Trax
Active Member
Hi! 
I was discussing bamboo with Crabbergirl and she suggested that I start a thread to share my knowledge and experience with others here. Since the other members have been so friendly and helpful, I'm very happy to do this. Growing bamboo was my dad's hobby and now it's mine. A lot of what I know about bamboo, I owe to him and friends in China, Japan, Thailand, Hawaii, Brazil, and Malaysia.
Bamboo is of the Family Gramineae & the Genus Bambuseae and Phylostachys. Members of the 1st genus are tropical & those of the 2nd are more temperate runner-types. The 'runners' are usually invasive & should be grown within rhizome barriers. The 'clumpers' are non-invasive and can be grown like any bush. Because of the invasive and sometimes even destructive nature of many bamboos, the ABS (American Bamboo Society) was established in 1979 to control the introduction of bamboo species into the USA. But even still, each state has it's own restrictions and it's a good idea to speak with someone at your local Ag-center to find out if any are prohibited in your state.
-- Cautions: (1) Snakes sometimes like to crawl up into bamboo and hang overhead. This is usually only a problem with larger varieties. (2) Split bamboo is very sharp. I always wear leather gloves when I work with my bamboos. (3) Also, only young bamboo shoots are really edible but may have toxins (like Rhubarb). For eating, know exactly what type of bamboo you have and what the cooking requirements are.
Note - I have been growing timber bamboos for 6 years now and have never had any problems with rats, mice, or snakes.
-- Growth: Never apply even hand pressure to a new bamboo shoot. It will damage the leaves and limbs in the brown sheaths. The shoots come out of the ground like poles (covered with brown sheaths) and grow to the height they will be. About a week later, they drop the sheaths and the limbs and leaves fold out. Once the leaves have fully developed, the culms no longer grow but will replace spent leaves in the fall or spring.
-- Uses: Bamboo has many advantages. (1) If you ever wanted a shrub that you only have to trim once a year, bamboo is a good answer and it stays green year-round. It comes in many colors and, once cut, it stays alive and healthy but does not continue to grow. New shoots in the spring will need to be trimmed after they put out their branches and leaves. (2) Privacy & shade. Bamboo can be used as a screen or even a fence. (3) Windbreak. Bamboo makes an excellent windbreaker. I grow 12 foot Ice Cream banana plants near my bamboo and (despite our very strong winds) the leaves almost never tear. Colorful clumping bamboos can be used to protect smaller plants from wind and sun as well. (4) Crafts. Bamboo culms can be used to make nice trellises, arbors, and many other things. Culms (of timber bamboos) that are 2-3 years old can be cured and used for furniture making.
-- Requirements: Most bamboos grow best in a semi-rich, well-draining soil but will grow even in clay. Most also need full sun and love water. But many bamboos are drought resistant as well. To increase growth, peat or compost are helpful. Fertilize with any good lawn fertilizer. To check out needs of many different bamboos, I always use this site:
http://www.bamboodirect.com/
I always use this site for window-shopping. I buy my bamboos, though, wherever I find the best deal.
-- Barriers: If you're wanting a runner-type bamboo, I strongly advise installing a rhizome barrier or growing in pots. Runners (on some species) can actually damage sidewalks and houses. Concrete is not a good idea since it can split or crack underground and allow runners to escape. For good protection, I advise a buried 30 inch wall of Polyethylene. This link will give you an idea of what to look for. Again, I am not endorsing this company but their site contains a lot of good info.
http://www.bamboodirect.com/bamboo/catalog/rhizomebarrier.html
There are many good bamboo and rhizome-barrier companies so always check around before you buy.
-- Care: Bamboos require very little care and their dead leaves and sheaths provide a perfect mulch which, in my 6 years of experience, has always been great for preventing weeds from growing. Other mulches can also be used. Bamboos can be pruned for any desired shape and dead culms should always be cut out to trigger new growth. Bamboos send up new shoots in the spring and sometimes in the fall. The leaves tend to turn yellow at that time and even fall off. Don't fret! It is only dropping spent leaves and the plant will replace them with new ones! One last thing, if the leaves curl length-wise, it means the bamboo needs watering.
