Dealing with bamboo invading your space? Many of our customers usually try a myriad of DIY methods such as diesel, vinegar, or bleach to try to get rid of bamboo. However, they usually end up calling us for help, because just like Japanese knotweed, bamboo is a robust plant, that is hard to eradicate. So, before you decide to try those removal techniques yourself, let’s talk about why they might not be the best choices for getting rid of bamboo and what better solutions are available.

Killing Bamboo with Diesel:

Many bloggers seem to have decided that you can kill bamboo with diesel, thinking it’ll do the trick, but they are wrong. Using diesel as a weed killer is a bad idea for a few reasons: First and foremost, pouring diesel into your garden is illegal. Next, we are talking about a plant that survived the atomic bomb – yes, bamboo was the first plant to re-sprout after the 1945 blast in Hiroshima. So, a little diesel won’t harm your infestation – you’d need to use a lot. Lastly, diesel is harmful to the environment – It can contaminate groundwater, will kill soil microbes and insects, and will stick around in the ground for years. So, despite what the internet says, using diesel for weedkiller is a risky and unsafe option.

Killing Bamboo with Vinegar:

Many people have asked us in the past: Will vinegar kill bamboo? Because it is a household item that’s acidic, there is a common belief that it can. It is well known that vinegar can be used as an alternative to herbicide for shallow-rooted weeds. If you are asking yourself how to kill bamboo with vinegar, then you’re out of luck, because, as stated above, bamboo has survived wars, as well as survived natural disasters, such as Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina. Therefore, using vinegar to kill bamboo is a useless approach. It’s also best to know that using too much vinegar on any other plant can negatively impact the soil and hurt the rest of your garden in the process.

Can you kill bamboo with Salt?

Salt solution will likely kill the leaves of bamboo, and if poured onto the ground may start to kill the roots, but using salt alone will not kill bamboo. By trying to use salt to kill bamboo, you will probably end up poisoning your soil, and accidentally killing other plants in your garden. Using DIY methods like salt and vinegar are seldom successful and can be dangerous to wildlife, pets and non-target plants.  

Will Bleach Kill Bamboo?

If you are looking to kill bamboo with bleach, it’s most likely not going to work, as despite being a strong chemical that might seem like an effective solution, bleach is not a weed killer, and won’t be effective against bamboo.

Attempting to eliminate bamboo with bleach might also do more harm than good. Although bleach is effective for many daily household tasks, this hazardous chemical can be detrimental to your garden when poured on robust plants like bamboo, potentially damaging the soil and neighbouring flowers. Bamboo could potentially look dead at the time, but its roots won’t be affected, meaning it will just keep growing.

Bleach, known for its potential to poison and seep into groundwater, is more suitable for killing household germs, than combating the resilient nature of bamboo!

For those considering chemical solutions to eradicate bamboo, using a suitable herbicide is the recommended approach. However, using chemicals without proper knowledge can lead to unintended consequences, such as self-injury, harm to other plants, and even risks to pets.

This is where professional assistance, such as Environet’s, is surely the best approach. With over 27 years of experience, we can safely and swiftly address your bamboo infestation, preventing regrowth and ensuring the bamboo is eradicated for good.

It’s crucial to note that an effective herbicide treatment requires time. In urgent situations, an alternative method involves digging out the bamboo to eliminate its troublesome root system, to achieve results within a matter of days. Explore more about our removal solutions here.