Growing and Maintaining Bamboo
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Growing bamboo successfully is a simple and rewarding task
and can be accomplished in most situations. Please read the guide below
for an outline of the most important points.
Placement and Spacing
Although most people have a place in mind as to where they want to plant
their bamboo, one should keep in mind that most large bamboos (Phyllostachys) do best
with 5 or more hours of direct sunlight. They must be given ample water, fertilizer,
and protection from competitive weeds. They will benefit from a windscreen
and light shade when first planted as well. This is especially true of
smaller plants. Fargesias, Thamnocalamus and Sasas do well with light to
moderate shade. In fact the Fargesias and most Thamnocalamus are happier
with some shade during the hottest part of the day. Fargesia
and Thamnocalamus are the hardiest of the clump type bamboos. They can
be planted without fear of spreading. Most other hardy bamboos can spread
by their underground rhizomes and this must be taken into account when
planting them. We recommend annual root pruning as the first option for control.
Also, barrier of 60 mil by 30 inch deep, HDPE (high
density polyethylene) can be used for rhizome control. For helpful
information and photographs about controlling and maintaining bamboo see: control methods
Bamboo should be spaced 3 to 5 feet apart to form a dense screen. The
faster spreading types can be planted farther apart, if you are willing to wait
a little longer for the screen to fill out. Starting from a small size, most
bamboos will reach mature height within five or six years. As a very general
rule, Clumping bamboo gain about 1-2 feet of height per year, and the Running
types grow about 3-5 feet per year, and spread outward at the same rate. Height
and spread rate is variable depending on the species and climate. If as
instantaneous screen is desired, most bamboo will not suffer from being planted
nearly back to back. Feel free to contact us to discuss details about your
project.
Planting Your New Bamboos
Most bamboos are happiest in a moderately acidic loamy soil. If your soil
is very heavy you can add organic material. It can be dug into the soil
where the bamboo is to be planted, but the easiest thing is to mulch very
heavily and let the earthworms do the work. Spread two or more inches of
mulch in the area around the bamboo, and where you want the bamboo to grow.
Bamboo is a forest plant and does best if a mulch is kept over the roots
and rhizomes. It is best not to rake or sweep up the bamboo leaves from
under the plant, as they keep the soil soft, and moist, and recycle silica
and other natural chemicals necessary to the bamboo. A low-growing shade-tolerant groundcover plant that will allow the leaves to fall through to
form a mulch without being visible will work if you find the dry leaf mulch
objectionable. Almost any organic material is a good mulch. Grass is one
of the best, as it is high in nitrogen and silica. Home made or commercial
compost is great. Hay is a good mulch too but hay and manure are often
a source of weed seeds, so that can be a problem. Any kind of manure is
good, if it isn't too hot. Limited amounts of very hot manures like chicken
are OK if used with care. At our nursery we use a large amount of chipped
trees from tree pruning services. This can harbor pathogens that can affect
some trees or shrubs, but the bamboo loves it.
Planting small starts
When planting smaller size starts (1 or 2 gallon), it is important to protect them from
overexposure to the
hot sun, especially Fargesias and other shade loving bamboo. This is most important in the summer and when the chosen site has concrete,
or near a wall that could reflect light and heat on to the plant. In such a potentially hot
spot, it may be best to use a larger more well established bamboo (5 gallon or
larger), and/or plant in the spring or fall..
Timing and winter protection
Bamboos can be planted at any time of the year in areas with mild climates
such as we have in the maritime Pacific Northwest. In colder parts of the
world they should be planted outdoors early enough to become established
and to harden off sufficiently to survive their first winter. If the bamboo
is planted late in the year, one should mulch the plant heavily and provide
extra protection from any cold and drying winds. In colder climates where
bamboos may be marginal, successful growers usually protect their bamboos
through the winter with a heavy mulch. Even in very cold climates in an
established bamboo grove with a heavy layer of bamboo leaves covering the
ground, the soil will be soft and friable during periods when the surrounding
soils are frozen hard and deep. In very hot climates, where summers routinely
get over 100 degrees, it is best to wait until Fall or Spring to plant bamboo,
unless it can be given a shady area or some kind of protection from the sun.
Controlling the spread of bamboo
We recommend annual root pruning as the first option for control. Also,
barrier of
60 mil by 30 inch deep, HDPE (high density polyethylene) can be used for rhizome
control. See this page for control methods
. If you plan to install a barrier to control the spread of running bamboos, it
is important to install it properly to ensure its effectiveness. In other than very light soils, the bamboo rhizomes are usually
in the top few inches of soil. However when the rhizome encounters an obstruction
it will turn, and sometimes it will go down. It is important to avoid loose
soil or air pockets next to the barrier or the bamboo may go deeper than
you want and perhaps go under the barrier. When filling the hole after
placing the barrier, tightly compact the soil next to the barrier. Any
soil amendments must be added only in the top foot or so. You mustn't encourage
deep rhizome growth if you want to contain the bamboo. If the bamboo planting
can be surrounded by a shallow trench 8 to 10 inches deep, this can be
a cheaper and easier method to control its spread. See link for
pruning trench
technique. You just need to check
a couple of times in the late summer and fall to see if any rhizomes have
tried to cross the trench, and cut them off. Checking for spreading rhizomes
is very important. It must be done each fall, whether you are
using barrier or a trench.
