Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Bamboo is the Devil's Weed

I spent the a good hour trying to thin the bamboo in our yard to depressing little effect. My first goal is containment, stopping the encroachment upon the yard. Next will be destruction and finally elimination. The larger stalks are going to require a saw to remove. I tried a machete but felt my injury potential was too ginormous.

It does provide a nice screen but at what price. Searching the internet reveals Herculean efforts to eradicate it. Sample comment:
“The running bamboo, is nearly impossible to get rid of after many, many yrs. I have a neighbor that has near a quarter acre "thicket" of the stuff in the backyard of her 200 yr old home. It's so thick that you can't see the ground and you can't walk through it. Much of it is a good 3" thick at the base. It's also growing on a hillside and it's now encroaching on a wonderful old barn. It kind of reminds me of kudzu in a strange sort of way. “

Now my shoulders are aching, my hands are cut and I think I’ve developed carpel tunnel from the clippers. I’m used to planting flower boxes or maybe decorating a tree box. This adventure gardening is going to be a challenge. I wonder if the zoo would let me borrow Tai Shan for a while.

Gratuitous panda shot here

19 comments:

Minge said...

Chemicals! Lots of chemicals!

BriteYellowGun said...

Hmmm...go figure. I love the bamboo down here simply because of the privacy that it affords. As long as you keep the grass cut up to it, it doesn't really encroach on the yard and pretty much stays put. Then again, it's really very rural here so wildness of it seems to fit quite well. It also keeps the kids out of the woods in the summer which are full of snakes.

Steve said...

Round Up, baby. Of course E won't play out in the yard until he's 10.

We had bamboo as well and round up did the trick. However, if the neighbors have it, you can dig a trench and put concrete or metal in it to keep the plants at bay.

OK, that sounds like more work than you wnat right now.

PS LOVE the new tag line on the blog.

Dan said...

Over here, we get this "stuff" called Japanese Bamboo Weed. Considered the most difficult weed to get rid of by a lot of gardeners. To kill this stuff, you need to know where the main plant is, dig trenches and, as Minge says, use lots and lots of chemicals.

I wouldn't mind if it wasn't one of the fastest growing plants in the world - seriously, you hack it down, rip it up, and within a few days, you can see it waving at you down the garden.

Some of our neighbours have left theirs alone, and you can see it over their 7ft sheds and 8ft fence panels... Crazy,

So I feel for you! Maybe a forest fire ;)

Daddy Cool said...

/ putting chemicals on shoppint list.

I wouldn't mind a few bamboo but given where it's planted it sneaks into the lawn a bit much I think. It also interferes with our fencing plans. We don't really have a fence on one side just the bamboo and it doesn't make a true barrier.

The neighbors don't have any of the bamboo it's aaaall on our side. Thanks Steve.

Dan I'm tempted to set fire. I was trimming the hedges and noticed some bamboo sneaking its' way up in the center.

Dan said...

Fire does solve a lot of problems.
Of course, depending on the wind, it could cause a few more....
Please don't burn down your neighbourhood and tell the fire department "Dan Said So"

Dan said...

Out of sheer curiousity *cough*boredom*cough* I googled devils weed, in reference to your comment "it truly is the devils weed"...

I know, I know..

Anyway, interestingly, it returned Jimson Weed - which is used in an episode of CSI! hehe Here's a link for you

Daddy Cool said...

Not surprised that there really is a devil's weed. It has a nice ring to it.

speaking of fires.... we have toyed with an outdoor fireplace apparatus. Seems like it would be a fun thing to do on cool fall evening.

Dan said...

And if you situated said-fire apparatus directly over the bamboo, all the better!

Daddy Cool said...

noted: Dan's still trying to burn my house down.

Dan said...

And you'll need a new home.
And a new garden.
Minus the bamboo.

And thus Dan has solved your problems - granted, with a little more ashes than you'd have like, but still, you no longer have to play Hunt The Child/Avoid The Panda.

No no, keep your money, I'm happy to help!

Daddy Cool said...

You're such a giver.

Minge said...

Why is Japanese Knot Weed not a problem in Japan?

Daddy Cool said...

I think it's because the harajuku girls feed upon the knot weed at night.

Mollysaurus Rex said...

paaannndaaassss!!!!

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