Rhizomes are usually small-rooted and prefer to grow in loose topsoil, which makes the exercise more straightforward. Small segments of rhizomes can rejuvenate, so be thorough. The exception is if you have a very light soil, in which case you may find the rhizomes a little deeper. To make root pruning easier, maintain a shallow trench with a depth and width of cm inches around the bamboo, or at least along the edge where it is adjacent to a lawn or path.
Check for creeping rhizomes a couple of times in the late summer and early autumn to see if any of them have tried to cross the trench; if so, remove them.
If a trench is impractical for the planting environment, it can be filled with a loose media, such as sand, which is easy to dig into for root cutting. Root pruning bamboo Planting within physical barriers and root-pruning is not normally necessary for clump-forming bamboos, although lifting and dividing every other year is encouraged more details below.
General Garden Care Watering Bamboos require frequent and liberal watering when first planted to become established. For the first growing season we recommend watering twice a week during mild weather and times a week during very hot days in the height of summer.
Insufficient water especially on hot, dry, windy days is the main cause of weak growth or failure. Drought tolerance is built up as your plants become established. It's equally important to ensure excess water can drain away freely so your bamboo plants don't sit with wet feet for more than 24 hours. Make sure the area drains well and doesn't collect pools or ground water for long periods of time.
Bamboos require frequent and liberal watering Feeding and Mulching The more you feed, the more your bamboo will grow. Clump-forming varieties respond well to feeding. Running varieties are already vigorous and feeding will just make them more invasive.
Unless you have constricted the roots and want your running bamboos to fill out to create a screen, we recommend against feeding running bamboos. If you choose to feed your bamboo, use general purpose plant food or a high nitrogen lawn feed. Apply once in early spring and again in the summer to match the two main growth seasons of bamboo. Keep the area around your bamboo plants well mulched, keeping the mulch 2 inches 5cm away from the outer canes to prevent disease.
Mulching helps preserve moisture and maintain an even temperature around the roots of your plants. Feed bamboo plants with a general purpose plant food or high nitrogen lawn feed Pruning Dead, damaged, weak, unattractive and spindly canes should be cut right back to the ground with loppers or secateurs in spring. This will open up your plants, allowing more light and air into the centre to keep them healthy.
Fallen leaves, grass cuttings, cane sheaths and other debris will build up around the base of your plant. It's best to remove this at the same time as pruning. You can prune your bamboo plants without fear of damaging them. Make your secateur cuts just above a node, so as not to leave a stub that will die back and look unsightly.
You can ease congestion of mature plants by pruning off some side branches. If you have to cut back some canes at the top, shortening side branches will also make your plants look more natural and balanced.
It's possible to create a more striking effect by removing all side branches and foliage at the base of your plants so the beauty of the canes can be fully appreciated. Caring for bamboo in containers Bamboo in containers require more care because it makes them more susceptible to environmental stress.
They are more sensitive to heat and cold, strong winds tip them over, and the restricted root space means they will dry out more quickly. They should be watered regularly - every other day in the summer, ensuring that the pot drains well - and protected from frost and ice in the winter.
For more information please see our article on how to plant, grow and care for bamboo in containers. Yellowing and falling leaves Whilst bamboos are evergreen they do renew their leaves, so having some leaves falling from your plants is perfectly natural and healthy. In spring, expect to see considerable yellowing of some leaves, followed by leaf drop. This is particularly a feature for Phyllostachys and Fargesia varieties.
Fallen leaves will be replaced by fresh new ones. It's very normal to see a combination of green leaves, yellow leaves and newly unfurling leaves in the spring. However, if large parts of your plants turn yellow, you probably have a problem.
This could be caused by poor soil, insufficient nutrients, too much or too little water or stressful growing situations. Make sure you are providing sufficient water particularly on hot, dry days; if not, step up the watering. Conversely, if you have a heavy, clay soil make sure water does not 'puddle' around the base; if it does, consider lifting and replanting with plenty of grit even planted in a raised mound to improve drainage.
If your bamboo is in a windy, exposed site, install a windbreak to provide some protection. Lifting and Dividing Bamboo Clumps The best time to lift and divide clumps is mid-spring, before the growing season. In order to hydrate the plant and reduce the risk of transplant shock, water your bamboo thoroughly the night before you divide. Gently loosen the soil around the clump with a fork, being careful not to damage any of the rhizomes below ground, then gently lift them out of the ground.
Shake excess soil from the root ball, rinse with water to reveal the bamboo root system and inspect the rhizomes for natural points of division. Bamboos are popular garden plants, particularly in contemporary design schemes. Here, we explain the different types of bamboo, how to grow and maintain them, and how to stop them growing out of control. Clump-forming Chusquea bamboos are native to the mountains of Latin America. Unlike most bamboos, their culms are solid, not hollow.
Varieties include Chusquea gigantea, a huge species that grows to 4m in height and bears thick green culms, and Chilean bamboo, Chusquea culeou. Chusquea bamboos are some of the best bamboos for screening and can be used as a focal point. Large gardens only.
Clump-forming Fargesia make popular garden bamboos, usually developing into small clumps. Himalayacalamus is a genus of clumping bamboo, native to the Himalayas. It includes Himalayacalamus hookerianus pictured. Its young culms are blue with a hint of red or purple, maturing to gold. Perfect for growing as a focal point to show off its colour. Sibataea is a genus of short-growing bamboos, with dark green leaves. Perfect for growing as tall ground cover or a short hedge, it include ruscus-leaved bamboo, Shibataea kumasaca, a dwarf species with gold-tinged leaves.