Growing bamboo in containers
Bamboo may be grown in a pot if
there is not a suitable place to put it in the ground, but more care is required. Watering is more critical as bamboo does not like to dry out, nor does it like
to be soggy. In containers bamboos, especially those that are not well adapted
to hot sun, require more care in placement as they can be damaged if the pot
overheats. During winter, container bamboos are susceptible to freezing and if
not protected may die. Bamboo in containers is not nearly as hardy as the same
bamboo would be in the ground. Bamboo can be a fine container plant if its needs
are met. We recommend using wood planters or containers that have some
insulation for the root mass. If you use metal feed troughs, make sure
they have adequate drainage and use only very hardy plants. We sell 30"
cedar planters lined with rhizome barrier which
provides a decent home for most bamboos for about 3-5 years before they need to
be transplanted.
Staking tall plants
When planting very tall and slender bamboos, they may need to be staked; actually guyed is a better term. This will prevent wind from uprooting
them or damaging newly formed roots. Tall bamboo plants are best guyed
with a rope tied to the culms up about ½ way up, and to short stakes
on 3 or 4 sides of the plant at sufficient distance to give the strength needed
to prevent the wind from uprooting the stakes.
Yellowing and falling leaves.
In the spring there is considerable yellowing of the leaves, followed by
leaf drop. This is natural and should not cause concern, as bamboos are
evergreen and naturally renew their leaves in the spring. They should loose
their leaves gradually as they are replaced by fresh new ones. In the spring
on a healthy bamboo there should be a mixture of green leaves, yellow leaves
and newly unfurling leaves.
Water
Newly planted bamboos need frequent and liberal watering. Twice a week
during mild weather, and perhaps even daily during hot or windy
weather, give your bamboo a good watering. Make sure that each plant under
5 gallon pot size gets at least ½ gallon of water. For plants over
5 gallon size more than 1 gallon is advised. Once a bamboo has reached
the desired size, it can survive with much less irrigation. But until then
you must water and fertilize copiously to achieve optimum growth. Lack
of sufficient water especially during hot or windy weather is the leading
cause of failure or poor growth of new bamboo plants. Watering newly planted
bamboos every day, or for longer than a few minutes can cause excess leaf
drop. Well-established bamboos are rather tolerant of flooding, but newly
planted bamboos can suffer from too much as well as too little water.
Fertilizing
Bamboo if planted in a suitable site
(full sun for most, partial shade for some) and given ample water can grow and
eventually thrive. But if you want a healthy attractive vigorous plant, you must
fertilize. We use a lawn fertilizer it is high in nitrogen. 21-5-6 is the
formula. Organic fertilizer
high in nitrogen is even better, though it is more expensive. Provide a 2-3 inch
layer of compost or aged manure around the base of the plant, and outward where
you want it to spread, for a natural source of plant food.
Pruning Bamboo
Maintenance pruning
Bamboo like other plants requires some pruning to maintain its
attractiveness. Bamboo culms live only to about 15 years. Once each year you
should remove older unattractive culms and cut off any dead or unattractive
branches. You can prune bamboo without fear of damaging it. Just trim so it
looks attractive. Make cuts just above a node, so as not to leave a stub that
will die back and look unsightly. If you cut back the top, you may want to also
shorten some of the side branches so the plant will look more balanced, not
leaving long branches at the top.
Thinning for large culms
Timber bamboo will grow large more quickly if you remove the
smaller and older culms so newer larger ones will have room to grow.
Topiary
Bamboo may be trimmed in topiary fashion. You may top the culms,
remove some lower branches, and shorten some side branches and remove others.
Any culms or branches cut do not grow back longer but only grow more leaves.
For Screens or Hedges
Bamboo may also be cut to form a hedge as one might do with
boxwood or other traditional hedge plants if one wishes. This is best done after
the new culms grow to full height in the spring or summer. (Most of the new
growth on a bamboo plant happens at the same time of the year, usually late
spring or early summer for temperate bamboos.) There should need be only one
major pruning, with only minor touch up at other times of the year. If you want
to control the size or height of your bamboo, and retain the natural look of the
bamboo, this can be done by removing new shoots that are significantly larger in
diameter than the culms that are the desired height. These shoots will be
replaced by smaller diameter culms that will not grow so tall. This can be
safely done with a plant that has been well established, not a newly planted
bamboo.
Legging up
For display of colorful bamboos such as Phyllostachys nigra,
Phyllostachys bambusoides ‘Castillonis’ and Phyllostachys vivax ‘Aureocaulis’
you can enhance the beauty by removing smaller culms and cutting off lower
branches so that the beauty of the culms is visible.
Groundcover Bamboos
For dwarf bamboo we recommend cutting it to the ground each
spring, so that the plant is rejuvenated. It will look much nicer when the new
growth emerges, and it will be kept shorter and more dense. Dwarf bamboos are
also often trimmed later in the season to keep them shorter and more uniform in
height. In very cold climates such as zones 4 or 5 dwarf bamboos may have their
tops freeze back in the winter and still be good for landscaping. Just mow them
as you should do in places where they don’t freeze back.
(click on link)
Bamboo inquiries:
General questions and
answers from our customers.
Lots of good information about growing bamboo!
Bamboo Pests
We also sell decorative, 30 inch cedar planters for $85 each.
It looks like bamboo, but it
ain't
see
Imposters: Not
bamboos at all
also see
From Terra Viridis Nursery
Plants
Commonly Mistaken for Bamboo
This is our abbreviated care instruction sheet, but if you
want a more complete treatise on growing bamboo you should get the new book
The
Gardener’s Guide to Growing TEMPERATE BAMBOOS by Mike Bell
or
Bamboo for Gardens
by Ted Meredith
Hiring
Occasionally, we have a job opening among our retail staff, please see this link for more info: job description
