Fine clumping bamboo is pot bound. How to remove?
Removing Pot Bound Bamboo
I have been given 2 large pots which have had fine bamboo in them for about 10 years and the pots are full with the roots and no real growth. How do I dissolve these roots as they are so very tough and cannot be cut. Pots are about 3.5 feet high (1 metre). I would like to replace these plants.
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Do you have a really long garden knife, like a machete? You could cut around the outside to loosen it and maybe cut clumps of the bamboo to pull them out.
I suggest saturating the plant/pot with water thoroughly. Then place the pot on it's side and begin pulling any bamboo possible out of the pot. This may take some real stsrength! Keep flusing water into the pot with a garden hose and certainly a lot of the plant soil can be removed from around the roots. Eventually you should be able to work the bambo shoots/roots from the pots.
Hello. I have the same situation with my pot bound miscanthus. A very long thrift chef knife was my solution by cutting the plant into quarters. Then I was able to scoop the plant out into pieces.
You have to cut into the soil and dig out them out in clumps.
I agree about the soaking/pulling but do be sure no roots have come out of the bottom first. If so, cut through all of them so you aren't just pulling against the plant itself.
I would try saturating with boiling water, or perhaps boiling saltwater, then using a small saw.
To kill this potted plant, I would use, salt and lots of it, not the boiling water for fear it may crack to the pot. Then add water to loosen the roots, hopefully they have not gone through the bottom of it.
Vinegar would work too, but is more expensive than salt.
Keep it wet and then attempt to cut through the roots.
After you are done, be sure to NOT compost the roots, they may be dormant in areas and not killed in others because they are so dense, they may start growing and invade.
I would take a hose and put the nozzle into the dirt and turn on the water slowly at first and when it begins to loosen, as high as you can get it. The plant should pop out in a few minutes. I would put that plant in the trash can. You do not want it to root anywhere because bamboo is very invasive when in the ground and almost impossible to get rid of unless you burn it.
I have 3 big livestock tanks full of bamboo that I now want to remove - salt /vinegar solutions would damage turf etc. we tipped one tank over (oval shaped) cut the tank in half and have been attacking it with pic axe, loppers etc. we will get this done.I really want to get a chain around it and drive down the road. No amount of water is going to pop this out of the soil. They were beautiful at one time.
Let them soak in a tub full of water. This should make removing the plant easier. I had this happen with my Jasmine. Just soaked it over night and slowly pulled it out. My fault for waiting so long to do this.