Thamnocalamus bamboos are clump-forming and native to the Himalayas, Madagascar and South Africa. They include Thamnocalamus crassinodus, which has pale blue culms that become tinged with red as they mature, and tiny leaves. Phyllostachys is a genus of Asian running bamboos, with most species native to China.
Easily identifiable, the culms have a distinctive groove, called a sulcus, which runs along the length of each segment. Many species spread aggressively by underground rhizomes, and can cause problems in the garden. Some species grow to 30m in height. Arrow bamboo is an excellent candidate for privacy screens as it grows thick and dense.
Its height, usually about 12 to 16 feet, makes it more manageable as well. An especially good choice for privacy hedges with height restrictions. This variety does need to be well watered. Try to keep it in a shady area that gets a lot of water run off. One of the few bamboos that can be cultivated as a ground cover, this specimen makes an excellent accent alongside larger bamboo varieties, around Japanese pines, and in any sort of Asian themed garden setting.
Its compact size also makes it much easier to contain, despite its being a runner. Just keep an eye on those roots! Unlike other striped varieties of bamboo, this one has stripes on its leaves rather than it canes. They are bright yellow with a deep green variegation. The more sunlight it gets, the lighter the yellow becomes, turning almost white. The green culms are barely thicker than a blade of grass, and rarely grow more than 2 or 3 feet tall.
Dwarf green stripe is a fairly cold hardly species, but it may look less vibrant during a cold winter. Some gardeners will mow it back in the winter. While the most impressive varieties of bamboo tend to be runners, the conscientious gardener is always on the look out for a good breed of clumping bamboo. They might not always display the awesome meter-a-day growth of some fabled bamboos of the tropics, or the massive culms that make you want to reach out your arms for a bear hug, but they can lend an exotic charm to any small scale zen oasis or Japanese garden.
Now before you rush over to Home Depot, or your nearest box store discount nursery, and start asking sales clerks for their recommendations on clumping bamboos, keep in mind that very few people — nursery employees included — can reliably distinguish a runner from a clumper. These guys really know their bamboo.
But if you want my opinion, here are a few of my favorite clumpers. An old favorite, Oldhamii is said to be the most widely grown variety of bamboo in all of the United States. Native to Taiwan, it does have a preference for the tropical climes and is not very cold hardy.
Oldhamii is also a popular choice for a privacy hedge, with its bushy leaves and dense, upright canes. The thick poles make an excellent building material, too. And many bamboo enthusiasts will eat the sweet, young shoots of this variety.
See our in-depth article on Bambusa oldhamii for more details. With its slender stalks and delicate, wispy leaves, this delightfully compact specimen looks good in nearly any garden. All it needs is a gentle breeze to make it really come alive. It also prefers warmer climates. I grew some in a cool, coastal climate, and it always looked happy.
A versatile species, this bamboo does well in a variety of conditions. In California, it can tolerate the dryness. And in small gardens, the weeping bamboo does quite well in a pot. The thin poles grow up to 10 or 15 feet tall, but the gracefully cascading leaves are what give the plant its unique appeal. Some poles also grow zigzag instead of upright. But whatever it lacks in straight and narrow poise, it more than makes up for with portly character. This subtropical variety also does better in the warmer zones.
The most common variety of Buddha Belly is the Bambusa ventricosa , which gets about 30 feet tall with 2 to 3 inch culms. It is very helpful! I was hoping to plant bamboo as a fence in a narrow bed lined with landscaping cloth and bordered with bricks. Would this be enough to keep the bamboo from spreading?
The key is to stay ahead of it. You just never want to let this get ahead of you. I am trying to find something to plant behind my home for privacy. We have a privacy fence but there is an alley and a house that sits higher on the land behind us so they have a great view straight into our back yard. I am looking for something to help obstruct that view. Do you think that is a good idea? And which type would be best? The metal containers would just be sitting on the grass.
I live in north. Hi Rachel. Bamboo in large metal containers, like horse troughs would work. But you need to drill holes in them for drainage.
That will be the key and your biggest challenge down the road. But containing it as you propose will make a huge difference in keeping it at bay. Hi Joe. Your article is really informative. You have described the problems associated with planting bamboos in the garden yard. I was thinking to create a bamboo fence on my terrace for privacy.
So is there any possibility to spread out if I plant them in a large pot? As long as the pots stay on the terrace you should be fine. But in your case, no place to go to. So you should be fine in pots. So our neighbors hate us anyways and actually have security cameras into our yard. Which is the best to plant that grows fast? I want to shut out their cameras but also want to perhaps build a cement case to keep from growing too much into our own yard. Ideas please? Bamboo came to mind first, before I even realized you were posting from the bamboo article.
But there are bamboo varieties for every part of the world almost and fast growing too. Otherwise, contact a local nursery or your county extension service for suggestions on a fast growing evergreen for your area. Be sure to specify if the area where it is growing will be in sun or shade. I live in Southern Minnesota.
I am looking at bamboo more for its versatility than privacy screening. Any thoughts about the species Phyllostachys nuda? Are the shoots edible? What is the growth rate for this particular species of bamboo? Because of the colder climate, will this affect the rate of growth? My neighbors have planted an expensive clumping type of bamboo and it has devastated my hill country view.
I have been topping the bamboo that has invasively shot up. While I totally respect my neighbors desire for privacy, they now insist that I allow their bamboo to reach its natural heighth. We are swiftly approaching the Hatfield and McCoy stage. I was informed that if their actions impact the value of my property than I have cause to sue for compensation based on property value loss. I am sickened and am looking for advice.
So what type of bamboo can you grow for privacy that will not invade your neighbors yard?
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