Seattle Bamboo Consulting Services

Our consulting service is an onsite analysis of the issues you are facing with a bamboo plant on your property. We will detail a plan to remedy the issues and estimate costs for the phases necessary.

Free Consult Information: Whatever you do to the above ground portions affects the behavior of the underground regenerative rhizomes.

1. Cutting canes above ground. When you cut the above ground canes, the underground rhizomes either shoot another, or change direction and begin to force the rhizome to branch and become more entrenched in the soil.

2. Poisoning the plant. This is impossible as the rhizomes do not absorb the poison, they are designed to absorb water from the roots of the plant. They do not like the poison in the soil, however, and they are able to dive deeper in the soil to avoid it.*

3. Cutting and covering or burying. This is begging for disaster. It is simple to cut a thousand hard canes from a 100 square foot grove if you have the right tool. But in 3-6 weeks at the right time of year, 10,000 small "regressive" shoots will arise. Cutting these is not so easy, and you get the idea that if you cut these, a million will shoot. Probably.

Covering it with light impermeable pals tic or tarp will guarantee that every rhizome under the cover will grow and persist until they can send shoots into the light.

We have found that 90% of the information found on the internet has serious flaws. Those flaws can cost you time and money. Removing bamboo might be expensive, but removing bamboo that has been tortured with failed removal attempts is often far more expensive.

Most of the work we are contracted for is removal. Much of the removal work is required because of barrier failure. This complicates the removal as there is no way to determine depth and spread if the bamboo has gone under the barrier.

We not recommend barriers to plant bamboo. We recommend planters ONLY if the planters are properly maintained. If there is no maintenance the bamboo will look great for a time, then begin to run out of resources, and look far less great year after year. This can often be true if the bamboo has been kept in a barrier too long.

Caution: It is not advisable to redig a trench around existing bamboo to install a new barrier. When rhizomes are cut in the digging process they will grow two new rhizomes from the nodes on either side of each cut section, often a total of 4 new rhizomes. A mature grove needing additional space will focus on rhizome growth. This new growth may shortly overtake the new barrier, going through it, over it, and most perniciously, under it.

Our Consulting Services

Please note: This is not a service for those simply wanting a bid for work that can be estimated through emailed images and measurements. We do this free of charge as we get far too many inquiries per day to visit each property.

Both Simonne and Bruce meet with you onsite to measure the grove and any visible spread from the original planting.

Other ornamental plants, neighboring properties, fences, pavers, concrete, asphalt, foundation walls and other elements are noted. Access is important and available parking, garbage collection days, and outdoor electricity options are both noted and discussed.

Our services are almost always based on the square footage and depth of the rhizomes we must remove in order to extricate the bamboo plants.

The following services are included in the consult:

1. The site visit.

2. Options to remove all or part of the bamboo grove.

3. Options to retain some and devise a system to prevent further escape or other issues.

4. Costs associated with each option.

5. Review of other estimates and issues that may be associated with other contractors.

6. A second site visit if necessary.

7. Telephone and online support for clients who decide to use another service or do the work themselves.

We work in the greater Seattle area, assisting clients with their bamboo issues. Please call us - 206.724.1977

We are different than many contractors, we do all the work necessary to protect your property from the spread of bamboo. We do not hire employees or day labor. Bamboo extraction is both labor intensive and requires skill and attention to detail. Because of this we can fully guarantee our work; if any bamboo returns in the future, we remove it for free - forever.