How to Completely Remove Bamboo

Not sure how to deal with bamboo? We're here to help with advice and to provide a complete removal package.

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There are over 1,400 varieties of bamboo, which can be categorised into two different growth patterns - “clumping” and “running”. Both types can have large underground rhizome systems. The running types are the most problematic since, as the name suggests, some species send out long lateral rhizomes which can spread several meters from the parent plants.

Problems with Bamboo

• Bamboo can quickly spread into unwanted areas, taking over flower beds, lawns and patios.
• The root balls and runners are very tough and once established, can be extremely difficult to remove using everyday garden hand tools.
• The tough runners can exploit gaps and weaknesses in structures and can quickly cause significant damage.
• When bamboo spreads into adjoining property it can cause disputes and even legal action between neighbours, especially where damage has been caused.

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Damage Caused by Bamboo

The reason that bamboo is so damaging is because, unlike other plants, individual bamboo culms emerge from the ground at their full diameter and grow to their maximum height in a single growing season of three to four months. When you combine this with the fact that some bamboos can travel over 10m from the parent plants, you can quickly find yourself in difficulty.

• Lawns and flowerbeds can be overrun.
• Overlying structures such as driveways and patios are easily damaged by both underground runners and emerging culms.
• Bamboo can penetrate buildings, growing into cavity walls, through floor voids and into services like drains.

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How to Get Rid of Bamboo

Attempts to kill bamboo using herbicide are likely to fail, leaving only two practical approaches for those wanting their gardens bamboo free.

If you want to try to get rid of bamboo yourself then you could try the energy depletion method. This involves cutting the canes to ground level before new leaf appears, and repeating the process for many years, in the hope you deplete the energy reserves in the root/rhizome system. In theory, the rhizomes should die off and rot if they are exhausted. In practice you’ll be at it a long time, so may feel it is time to call in the professionals.

At Environet, we’re used to tackling problematic invasive weeds – and a few decades of experience in removing and controlling them means we are well equipped to deal with this garden brute.

We specialise in situations which prove too much of a challenge for homeowners or their gardeners and where guarantees are required. Prices start from £1,200 + VAT.

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Professional Bamboo Removal

Our approach is to excavate and remove all of the offending root/rhizome system. For mature stands a lot of soil can be affected, so it’s no easy job. However, we’ve been successfully using a similar method on Japanese knotweed, a far more aggressive and invasive weed, for over 20 years, so for us bamboo removal is relatively straightforward:

• Using a tracked excavator we can remove the entire root ball. Sometimes our customers want to retain some of the bamboo to provide useful shelter or privacy from neighbours – for this reason we offer containment and reduction solutions using vertical root barrier membranes to prevent the bamboo spreading into areas where you don’t want it to grow. The lateral runners can then be removed by physical excavation – these can be 30 ft long or more, but don’t worry, we can still remove them.
• Despite all best endeavours, it’s possible some rhizome will remain in the ground, which may survive and send news shoots to the surface. These are then physically removed or herbicide treated on a follow up visit.

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Bamboo Guarantees

The nature of invasive plants, and their incredible regenerative power, means that despite all best endeavours, it’s possible some viable rhizome will remain in the ground after our works have been completed. As part of our commitment to you, our works come with a 12 month guarantee period as standard, during which we will complete monitoring visits to check for regrowth. Our team will advise whether visible growth will be physically removed or herbicide treated, depending on what we find. For ultimate peace of mind, many of our clients opt to extend their guarantee to 5 years.

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See the Difference We Can Make

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