[koffinduster]

Well looks like we may have found a great Victorian alternative to the 'Cat Pee House', however the owner has let bamboo take over the entire back yard.
What is a good way to get rid of all of it? Some shoots are as tall as the house itself, though about a 1/4 of it is dead.
We really need some ideas because even though we plan on putting it in the offer that it be cleared of all bamboo-I am sure it will come back sooner or later.

 

[gma2rjc]

:thumbup: I'm glad you're not buying the 'Cat Pee' house. I was concerned you'd never get the smell out and wouldn't be able to find a buyer for it in the future if you need to move.

When they remove the bamboo, make them excavate the area and remove as many of the roots as possible. You'll still have to control any new growth you find, but it won't be as hard to deal with.

 

[Mr Chips]

i hate to say it, but might be easier to get rid of cat pee smell than eraticate bamboo..... it could be gone when you close, but it will come back sooner rather than later, especially if all they do is just cut it down

 

[epson]

Here is something you should read as bamboo is a real bugger to get rid of. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/230034/how_to_kill_running_or_clumping_bamboo.html?cat=32

 

[koffinduster]

I read it and sent it on to the realtor...she is printing it out for the owner.
We drove by today and he has cut down nearly all of it but he hasn't started digging it out yet. I really want to see it without the vegetation since it has two giant koi ponds in the back that haven't been run in almost 2 decades.

 

[gma2rjc]

If you get a chance, have someone who is very knowledgeable about koi ponds do a thorough inspection of the two on the property. It sounds neat, but since they're that old and haven't been maintained, it could cost you a lot of time and money to get them going again or to take them out of there. I'd be surprised if any of the mechanical parts still work or if you could still find replacement parts for the pumps. Plus, they may not hold water anymore.

Depending on what the inspection reveals, you may want to negotiate the removal of the ponds (especially if they're built with cement), along with the bamboo.

 

[user1007]

i hate to say it, but might be easier to get rid of cat pee smell than eraticate bamboo..... it could be gone when you close, but it will come back sooner rather than later, especially if all they do is just cut it down

Hate to agree.

Bamboo, at the end of the day is a giant grass that grows from rooted rhyzomes or it grows in clumps you can thin. If you plant it with care it is wonderful stuff. If you just plunk it in the ground without containment to contain the rhyzomes from spreading your situation is potentially nightmarish. Your potential home does not have the clumping variety and here is what its growth looks like. The scale is not bad and it can be as tough underground as on the surface.

I loved planting near all forms of it in N. California when doing landscape design. But all mine remains, after decades, constrained by PVC sleeves.

It is going to take a lot of digging up of the rhyzomes and pouring of retaining walls to hold back the bamboo in you situation. Someone let it out of control.

Consult a local nursery or landscape company or two as to what you are really up against here. Do not underestimate the cost of trying to containt this!

There is some good news, potentially, if you can figure out what variety you have. The rhyzomes will seek to grow at different depths. If your variety lives more shallow. You may win the battle.