Bamboo Removal

Back near the end of September I posted about my bamboo removal project, how I had hired a neighbor kid with a strong workout ethic to dig out three of my disappointing bamboos.

About sixteen long, hot hours later, the bamboos are gone! It's been a few years since I've had clear views into my neighbor's yards.

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That was the easiest bamboo removal I've ever been involved with. Usually I'm a DIY guy, but in this case paying somebody was the right call. It was remarkably hot every day he came over to dig, roughly 90ºF (32ºC). So uncomfortable I barely wanted to go out there and check on him.

It took him a couple of hours to really get the hang of it, but he appreciated the workout and the experience. The super-dry ground did not make getting the rhizomes dug out easier, but a strong bar for prying and a suitable fulcrum will beat any rhizome that grows here!

It's been a while since I've had a clear planting spot!

I do have a pretty substantial pile of canes now. I will certainly dump my leaves on top if I can, although I'm not sure if that will speed up or slow down the decomposition...

I expect that some of the rhizomes are still buried, as even if I was doing the removal myself I would not have been able to get every single one. This shouldn't present a problem though, as I'll be able to find them if/when they shoot in the spring.

Next up: planting! (Sounds easy, but it was not...)

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