Hope it works for you. Depending on the soil (rocks, etc.) you may go through a few blades but it has served me well. A Burke Bar is also grew for prying out the chunks.
I’ve been trying to get away from prying out roots. Im going to install a root barrier but only about 9” deep. The no-grow zone I will cut all down to the ground, then water, fertilize and keep cutting down to the ground to exhaust the rhizome reserves on the non grow side (while I deny it photosynthesis). I will still have some roots to pull but much less than if I try to pull all the rhizome up. Hope that will work in this case. Where did you get that knife?
@@chriswhitewen9650 I believe the knife came from BUDK .com but I've had it for many years so not sure. It is generally recommended to go at least 20" deep for bamboo barrier with a 4" above ground lip. Some species and soils require a deeper barrier. Though the rhizomes typically are in the top 6-10" of soil, they can travel deeper. I've heard the "mowing" method works but I've only tried it in pots (small rhizome/root base). Good luck to you!
Thanks for the tip about using wood/metal blades. I've been cutting out stumps and roots from a patch of madake (aka Japanese timber bamboo) in my back yard, and up until now I've been using 12-inch pruning blades. Progress has been okay -- maybe 30% finished now -- but I'd love to spend less time sawing.
Hi Tom, when you buy sawzall blades, get them in batches of 6. I can only cut 2 rhyzomes before the blade becomes too dull in my sandy soil and the silica within the plant itself.
Thanks for the video. I was considering using the reciprocating saw instead of doing the axe and prying method. I have the thinner bamboo so the tops are pretty easy to cut off, but the roots are difficult. I can get through them with an axe, but it is a lot of work. The reciprocating saw method seems more efficient and safer than swinging an axe. How long will the blade last when cutting in the dirt? I've got 5, 4'x4' sections to remove
Thank you. I'm trying to remove clumps from the ground but my reciprocating saw blade isn't cutting it, pun intended, I'm going to try a carbide blade with different teeth. I'm working in a tight space with dense shoots, wish me luck!
I'm curious what type of bamboo you are removing, what part of the country/world and what type of soil you have? I'm up in the PNW, have clay soil with rocks and have generally used this on Phylostachys (timber bamboo). Though the rocks have caused issues, this method has worked well thus far. Did the carbide blade help?
Getting ready to go over to my neighbors house and cut out some rhizomes/culms with my sawzall and bring back to my property for planting. I will only be cutting out one rhizome/culm at a time for thinning and transplanting. What are the chances that I can 'keep' the actual new growth culm (about 15' high) from dying off and the rhizome starting new shoots in the Spring? I live near the coast in central Florida and have sandy loamy soil but of course will use potting soil in the large hole I dig?
I've had very good luck making new starts off rhizomes - Mostly with Phylostachys. Think of the root system as energy storage. If the top growth is too great for the attached rhizome it may not survive. I typically do rhizome cutting in Feb-May (Near Seattle in clay soil) but have had success other times of the year. You'll want to give the new plant plenty of seasoned compost or well aged manure. Good luck!
@@TravisJaneway Hi Travis, so far, I have 5 different species of clumping bamboo that I know the names and 2 clumping boo that I don't know the name.. because my neighbor can't recall the names. A couple days ago, she wanted me to cut back some of her boo and gave me permission to cut some of the edge rhyzomes off so I now have 3 fairly good sized rhyzomes with 20 foot new culms attached. I expect the culms to die back from the shock (hopefully not) but expect shoots to come up in the Spring. I am staying away from the running species as I don't want any hassle from neighbors years down the road and just don't want to dig a ditch 20+ inches deep and 20 foot long to put in a barrier. I started off BUYING batches of 50 seeds and putting them under grow lights. Of the 500 or so seeds that I bought... none sprouted. Then I went back to TH-cam and discovered that very few seeds sprout if not planted nearly immediately after being gathered from the parent plant. Heck, I could have bought 4 or 5 yearlings with the $ I wasted on seeds...
Great tips. I’ve been dealing with bamboo for 15+ years and have some tricks, but the reciprocating saw in the dirt sounds promising.
Hope it works for you. Depending on the soil (rocks, etc.) you may go through a few blades but it has served me well. A Burke Bar is also grew for prying out the chunks.
