How to grow Bamboo

[bubba man]

i wanna start bamboo in the back yard i know how evasive it is - is sept. the right month to plant

 

[DirtMechanic]

i wanna start bamboo in the back yard i know how evasive it is - is sept. the right month to plant

it is far from evasive. It is incredibly invasive. which type are you thinking? saying bamboo is like saying Nike..lotsa shoe styles under that name. In fact, the state may have restrictions on some types because once you let them loose they can take over, so have you checked the State invasive species list yet?

 

[alp]

It depends what types of bamboos you're planting - clumpster or runner! If you go for Phyllostachys Nigra (beautiful black) or Phyllostachys Spectabilis(with a green stripe going vertically in the stem), or Fargesia Nitida, Fargesia Asian Wonder (highly recommended by me) or Fargesia Jiuzhaigou, or Chusquea culeou, they won't spread widely as these are clumpsters.

Don't go for anything else. These might send out runners, but unless you water it daily, they won't go very far.

Please remember to site them so that they can get at least 5 hours of sun, preferably morning sun. And mix all sort to make the compost - loam, sand, clay, bark mulch. They like a bit of everything but please make sure it's free draining and moist, but not waterlogged. And they love water. Get a robust plant with tons of new shoots. You could research the pics and I hope you make a good investment as people do love them and you can sell them on once they become bigger. A nice colour to add to your garden. As long as it is not too hot or too cold, don't think newly planted bamboos will just die on you.

 

[Chuck]

I hate to be critical but only a fool would plant any type of spreading bamboo in the southern US. The old fairy tales of keeping it contained by an underground wall or not watering or poisoning the soil are just that, fairy tales.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

WHY?

 

[Chuck]

WHY?

Spreading bamboo in a warm moist climate is beyond invasive. It is next to impossible to kill or even stop its spreading. I have actually seen this stuff destroy a post and beam home in Houston Tx. It pried the walls from the floor plate. This stuff grows incredibly fast in the right conditions. Its underground rhizome system is basically immune from herbicides and killing the tops doesn't work. The only guaranteed way to eradicate it is to actually dig up all of the soil with a backhoe, cart it away and refill with new soil. The rhizomes can go deep also. In many cities it is banned from sale. Clumping bamboo on the other hand is fairly safe to grow as its growth habit is nothing when compared to the spreading type.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

MY, WHY? was not directed to you @Chuck , but to the person that asked the question. I know better than to have it anywhere near me. can't understand anyone who would want it, so my question is WHY?

 

[Chuck]

MY, WHY? was not directed to you @Chuck , but to the person that asked the question. I know better than to have it anywhere near me. can't understand anyone who would want it, so my question is WHY?

Oh. I don't understand it either unless he hates his neighbors and is going to move soon.

 

[marlingardener]

Bubba man, there are non-invasive types of bamboo, known as "clumping" bamboos. When we moved to Texas, we had running bamboo in the back yard, and it took me two years of digging and destroying to rid the yard of it.
Be careful what you plant, make sure you get the bamboo from a reputable nursery, and start it in a large pot to make sure what you have is what you want.

 

[alp]

You could also build some sort of bamboo barrier. It's very easy. Just put a barrier in front of the bamboos. With bamboo roots, they don't go DEEP, unlike some really thuggish perennials such as acanthus which sends root so deep that you can really get rid of them. The roots explore their surrounding horizontally. I remember me chasing the root from the end of the border to the beginning, about 30 feet long, but one digging was all that was needed. All those I quoted are clumpsters. There are videos on youtube showing you how to erect a barrier to stop their spreading. I have Phyllostachys and they are never a problem. If they were, I would be very rich by now!