Plant Doctor Archive

Invasive bamboo

Question OUR neighbour has bamboo growing next to our fenceline.They did not plant it, but they left it as it ‘looked’ non-invasive and controllable. WRONG. It is shooting up into our Dublin Bay and our lawn. We have tried digging it out, but considering how deep we had to dig, we think this is only going to be a temporary solution. Our neighbour is as keen as we are to get rid of it. What can we do?

Answer I ASKED our weed and agrichemical expert, Reg Lewthwaite, for his suggestions.

There are two answers. The first is to dig it out. If it’s the giant bamboo this means getting a bulldozer in to uproot and remove the root system. You won’t get through it with a garden spade. 

The other solution is to spray the young leaves with glyphosate (Roundup) and wait while the chemical kills the plant.