The invasive and destructive nature of the bamboo can make it not to be desirable to most gardeners. Once created, bamboos establish a complex and tough network of plants which makes the existence of new culms not predictable. Removing an established grove might be a daunting work. Cutting the culms and shoots at the lower level will not be sufficient for the effective removal of bamboo. Rhizomes will continually travel below the ground surface looking for a new territory to establish itself.

Removing the clumping Bamboo

Bamboos that are clumping stay within the area that they were first grown, and they don't appear invasive. This makes the removal of clumping bamboo fairly easy in theory. There are two fundamental steps to take:

1. Removal of exposed culms 'canes' - Begin by cutting the culms that are close to the floor level. This can be carried out with the help of standard garden shears, or the chainsaw for plants that are longer. The main reason for this procedure is to provide yourself with an open ground to work with. Once the culms are removed, the canes are being thrown away, burnt or saved.

2. Dig out the root system - Considering the plant size, this is mostly more hard than it may sound. The rhizomes and roots of many clumping bamboos are thick and not long, making them very hard to dig out. Begin by digging close to the outer sides of the plant while digging deeper and deeper. It is of a great help to make use of an axe or a sharp garden spade to dig out the main root system. After the system has been well dug out, you can then easily dig out the materials that are left. Finish the procedure by checking the hole to ensure that all the rhizomes have been dug out.

Removing the running Bamboo

Running bamboos appear invasive and are very hard to remove. They possess the capability of spreading over wide regions and are joined by a system of stems that are below the ground surface, or rhizomes. In order to completely remove the running bamboo, the whole rhizome system will be destroyed. For a perfect grove, it is advisable ensure the removal is seasonal, instead of trying to remove the plant completely at once. The rhizome system is commonly very resilient and difficult to remove in one season.

Being patient is the most useful equipment for removing running bamboo. The following step is a long term method for removing running bamboo and it can be used for many years. This method functions by completely using the energy stored in the plant rhizomes:

Isolated Desire Region (elective)

This procedure is not necessary if your aim is to remove the bamboo completely. Unlike other trees, each culms present in the grove belongs to the same group of organism. Should there be a part of the grove you want to keep, it should be isolated by severing the rhizome connected to the remaining grove. The rhizome are widely close to the ground surface and they can be severed with a good garden spade.