Rough Hewn]

I've tried wood fires, charcoal fires and even dumped bags of coal on the stuff.
Bit like the terminator, kept coming back.
Couldn't even cut through the root mass, had to under cut 6'x6' x12" then ripped the whole slab up.
Cut it up with bow saws, as we'd already knackered a new bar and chain.
Watch out for toads etc we found loads hidden at the bases.
Nightmare stuff.

[Jack.P]

I’ve had a few tricky bamboo removal jobs I have found glysophate won’t do much at all .several goes with a long fencing spade seem to work ok but no guarantee of success rate .it can be a bit like bindweed where the smallest piece of the root left can regenerate again especially if its next to a river .wouldnt quote for the job price but hourly rate and clearly state no guarantee it won’t come back.

[David Cropper]

I've got my tree surgeon colleague going in before me who will drop a few pine, remove a buggered up box hedge then cut the bamboo. My task is to level the ground by kicking out the dead bamboo with the grinder. I'm proposing to the client that using the focussed heat of the flame wand on the cut of the plant to penetrate to the root system. Normally I've used the method of the cutting the stem just above the first ring from ground level, piercing the membrane and putting neat glysophate directly into the plant. 75% effective but very time consuming. 

[Ty Korrigan]

Dig it out if possible and replace the soil.

   Stuart

[Mick Dempsey]

I dug it out with a digger, it wasn’t deep, like a carpet, but what do you do with the arisings? I don’t want that stuff all over my tip site.

[Ty Korrigan]

Local tip to me takes it as greenwaste.

  Stuart

[Mick Dempsey]

Do you pay?

[scbk]

4 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I dug it out with a digger, it wasn’t deep, like a carpet, but what do you do with the arisings? I don’t want that stuff all over my tip site.

Try and separate as much soil as possible (maybe a rake bucket) then burn the roots

[Rob_the_Sparky]

The bamboo root ball is only half the problem though (unless it is clumping bamboo, which is unlikely) then there will be runners going out from the main root ball for quite some distance.  Just removed two bamboos from mine with a digger but fairly small ones by comparison ~18" cube each but the runners are well over 6' in all directions.  My runners are within a few inches of the surface (most are <3" down) though so can be removed quite quickly once found.  If you don't take these out then it will come up all over the place.