Fungus for Invasive Bamboo?

Discussion in 'Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds' started by trojanduck, May 20, 2021.

  1. trojanduck

    trojanduck Member

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    Does anyone know if there are any fungus/mycelium that exist that I can apply to my invasive bamboo?

    I figure this would be a good start, or maybe contacting a university?
     
  2. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    What an intriguing prospect! I've never heard of anything natural that would exclusively target invasive bamboo or any other terrible weed pest. Stuff of dreams.
     
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  3. Keith Elliott

    Keith Elliott Contributor

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    Do you mean that you have a running bamboo, which you apparently don't want? Most bamboo runners are close to the surface and you can cut them off with a sharp spade. If you simply want to eliminate the plant, which is what it sounds like, try digging it up and following the runners. If the plant has been in the ground for some time, those runners will be well established. Can you give us a bit more info? Do you know which bamboo it is? A photo perhaps.
     
  4. Keith Elliott

    Keith Elliott Contributor

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    Oh, so now you call bamboo a terrible weed pest! I love bamboos!
     
  5. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    I wrote about " . . . invasive bamboo or any other terrible weed . . . ", not bamboo generally. Perhaps you love running bamboo and you do seem to know how to contain it. It depends on where it is growing however as to how accessible those roots may be.

    I still remember a summer project in the 1970s when we moved into a 1912 house where there was a large clump of running bamboo in a corner by the front stairs. There was a largish 'lawn' underneath which I removed only to discover a broken up concrete sidewalk below. Smashed that out with a sledge hammer to reveal the bamboo roots. Then, the real work began . . .
     
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  6. Keith Elliott

    Keith Elliott Contributor

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    I see you have had the experience of the concrete destroying bamboo! Good friends of ours in Nanaimo had a running bamboo, which all but destroyed a concrete sidewalk on their property. I helped them take it out and never heard that it came back. I had at least 20 different kinds of bamboos when I was on Ruxton, and as long as you know what you have, it's not difficult to take care of them. And that's a good part of the secret, knowing what you have!
     
  7. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    Yes. That, together with not being particularly enamored of the plant has persuaded me never to plant it in the open garden ever again.
     
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