We hope you have enjoyed the SRGC Forum. You can make a Paypal donation to the SRGC by clicking the above button

Author Topic: Getting rid of bamboo  (Read 7228 times)

Hoy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3854
  • Country: no
  • Rogaland, Norway - We used to have mild winters!
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #30 on: November 22, 2011, 08:45:18 PM »
Gřte, although I live at the coast and never have experienced temps below -16C here (happen when the fjord freezes -twice in25 years-, it is a much smaller fjord than Stephen's) I have seen bamboos where temps drop to beyond -20C.

John, the spring here starts in January/February and lasts till May!
Trond Hoy, gardening on the rainy west coast of Norway.

johnw

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6696
  • Country: 00
  • rhodo-galantho-etc-phile
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #31 on: November 22, 2011, 09:23:32 PM »
John, the spring here starts in January/February and lasts till May!

Hoy  - Here it lasted until yesterday!

johnw
« Last Edit: November 23, 2011, 01:51:26 AM by johnw »
John in coastal Nova Scotia

Hoy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3854
  • Country: no
  • Rogaland, Norway - We used to have mild winters!
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #32 on: November 22, 2011, 09:39:36 PM »
John, the spring here starts in January/February and lasts till May!

Hoy  - Here it lasted here until yesterday!

johnw
Here we have fall from May till December.
Trond Hoy, gardening on the rainy west coast of Norway.

johnw

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6696
  • Country: 00
  • rhodo-galantho-etc-phile
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #33 on: November 23, 2011, 01:52:33 AM »
Here we have fall from May till December.

Ah, but you cannot beat us at winter.

johnw
John in coastal Nova Scotia

maggiepie

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1816
  • Country: au
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #34 on: November 23, 2011, 02:15:51 AM »
Here we have fall from May till December.

Ah, but you cannot beat us at winter.

johnw

Unfortunately true. :'( :'( :'(
Helen Poirier , Australia

Stephenb

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1284
  • 20,000+ day old man
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #35 on: November 23, 2011, 07:39:22 AM »
John: Couldn't get into my greenhouse for at least two months last winter as the door was frozen solid, the sun doesn't shine on it until late in February. However, it didn't matter as the soil and pots remained moist...

Trond: Did your fjord freeze over the last two winters or have there been colder years down there?
 
« Last Edit: November 23, 2011, 07:40:59 AM by Stephenb »
Stephen
Malvik, Norway
Eating my way through the world's 15,000+ edible species
Age: Lower end of the 20-25,000 day range

gote

  • still going down the garden path...
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1594
  • A fact is a fact - even if it is an unusual fact
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #36 on: November 23, 2011, 08:51:11 AM »
Hardiness is a rather complicated issue. If there is 10 cm of snow, a sudden cold night of some -25° is unlikely to freeze the soil at all. However, a week of constantly -5 with no snow will do it.

Another issue is that the water will give off some 4 kJ/kg when dropping from +1° to 0° It will however give of over 300 kJ/kg when freezing. The ice will only give off 2 kJ/kg. This means that the act of freezing will be buffering the drop of temperature a fact that will save roots in cold spells of limited duration.

In my area, the building norms assume that the soil can freeze to a depth of 1.1m. It rarely does of course but 20 cm is not uncommon.

It is also a question of the dynamics of the winter. An early sharp frost will do more damage since plants are not yet prepared. A late frost in the spring can be even more damaging. A long mild autumn will be beneficial for some plants which will be well prepared for the winter cold but other plants such as Helleborus orientalis will start on the new year and be cut down when the winter ecentually arrives. I hae lost some Hellebores this way.

I am afraid that the Fargesias I have planted did not know that hey were hardy. They were killed by the frost and that is a fact.

Cheers
Göte

 
Göte Svanholm
Mid-Sweden

Hoy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3854
  • Country: no
  • Rogaland, Norway - We used to have mild winters!
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #37 on: November 24, 2011, 07:28:30 PM »
John: Couldn't get into my greenhouse for at least two months last winter as the door was frozen solid, the sun doesn't shine on it until late in February. However, it didn't matter as the soil and pots remained moist...