I’ve been trying to get away from prying out roots. Im going to install a root barrier but only about 9” deep. The no-grow zone I will cut all down to the ground, then water, fertilize and keep cutting down to the ground to exhaust the rhizome reserves on the non grow side (while I deny it photosynthesis). I will still have some roots to pull but much less than if I try to pull all the rhizome up. Hope that will work in this case. Where did you get that knife?
@@chriswhitewen9650 I believe the knife came from BUDK .com but I've had it for many years so not sure.
It is generally recommended to go at least 20" deep for bamboo barrier with a 4" above ground lip. Some species and soils require a deeper barrier. Though the rhizomes typically are in the top 6-10" of soil, they can travel deeper.
I've heard the "mowing" method works but I've only tried it in pots (small rhizome/root base).
Good luck to you!
Now I know which blade to buy to dig out a patch of culms. Thanks for the info. From Australia.
Thank you
Im about to clean some bamboo tomorrow from my backyard and your tips is so useful for gardening n00b like myself.
Great!
Thanks for the tip about using wood/metal blades. I've been cutting out stumps and roots from a patch of madake (aka Japanese timber bamboo) in my back yard, and up until now I've been using 12-inch pruning blades. Progress has been okay -- maybe 30% finished now -- but I'd love to spend less time sawing.
Hi Tom, when you buy sawzall blades, get them in batches of 6. I can only cut 2 rhyzomes before the blade becomes too dull in my sandy soil and the silica within the plant itself.
reciprocating saw definitely the way to go...
Thanks for the video. I was considering using the reciprocating saw instead of doing the axe and prying method. I have the thinner bamboo so the tops are pretty easy to cut off, but the roots are difficult. I can get through them with an axe, but it is a lot of work. The reciprocating saw method seems more efficient and safer than swinging an axe. How long will the blade last when cutting in the dirt? I've got 5, 4'x4' sections to remove
Depends on thew soil, rocks, etc but I would guess a blade would last somewhere between 10-30'/ 3-10m. I resharpen mine on a strip sander.
Thank you. I'm trying to remove clumps from the ground but my reciprocating saw blade isn't cutting it, pun intended, I'm going to try a carbide blade with different teeth. I'm working in a tight space with dense shoots, wish me luck!
I'm curious what type of bamboo you are removing, what part of the country/world and what type of soil you have? I'm up in the PNW, have clay soil with rocks and have generally used this on Phylostachys (timber bamboo). Though the rocks have caused issues, this method has worked well thus far. Did the carbide blade help?
Getting ready to go over to my neighbors house and cut out some rhizomes/culms with my sawzall and bring back to my property for planting. I will only be cutting out one rhizome/culm at a time for thinning and transplanting. What are the chances that I can 'keep' the actual new growth culm (about 15' high) from dying off and the rhizome starting new shoots in the Spring? I live near the coast in central Florida and have sandy loamy soil but of course will use potting soil in the large hole I dig?
I've had very good luck making new starts off rhizomes - Mostly with Phylostachys. Think of the root system as energy storage. If the top growth is too great for the attached rhizome it may not survive. I typically do rhizome cutting in Feb-May (Near Seattle in clay soil) but have had success other times of the year. You'll want to give the new plant plenty of seasoned compost or well aged manure. Good luck!
@@TravisJaneway Hi Travis, so far, I have 5 different species of clumping bamboo that I know the names and 2 clumping boo that I don't know the name.. because my neighbor can't recall the names. A couple days ago, she wanted me to cut back some of her boo and gave me permission to cut some of the edge rhyzomes off so I now have 3 fairly good sized rhyzomes with 20 foot new culms attached. I expect the culms to die back from the shock (hopefully not) but expect shoots to come up in the Spring.
I am staying away from the running species as I don't want any hassle from neighbors years down the road and just don't want to dig a ditch 20+ inches deep and 20 foot long to put in a barrier.
I started off BUYING batches of 50 seeds and putting them under grow lights. Of the 500 or so seeds that I bought... none sprouted. Then I went back to TH-cam and discovered that very few seeds sprout if not planted nearly immediately after being gathered from the parent plant. Heck, I could have bought 4 or 5 yearlings with the $ I wasted on seeds...