Among bamboos, it is customary to divide them into two categories: the "well-behaved" cespitose bamboos, which are non-running and therefore non-invasive, and the much less disciplined bamboos that eventually invade the entire plot, and sometimes even the neighbour's. What should you do if you didn't take care to install a sturdy root barrier around these invasive bamboos or if you've inherited a plot already overrun with bamboo? Let's discover how to combat these invasive bamboos!

Why are some bamboos invasive?

Certain species of bamboo (Phyllostachys sp., Pseudosasa sp., Pleioblastus sp., ...) have running rootstocks that allow them to spread gradually. The shoots or culms can then emerge several metres away from the mother plant. To reduce its vigour, you'll need to prevent the plant from performing photosynthesis by cutting the culms down to ground level and regularly removing the shoots (young shoots) or suckers. After 2 to 3 years, the bamboo should be dead.

getting rid of invasive bamboos, how to eliminate bamboos

Among the most uncontrollable bamboos: phyllostachys and pleioblastus

Required materials

When to proceed?

The month of March is the best time to take action.

How to eliminate invasive bamboos?

  1. First step: dig a 60 cm deep trench around the bamboo stump to be removed. Without this trench, cutting the culms may trigger the bamboo to react by sending its rootstocks much further away;
  2. Cut all the canes (culms) down to ground level using a pruning saw, brush cutter or chainsaw;
  3. Regularly remove (for 2 to 3 years) any shoots that resurface from the soil: don't wait until they're too large to prevent the rootstock from rebuilding its reserves. Moreover, when young, the shoots are very tender, making them easy to remove by hand or even simply by mowing over them;
  4. Another solution is to lay a black tarpaulin over the area where shoots typically emerge. Deprived of light, they will die. To secure the tarpaulin, place concrete blocks or large stones on top;
  5. Finally, to speed up the process, you can try removing large rootstocks with a pickaxe. In cases where bamboos have been invading for several years, it may be useful to call in professionals equipped with a mini excavator. Note that a single piece of rootstock with at least 3 nodes can allow the bamboo to regrow;
  6. Continue to hunt down the slightest young bamboo shoot for the next 3 years.

getting rid of invasive bamboos, how to eliminate bamboos

Relentlessly hunt down young bamboo shoots, cover the area with a light-blocking tarpaulin. In difficult cases, use a mini excavator.