Trond: Did your fjord freeze over the last two winters or have there been colder years down there?
 
Although the last two winters were very cold, especially the last one,  the fjord didn't freeze over.

What matters is  the temperature, the amount of fresh water atop the seawater and how windy it is. If we get a fair amount of rain late in the fall (or much snow) and no or little wind (which is rare) then the light freshwater lies as a layer atop the denser salty water and the freshwater easily freeze when we get cold weather. However, if the wind blows the two layers mix and it don't freeze.
Trond Hoy, gardening on the rainy west coast of Norway.

Hoy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3854
  • Country: no
  • Rogaland, Norway - We used to have mild winters!
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #38 on: November 24, 2011, 07:29:16 PM »
Here we have fall from May till December.

Ah, but you cannot beat us at winter.

johnw
Don't think I want to ;D
Trond Hoy, gardening on the rainy west coast of Norway.

Roderick

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 10
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #39 on: November 27, 2011, 05:02:48 PM »
I grow quite a number of vigorous bamboos, but made a mistake with a couple as they rapidly formed patches many metres across in the wrong place.  They are gone now!  The first I dug out and had approaching 1/2 ton of rhizomes.  The next was growing through a Miscanthus giganteus plantation.  We cut the miscanthus very short in winter, covered it with six inches of hedge shreddings from the local tree surgeon and sprayed the exposed bamboo with normal Glyphosate.  Not a leaf re-appeared when it had died back.  The Miscanthus enjoyed the mulch. The dug out one was not fully removed so I used the lethal hand shake on it.  For this I don Nitrile gloves and pull a knitted thermal glove onto my right hand.  This I dip in spray strength Glyphosate and form a fist so it does not drip.  With my dry left hand I organise the weed to die, then grip the bundle of stems or leaves near its base with my right hand and draw my hand up sqeezing and scrunching if it does not wet easily.  The damp bundle can now be safely placed on the ground amongst other plants. Some small weeds can be killed by placing one finger tip on them.  It sounds slow but actually considering couch can be killed within other plants it is very time effective.  Hedge bindweed does not need unwinding.  I take a proportion of leaves between gloved finger and thumb and moisten them.  Its very a relaxing way of spending an hour or two.  Its better than digging out bamboos!

Roderick

Gene Mirro

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 386
  • Country: us
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #40 on: November 29, 2011, 02:15:08 AM »
The easiest way to kill bamboo is to cut it down and immediately apply concentrated Roundup to the stumps with a small brush.  If you use the dilute premixed stuff, I make no promises.  There is no risk of killing other plants, and there is no manual labor required, except cleaning up the trimmings.

To kill horsetail, spray the foliage with Roundup at four times the normal concentration, during Summer.  You will have to do this several years in a row to get complete kill.
Gene Mirro from the magnificent state of Washington

Pascal B

  • Guest
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #41 on: November 29, 2011, 10:44:48 AM »
The outer layer of horsetail contains silica that prevents absorption of the Roundup. Crush the shoots first to break this surface and then apply the Roundup, a stronger solution is not needed. Eventhough Roundup is broken down within 2 weeks, there is no need to apply more than necessary.

Maggi Young

  • Forum Dogsbody
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 44764
  • Country: scotland
  • "There's often a clue"
    • International Rock Gardener e-magazine
Re: Getting rid of bamboo
« Reply #42 on: November 29, 2011, 10:55:25 AM »
The outer layer of horsetail contains silica that prevents absorption of the Roundup. Crush the shoots first to break this surface and then apply the Roundup, a stronger solution is not needed. Eventhough Roundup is broken down within 2 weeks, there is no need to apply more than necessary.

It is always advised to use some method of crushing.... perhaps by  thwacking with a stick...  horsetail to breach the outer surface before applying weedkiller.  This is more effective... and safer, than using the chemical at extra strength.
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

Editor: International Rock Gardener e-magazine

 


Scottish Rock Garden Club is a Charity registered with Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR): SC000942
SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal