The average cost to remove bamboo ranges from $450 to $1,300, with a national average of $875. The project cost depends on the size and quantity of bamboo, along with your soil conditions.
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The average cost for bamboo removal is around $875, with most homeowners paying between $450 to $1,300 to rid their yards of bamboo. Most landscapers and removal experts charge per bamboo plant. The going rate is between $100 and $200 for each plant that needs removal. "Baby" bamboo plants may cost as little as $50 each. Factors like the number of bamboo plants, digging conditions, bamboo density, bamboo height, the state you live in, and the size of your property can all influence total project costs.
Most landscapers charge between $50 and $200 per bush.
A bamboo removal project in a typical residential property can take anywhere from a few hours to four days based on the number of plants removed from your yard.
Some contractors prefer to charge by the hour instead of by plant. Costs per hour for bamboo removal range from $25 to $80. An hourly rate should factor in driving time, travel expenses, materials, and contractor insurance.
While some contractors bundle hauling fees into your hourly rate, others may charge extra. Hauling and dumping fees typically total between $25 and $100.
Several factors will determine how much you can expect to pay for bamboo removal. First, an initial site visit by a local landscaper or tree removal pro in your area will give you an idea of the intricacy and cost of your project.
Other factors include location, bamboo type, size, removal method, accessibility, and the estimated completion time. You should budget anywhere from $400 to $2,400 for this project.
The price you’ll pay will depend on your soil’s hardness—silty soil is soft and easy to dig up, whereas clay soil is lumpy and difficult to dig up.
Costs will depend on these digging conditions:
Prices will rise if your bamboo roots have grown under concrete, fencing, wood, or other materials that require excavation.
If your soil has good drainage, digging out bamboo roots will be easier.
Your cost will vary depending on whether you use hand tools (more time, more expensive) or heavy machinery (less time, less money).
To effectively remove bamboo plants, you must remove the rhizomes (the roots). Removing roots is most effectively done by stump grinding, which chops and grinds the roots.
You should expect to dig down at least 1 to 3 feet below ground to grind up the rhizomes. With more complex soil, this dig will be more challenging, and you can expect to pay more for the process.
The size of your property will determine how much time and labor it will take to remove your bamboo. Another factor to consider is the scope of your project—how much bamboo has overtaken your yard and how invasive it has become.
For a half-day of bamboo removal, you can expect to spend $400; a full day averages $800.
The higher your bamboo plant, the longer it will take to remove, especially if your rapidly growing bamboo extends into a neighbor’s yard.
Also, bamboo spreads as it grows, so you’ll have to account for removing the height and all of the sprouted underground rhizomes that accompany that growth.
Taller bamboo plants are more challenging and time-consuming to remove, so you’ll want to budget for additional removal days along with yearly removals to prevent regrowth.
Bamboo grows fast and wide—especially if you don’t prune or thin the stalks once a year. Bamboo density depends on:
Bamboo planted 3–5 ft. apart forms a more dense screen than those planted 5–20 ft. apart.
Clumping bamboo grows 1–2 ft. per year, and running bamboo grows 3–5 ft. per year, on average.
With at least 5 hours of direct sunlight, watering, and fertilizing, a bamboo plant’s underground rhizomes can spread rapidly without annual root pruning.
So, if your bamboo plant has robust growth, dense spacing, and deep rhizomes, you can expect to pay more for removal.
After a pro performs a site visit, you’ll better understand the total cost for your bamboo removal project.
If you remove bamboo shoots before they overgrow, you’ll save money on time and labor. If you have overgrown bamboo, you can expect to pay more for removal due to the challenges associated with rapidly spreading bamboo plants.
These challenges include:
Type: Between running and clumping bamboo, running is the hardest to tame and remove because it spreads faster and wider than clumping. You can tack on additional time for removing running bamboo.
Grow back: It can take years with diligent pruning, containing, and pesticides to fully remove bamboo plants.
Sturdiness: Bamboo plants are naturally sturdy, making them more difficult to cut down.
Deep roots: If your project requires hand tools to chop the rhizomes instead of excavation, the process will take longer due to bamboo roots growing horizontally and downward by 1–3 ft.
Accessibility: If your bamboo plants are in an area that’s difficult to reach, you’ll pay more for the time and labor costs.
For a multi-day, labor-intensive bamboo removal, you can expect to pay up to $2,400.
Costs for bamboo removal services around the country typically follow the same price patterns for general landscaping. Here's a look at some average costs for bamboo removal around the country.
| Location | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Arizona | $500 |
| Kansas | $625 |
| Montana | $660 |
| California | $760 |
| Michigan | $800 |
| Pennsylvania | $950 |
| Louisiana | $1,100 |
| Connecticut | $1,300 |
Bamboo removal is notoriously difficult to do on your own because the way bamboo spreads in the soil makes it necessary to kill shoots below the surface.
The cost to remove bamboo yourself is very inexpensive because it only requires a handsaw, garden hose or sprinkler, pruners, an ax, a spade shovel, and tarps. However, trying to eradicate bamboo from your yard is a time-consuming, labor-intensive process that can result in frustration if you don't know what you're doing.
While removing bamboo doesn't necessarily involve any special equipment, it's very hard to successfully remove bamboo unless you have landscaping experience, or have done DIY tree removal before. In addition to cutting down the bamboo with pruners or a saw, it will be necessary to break up unique bamboo stems called rhizomes that aggressively create new roots.
Some experts also use a smothering technique that involves placing tarps over the plant after cutting it down to ground level with pruners or a handsaw.
Digging up the rhizomes is the most effective way to remove bamboo, but there are a couple of alternatives that work on their own or in conjunction with digging to get bamboo out of your yard.
Spraying bamboo with certain herbicides can weaken and kill the plant over time. The most common one to use is glyphosate, which is a key ingredient in Roundup. Make sure to spray the bamboo directly, either on the chute, stump, or leaves, as spraying it into the soil can poison nearby plants.
The acetic acid in vinegar can successfully eradicate bamboo, but it’s a long process that requires routine spraying over a few years. Some homeowners prefer this route because vinegar, particularly white distilled vinegar, is a natural herbicide as opposed to one with synthetic chemicals.
One more surprising—but long-term—removal tactic is to cut bamboo down to stumps, dig up the roots, and pour boiling water onto them. The heat should make it easier to remove the plants, also over a period of years.
Elisa Greenberg contributed to this article.
The basic method of getting rid of bamboo is continuously watering and cutting it using an axe, pruners, or mower until the roots have been exhausted of their energy stores. However, most professionals find that digging up bamboo to remove underground shoots called rhizomes is the most effective method.
Bamboo removal tends to be more expensive than the cost of tree removal because bamboo roots are extremely aggressive and resilient. Digging up roots thoroughly is a difficult, time-consuming process. Landscaping pros and removal experts also utilize specialized techniques to try to stop root regrowth.
Simply cutting down bamboo isn't enough to remove it from your yard. The hardy underground root stalks called rhizomes will continue to proliferate unless you dig up, kill, or smother them during removal. This can be a very time-consuming process. Consider hiring a professional to properly remove bamboo from your yard if you've been unsuccessful.
