Kara from Dacula, Ga writes
Using a Roundup or stump killer product containing Glyphosate has been successful in killing black bamboo. Please take a look at the following steps below and product recommendations and let us know if you have any questions. Step 1. Cut the bamboo down to soil level in late winter and wait for new shoots to grow back in late spring/ early summer. Bamboo herbicide won't be effective if the canes of the bamboo are well-developed. Step 2. Using a shovel, cut off any underground rhizomes when new shoots start to grow back. Break up as many clumps of rhizomes as possible. Step 3. Apply Roundup QuickPro (Glyphosate) Herbicide to the leaves, stalks, and shoots of the bamboo. Glyphosate herbicide only kills the plants that it comes into direct contact with. This means that you'll need to be careful about applying it only to the bamboo. Most glyphosate herbicides need to be sprayed onto the leaves, stalks, and shoots of the plant and allowed enough time to penetrate before any water dilutes it. (If you have desirable vegetation surrounding the black bamboo, you can use a paint brush and "paint" the stalks and leaves of the bamboo.) Step 4. Stump Killer Option: Alternately, use a stump and root killer on the bamboo. Another way to mow down bamboo in its tracks is to cut down the canes and then apply a stump and root killer containing triclopyr to the foliage of any regrowth and to the cut stump. Hi Yield Triclopyr Ester Ultra Step 5. Repeat treatment: One application won't eradicate the infestation; bamboo is tough and has a tendency to spread like wildfire. As the bamboo continues to send up shoots, you'll need to continually apply the herbicide treatment to the leaves, stalks, and shoots of the plant in order to properly exterminate it. You should also use this herbicide method in conjunction with rooting out the rhizomes of the bamboo, so that it doesn't keep sending up shoots.
Answer last updated on: 06/14/2017
