# Bamboo!!!! Nuke it from orbit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114 "2009-04-14T22:06:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/1 "2009-04-14T22:06:41Z")
Long story short. My neighboors bamboo is majorly invading our yard. Is there anything I can do that will kill whats on my side? I don’t care if it wipes out whats on their side either for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![unclelem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ac91a4/32.png) [@unclelem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclelem)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/2 "2009-04-14T22:28:54Z")
You must dig out the roots - it is an arduous task. And then when it starts to grow back because you missed some, you need to do it again. To keep it from spreading into your yard again you must put in a fairly deep piece of edging to prevent the roots from crossing the barrier. I would go at least a foot deep on the barrier. Deeper if possible. Or better yet make your neighbor do it. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/3 "2009-04-14T22:42:49Z")
Found [this article](http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93256454.tip.html) on containment. They’re suggesting going down three feet. From googling, apparently Roundup won’t touch it. You have my sympathies. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/4 "2009-04-14T22:43:15Z")
What did you do to annoy the neighbor? Bamboo is \*\*horrifically \*\*hard to manage. About the only way to keep it in one place is to grow it in a sealed container. That stuff can even even get through concrete. I have seen it punch through and break brick walls. About all you can do is be vigilant and blast the shoots immediately as soon as they pop up. Roundup will eventually slow it down, but you need to keep at it diligently. You might want to try their “poison ivy” formula as it’s supposed to be better at sticking to and getting into tough and/or waxy leaves. If you want to block future bamboo, you will need to trench down at least two feet to install what’s called a rhizome barrier. Generally, this is simply very tough plastic sheeting. The trick is keeping it as seamless as possible and to leave it sticking up over the ground surface so the runners (rhizomes) can’t get through and into your yard. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/5 "2009-04-14T22:51:05Z")
I find bamboo relaxing. Couldn’t you harvest it for your own yard? Or raise a panda? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/6 "2009-04-15T00:52:11Z")
Have you brought this up with your neighbor? My uncle was the offending neighbor in this scenario once and it was up to him to put up the barrier - and rightly so. It’s not a fun task. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/7 "2009-04-15T03:02:12Z")
I’ve heard the same recommendation as **Yllaria** - sheet metal barrier three feet down. I had to cut down a mess of bamboo once and the only thing that would do it was a chainsaw (one of those $50 electric jobbies did the trick quite nicely). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/8 "2009-04-15T03:29:08Z")
At LEAST three feet, for running bamboo. There’s nothing to do but to dig it out, and again, and again, and again, and the solid barrier at least three feet down. It seems extreme but it is absolutley necessary. And then beat up your neighbors for introducing an noxious invasive plant. (There is safe bamboo. It’s clumping. Your neighbors didn’t bother, or inherited the monster.) ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/9 "2009-04-15T03:32:06Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > At LEAST three feet, for running bamboo. There’s nothing to do but to dig it out, and again, and again, and again, and the solid barrier at least three feet down. It seems extreme but it is absolutley necessary. And then beat up your neighbors for introducing an noxious invasive plant. (There is safe bamboo. It’s clumping. Your neighbors didn’t bother, or inherited the monster.) Next thing you know, they’ll plant kudzu, thinking it’s a cute ground cover… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/10 "2009-04-15T11:16:59Z")
I successfully controlled golden bamboo. I first cut it all down, then borrowed a 10 horsepower tiller (basically, the biggest one that you can commonly get.) I then ran it from property line to property line on the deepest setting, stopping to clean bamboo roots out of the tines after every pass, and I did this over and over until I quit pulling up roots. After all of that, the bamboo was controllable for about five years. I had to knock down shoots once a week every spring and about a week after every rain, and every once in a while I would pull it up a runner that I had missed or that had grown back. Note that I didn’t kill the stuff; I just controlled it. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/11 "2009-04-15T12:33:04Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Next thing you know, they’ll plant kudzu, thinking it’s a cute ground cover… 😛 I don’t know who said it first, but there’s a saying here in Georgia that essentially says to plant kudzu all you have to do is throw the seeds down and run like hell. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/12 "2009-04-15T13:46:24Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Next thing you know, they’ll plant kudzu, thinking it’s a cute ground cover… 😛 Well, it is. Also a cute house cover. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/13 "2009-04-15T15:42:52Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Well, it is. Also a cute house cover. … and cat, dog, and small child cover. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/14 "2009-04-15T16:07:13Z")
I love the look of bamboo. I had no idea it was that hard to control. I’ve had my eye on some gorgeous black bamboo but I’m in the wrong zone: [http://www.waysidegardens.com/gardening/PD/41300/](http://www.waysidegardens.com/gardening/PD/41300/) Oh well…some day when I live in the south. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/15 "2009-04-15T16:53:02Z")
Nuking it from orbit may not kill it. It could cause comic book radiation and soon you’d have an even more unmanageable man eating plant. I’ve seen people bring in backhoes to dig the stuff out. Even then it can find its way back. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/16 "2009-04-15T16:58:52Z")
If you live near DC (Or, I’d imagine, any zoo with Pandas) they will happily come cut it down for you. > **[National Zoo in Midst of Bamboo Shortage](https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/national-zoo-in-midst-of-bamboo-shortage/1874909/)** > > The National Zoo is in critical need of bamboo and is reaching out to local landowners and farmers. Bamboo definitely taught me to stop hating the creators of Agent Orange . . . I totally get their desperation. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/17 "2009-04-15T17:41:44Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > man eating plant. It’ll mutate into a guy eating a salad? ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/18 "2009-04-15T22:02:15Z")
It looks like the voodoo that bamboo do has got you in deep doo-doo. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/19 "2009-04-16T13:31:23Z")
I say you get back at him - plant some mint. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114/20 "2009-04-16T17:51:19Z")
Ugh. My husband and I are in the exact same situation, so I’ll be watching this thread. So far, we’ve cleared out the big ones on our side, pulled up a bunch of runners, and have started digging on our side of the fence- checking google seems to indicate that we’re going to either have to install a rhizome barrier or fill a trench with concrete. Fun times. We don’t want to use pesticides because of our dogs, so I think it’s going to have to either be the rhizome barrier or salting the earth, which, judging by how evil it is, probably wouldn’t even bother it. Other things I’ve seen online include copper nails, bleach, vinegar, pouring pesticides into the stalks within fifteen seconds of cutting them, salt+stump grinder, painting it with roundup, rock salt (actually salting the earth!), and… my favorite… fire! (Doubt that’s permanent, but I bet it’s satisfying!) The rhizome barrier method seems to be the most popular. Be sure to post if you find a magic bullet for it; we’ve been in our house for about a year, so other projects have been more pressing, but now we’re really starting to focus on the yard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bamboo-nuke-it-from-orbit/493114.md?page=2)