If you must tackle the problem yourself, or otherwise believe your problem is manageable, then there are known best practices to follow and myths to be avoided, and in so doing, one can be relatively assured of positive results.

Kicking & Mowing Bayonets Myth

Kicking over or mowing the young cane, aka bayonets, doesn’t stop the roots from continuing to grow even further away and producing even more cane stalks.

The “Roundup” Myth

Some say that when applied to bamboo leaves in an undiluted form, Roundup can be successful in ridding your property of invasive bamboo. There is research that shows that for herbicides to be effective, the bamboo should be mowed or chopped and allowed to regrow to a height of approximately 3 feet, or until the leaves expand.

Glyphosate applied at a 5% solution or imazapyr as a 1% solution, active ingredients in Roundup can then be applied directly to the leaves. We would caution against taking this approach for bamboo removal due to very nature of chemical toxicity.

Roundup Toxic findings:

• A shocking new report published in the journal Entropy finds that Roundup “weedkiller” may be the most biologically disruptive mutantigenic chemical in our environment, responsible for contributing to a wide range of lethal diseases in humans. Read Article?
• From 2001-2009, the French Supreme Court made the verdict and later upheld it that Glyphosate was “dangerous for the environment” and “toxic for aquatic organisms”. [Source: BBC October 2009, Wikipedia 2013]
• “A French court on Monday declared U.S. biotech giant Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer. France, grain grower Paul Francois, 47, says he suffered neurological problems including memory loss, headaches and stammering after inhaling Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller in 2004.” [Reuters.com 2/13/12 “Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning in France” ​]
• Roundup, An Herbicide, Could Be Linked To Parkinson’s, Cancer And Other Health Issues, Study Shows [Huffington Post, Reuters 4/25/13, Roundup Herbicide Linked to Parkinson’s ]

While Roundup may be somewhat useful in slowing bamboo infestation when applied properly, there are no known herbicides that will actually bamboo, including Roundup. In fact, not only will Roundup fail to rid you of even surface-level bamboo, you stand a very good chance of poisoning the rest of your surrounding flora, as well as your soil ground water (and possibly yourself), whenever using this highly toxic herbicide. If you have a need for bamboo removal/eradication – you should forget about using Roundup, or using any herbicides for that matter. additional growth.

The most effective, time-proven method for bamboo removal remains organic, chemical-free hard labor, digging out the entire root structure along with all canes/culms. With a certain amount of muscle power and the necessary tools, bamboo removal and eradication ARE possible to obtain, with lasting results.

The “Tarp” Myth

It has been frequently suggested that cutting down cane stalks and extensively tarping the area for six months will cause everything to rot and you will be done. Others say to leave the tarp in place for five years. In either case, this is not a dependable, precise or even sightly solution for invasive bamboo removal model to follow.

Firstly, tarps are generally plastic, or other material, that is easily punctured by the sharp bayonets that pierce the ground and mature into cane stalks. Furthermore, tarps tend to incubate and insulate the rhizomes, keeping them warm and cozy during those cold winter months, resulting in the production of condensate moisture in hot and humid locales. This actually causes plants to grow better and faster as a result, even if this growth occurs outside of the immediate footprint of the tarp.

So just add more tarp to cover more area, right? Just remember, plastic is not bio degradable and not a feasible solution for invasive running bamboo problems since, at best, it only redirects growth away from the covered area, newer rhizomes continuing to crop up indiscriminately still cause further damage.