-- Natural Enemies: Bamboos have no important pests and are resistant to all known diseases. Also, never use bamboo as an indicator for radiation. In Hiroshima, Japan (1945 - at ground zero), 3 days after the nuclear blast, the bamboos put up their new shoots. Those new shoots lived and flourished!
-- Propogation by Seed: While there are some bamboos that have beautiful flowers, most have flowers that resemble dead weeds and have no scent. The pollen from these is carried by wind and unintentional contact.
Bamboos only flower every 7-100 years and the flowering is both gregarious and global. When a specific species flowers, all members of that species flower all over the world. Shortly after that, all of that species dies all over the world. At that point, the species becomes very rare and some species have been entirely lost this way. If mine ever flower, I will cover the flowers with paper sacks and pollinate them by hand. But it will still take 6 years to get them back to the size they are now. Smaller species will recover in much less time. But there are stores of seeds (for some species) that can be bought online!
-- Propogation by Rhizomes: (1) Runners. Most runners (rhizomes) are about 0 to 1.5 feet underground. Dig and find a runner that is about 1.5 feet long and has a bright greenish bud on it. Cut it off, plant it in good soil, and water it. Be sure and wear leather gloves since the roots are very wirey and sharp. Btw, runners can run out, from the culm, as much as 25 feet or more. (2) Clumpers. When the bush is large enough, just dig down, split the bush in half, and plant the other half. Clumpers grow in width but never run.
-- Curing Bamboo Culms: Bamboo is usually cured using a smokehouse method. The concrete trenches should be about 2 feet apart and alternate trenches should contain the culms and the burning wood or coal. After 2 weeks of smoking, the culms are ready to be used for building things. Also, blowing boric acid through the culms helps to strengthen the wood.
I could write a book but I think I'll stop here, for now. I will cover food prep etc in other posts. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!
Also (and very important), if anyone has knowledge and/or experience with bamboo, please feel free to share!
I was discussing bamboo with Crabbergirl and she suggested that I start a thread to share my knowledge and experience with others here. Since the other members have been so friendly and helpful, I'm very happy to do this. Growing bamboo was my dad's hobby and now it's mine. A lot of what I know about bamboo, I owe to him and friends in China, Japan, Thailand, Hawaii, Brazil, and Malaysia.Bamboo is of the Family Gramineae & the Genus Bambuseae and Phylostachys. Members of the 1st genus are tropical & those of the 2nd are more temperate runner-types. The 'runners' are usually invasive & should be grown within rhizome barriers. The 'clumpers' are non-invasive and can be grown like any bush. Because of the invasive and sometimes even destructive nature of many bamboos, the ABS (American Bamboo Society) was established in 1979 to control the introduction of bamboo species into the USA. But even still, each state has it's own restrictions and it's a good idea to speak with someone at your local Ag-center to find out if any are prohibited in your state.
-- Cautions: (1) Snakes sometimes like to crawl up into bamboo and hang overhead. This is usually only a problem with larger varieties. (2) Split bamboo is very sharp. I always wear leather gloves when I work with my bamboos. (3) Also, only young bamboo shoots are really edible but may have toxins (like Rhubarb). For eating, know exactly what type of bamboo you have and what the cooking requirements are.
Note - I have been growing timber bamboos for 6 years now and have never had any problems with rats, mice, or snakes.
-- Growth: Never apply even hand pressure to a new bamboo shoot. It will damage the leaves and limbs in the brown sheaths. The shoots come out of the ground like poles (covered with brown sheaths) and grow to the height they will be. About a week later, they drop the sheaths and the limbs and leaves fold out. Once the leaves have fully developed, the culms no longer grow but will replace spent leaves in the fall or spring.
