How can I kill the bamboo that is taking over my backyard.

  5 answers
  • Peggy L Burnette Peggy L Burnette on Jul 12, 2018

    Hi this is Peggy, you can kill bamboo with brush or weed killer, be careful where you spray it, it kills grass and plants too.

  • Candi Candi on Jul 13, 2018

    It spreads by underground runner's...very hard to control..keep spraying....good luck...

  • Pattie Pattie on Jul 13, 2018

    If you don't want to use toxic chemicals to kill the bamboo, the only way to get rid of it is to dig it up. Bamboo rhizomes (the roots that spread) usually are close to the surface, 12 inches or less, but the actual roots can go as deep as 2 to 3 feet & getting all the roots is important. You can also contain bamboo in one area by digging around it and putting in a solid barrier (concrete is the best), or by pruning the rhizomes at least once a year.

  • Since there are runners underground, you need to dig it up. You will have to do this several times since bamboo is very invasive.

  • Mogie Mogie on Jul 07, 2022

    No easy way to do this. What you need to do to kill bamboo is to take advantage of the fact that new culms only sprout in spring. They look like the tips of asparagus spears. Wait until they're about a foot tall and either cut them off at the ground or push them over with your foot. It's easy. They will not grow again.


    Then cut all mature canes to the ground. If your neighbor has bamboo, make sure he does it too. Every spring, watch for new culms sprouting in spring. Push every one over. If you and your neighbor keep doing this, eventually you'll starve the root system and the bamboo will die.