tilling under big weeds?


  #1  
Old 10-29-04, 10:15 AM
qr409tz8
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tilling under big weeds?

Not sure this is the right place for this so feel free to move it, but here I go...

I have a large area of "american bamboo" atleast thats what im told its called, very tall, 7', weed that has a hollow fragil stem but is from what I have heard about impossible to do away with. I was thinking of renting a tiller and tilling under the whole patch, churn up the whole area real good. Then in the spring planting grass. Then mow it frequently. I figure if it sprouts up in the spring (im told it will) and I keep mowing it down eventually it will give up and just the grass will remain. My question is can I just till this stuff under with a tiller? I have no idea what kind of power a tiller has, will it rip right through this stuff or do I actually have to remove all the plants and roots before tilling? if thats the case the tiller wouldnt really do anything since I would have to dig up the whole area by hand anyway. What do you guys think?
 
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Old 10-29-04, 10:26 AM
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Bamboo is very invasive (as you now know) and hard to get rid of. In my OPINION, I would cut it down as close to the ground as I could. Then till it and dispose of the roots you bring up. Covering them or "basically replanting them" is not the answer. In Florida we had Palmetto trees and I think if you burned them and buried the ashes, they would root. So it is with bamboo. Good luck.
 
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Old 10-29-04, 10:33 AM
qr409tz8
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yea thats pretty much what I heard about this stuff, im repeatedly told "no I dont think you understand just how prevasive this stuff is!!!" but we will see. Ill remove the stalks, till the ground, roots and all, and then as chunks of roots come to the surface ill haul those off too. That should leave me with mostly just dirt to plant my grass in in the spring, and hopefully mowing this stuff down frequently for as long as it takes will eventually do away with it.

But the tiller will have no problem eating through the roots and what not that are down there?
 
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Old 10-29-04, 10:43 AM
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Most rental tillers will chew just about anything up. Best advice is to get a "rear tine tiller" as the front tine ones are a bear to control. (I went through a fence with one after hitting a really hard clay spot). Sounds like you have it under control so far though. Good luck.
 
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Old 10-29-04, 10:49 AM
qr409tz8
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Sounds good, by the end of tomorrow this garbage should be gone!!!
 
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Old 10-29-04, 11:48 AM
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Of all the plants referred to as bamboo, the only one that is not invasive and difficult to eliminate is Heavenly Bamboo or nandina. This is not a bamboo at all. Other bamboo will be difficult to eliminate, sprouting anew from the least fragment of root or corm. For best results, the entire area should be excavated and the soil sifted to remove all pieces or the soil carted off and replaced.

Otherwise, any new growth should be cut to the ground or sprayed with roundup everytime it appears to hope to be able to kill it all. Some cultivars of bamboo are worse than others in invasiveness, but none is a pleasant prospect. Diligence will be needed to destroy this invader.

There have been other posts about the trials and tribulations of eliminating bamboo from a yard.

Good luck.
 
 

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