-- Uses: Bamboo has many advantages. (1) If you ever wanted a shrub that you only have to trim once a year, bamboo is a good answer and it stays green year-round. It comes in many colors and, once cut, it stays alive and healthy but does not continue to grow. New shoots in the spring will need to be trimmed after they put out their branches and leaves. (2) Privacy & shade. Bamboo can be used as a screen or even a fence. (3) Windbreak. Bamboo makes an excellent windbreaker. I grow 12 foot Ice Cream banana plants near my bamboo and (despite our very strong winds) the leaves almost never tear. Colorful clumping bamboos can be used to protect smaller plants from wind and sun as well. (4) Crafts. Bamboo culms can be used to make nice trellises, arbors, and many other things. Culms (of timber bamboos) that are 2-3 years old can be cured and used for furniture making.
-- Requirements: Most bamboos grow best in a semi-rich, well-draining soil but will grow even in clay. Most also need full sun and love water. But many bamboos are drought resistant as well. To increase growth, peat or compost are helpful. Fertilize with any good lawn fertilizer. To check out needs of many different bamboos, I always use this site:
http://www.bamboodirect.com/
I always use this site for window-shopping. I buy my bamboos, though, wherever I find the best deal.
-- Barriers: If you're wanting a runner-type bamboo, I strongly advise installing a rhizome barrier or growing in pots. Runners (on some species) can actually damage sidewalks and houses. Concrete is not a good idea since it can split or crack underground and allow runners to escape. For good protection, I advise a buried 30 inch wall of Polyethylene. This link will give you an idea of what to look for. Again, I am not endorsing this company but their site contains a lot of good info.
http://www.bamboodirect.com/bamboo/catalog/rhizomebarrier.html
There are many good bamboo and rhizome-barrier companies so always check around before you buy.
-- Care: Bamboos require very little care and their dead leaves and sheaths provide a perfect mulch which, in my 6 years of experience, has always been great for preventing weeds from growing. Other mulches can also be used. Bamboos can be pruned for any desired shape and dead culms should always be cut out to trigger new growth. Bamboos send up new shoots in the spring and sometimes in the fall. The leaves tend to turn yellow at that time and even fall off. Don't fret! It is only dropping spent leaves and the plant will replace them with new ones! One last thing, if the leaves curl length-wise, it means the bamboo needs watering.
-- Natural Enemies: Bamboos have no important pests and are resistant to all known diseases. Also, never use bamboo as an indicator for radiation. In Hiroshima, Japan (1945 - at ground zero), 3 days after the nuclear blast, the bamboos put up their new shoots. Those new shoots lived and flourished!
-- Propogation by Seed: While there are some bamboos that have beautiful flowers, most have flowers that resemble dead weeds and have no scent. The pollen from these is carried by wind and unintentional contact.
Bamboos only flower every 7-100 years and the flowering is both gregarious and global. When a specific species flowers, all members of that species flower all over the world. Shortly after that, all of that species dies all over the world. At that point, the species becomes very rare and some species have been entirely lost this way. If mine ever flower, I will cover the flowers with paper sacks and pollinate them by hand. But it will still take 6 years to get them back to the size they are now. Smaller species will recover in much less time. But there are stores of seeds (for some species) that can be bought online!
-- Propogation by Rhizomes: (1) Runners. Most runners (rhizomes) are about 0 to 1.5 feet underground. Dig and find a runner that is about 1.5 feet long and has a bright greenish bud on it. Cut it off, plant it in good soil, and water it. Be sure and wear leather gloves since the roots are very wirey and sharp. Btw, runners can run out, from the culm, as much as 25 feet or more. (2) Clumpers. When the bush is large enough, just dig down, split the bush in half, and plant the other half. Clumpers grow in width but never run.
-- Curing Bamboo Culms: Bamboo is usually cured using a smokehouse method. The concrete trenches should be about 2 feet apart and alternate trenches should contain the culms and the burning wood or coal. After 2 weeks of smoking, the culms are ready to be used for building things. Also, blowing boric acid through the culms helps to strengthen the wood.
I could write a book but I think I'll stop here, for now. I will cover food prep etc in other posts. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!
Also (and very important), if anyone has knowledge and/or experience with bamboo, please feel free to share!
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