Every once in awhile I'm asked how to grow bamboo without having it take over. Since we don't have many natural predators of bamboo in our gardens, like these happy campers here, the only surefire way I know of to guarantee bamboo won't escape is to plant it in a container. Even then, you have to keep an eye out that it doesn't creep over the sides. I've been told you can keep it in bounds with a metal edge, but I've seen it jump those too. Actually, I've seen it poke right through them. And I have known people to plant bamboo and move away, without a thought.
So I'd love to hear suggestions from those of you who have grown bamboo successfully, without it taking over the neighborhood. And if you're interested in trying to grow some bamboo yourself, consider the clumping varieties, rather than the vigorous runners.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
Never! Bamboo is almost impossible to get rid of – beware if you grow it.
You could spray some kind of pollutant over and possibly under the soil you’d like to be the boundary of your bamboo hedge, leaving a buffer of 15-20 cm from the most vigorous culms. Ciao Angelo
I’ve never heard of any product that would work like that and I don’t know of anything that would selectively kill only the bamboo. If you plant it, you have to be diligent about keeping it in bounds.
A local bamboo grower told me that it is NOT hard to control. He has 60 different varieties in the ground but they do not take over. He said that in the spring, there is a several week period in which the new shoots emerge. During that time, he just steps on the emerging shoots, killing them. He said that after that relatively short period that no more shoots emerge and that this is enough to control any variety. I haven’t tried it but he has been growing many bamboo varieties for many years.
Stepping on the new shoots is the way many people keep their plants in check, but my worry is when people move away and don’t take the bamboo out.
Bamboo is a grass, in the spring you need to mow it down, and if you are not fast enough, the next day there will be more. I use loping shears close to the soil to cut the larger ones. In one day I have cut as many as 100 shoots. Bamboo does make a airy privacy barrier , it takes time and work, we in California can grow almost anything, Bamboo is a challenge.
I would be very wary of any advice posted here from folks who have not had bamboo in their own yards. The previous owners of our house planted bamboo and surrounded it with a plastic barrier. 4 years later it had escaped into the neighbors yard and completely taken over our yard; the shoots made the yard unusable for children. We recently had a contractor use an excavator to remove as much as possible. It remains to be seen whether this will be enough.
we were unaware of my neighbor’s modest bamboo garden along our common fence when we bought our home. over the years, we removed a number of very large pine trees along that same fence. we also removed the mature juniper shrubs that completely covered the back yard. once we started landscaping and watering our new trees and shrubs, the bamboo perked up and grew like mad — in her yard AND ours. i like the look of bamboo – even planted some clump bamboo elsewhere but if i’d known how the runner-type bamboo spread we would’ve trenched early on and kept it under control. we now have a “hedge” of 20’ tall bamboo that runs down that same fence – the hedge is 8 feet thick and 40’ long. i haven’t even SEEN the fence for about ten years. bamboo specialists down in the santa cruz area have good instructions on their website for trenching using 3 mil plastic as a barrier. short of that? a machete and a shovel and diligence. the bamboo really seems to follow the water.
Will and kp, you both exemplify the real danger of bamboo. The original gardener may have the best of intentions, but eventually we let down our guard and it only takes a short while to get out of control.
And isn’t it amazing how many people use it as a living fence between their yard and their neighbor’s? I think that’s really pushing your luck.
Can bamboo be grown in Missouri (specifically, Kansas City)?
We inherited a small running bamboo grove here in CT (zone 6) from the previous owner. We have put in a deep plastic barrier and so far so good. The last few seasons the bamboo has gotten huge-30 feet tall with stems 2 inches in diameter. I love it but its a bit of work to maintain. In the spring I kick out the culms that I don’t want, while they are still tender. Later, I saw down the mature ones that need thinning, or that lean too much. They are getting too big to be useful as bean poles, but we still find uses for them. They seem to be pest free and disease free and require no water or fertilizer. I’m not sure I would plant bamboo, but I’m actually glad we have it. We have other plants that require more much maintenance.
EVD, yes, there are some hardy enough for your Zone 5/6 area. The clumping bamboos in the Fargesia genus are good choices. I mention some on page 2 of the article mentioned in the blog post.
CT gardener, it is very nice to hear a positive bamboo story, especially by someone who inherited bamboo.
It certainly has its place and it is a wonderful, renewable (understatement) building resource, but with no natural predators here, we need more people willing to “kick out the clumps”.
We have 9 separate varieties of running bamboo at our home in Oregon, and have no problem keeping them controlled. I agree with the previous comment; they generally send up shoots during a three week period. Keep vigilant during that time, and either crush or prune them when they first poke out of the ground, and you should have minimal problems! I’ve spent less than two hours per year keeping the bamboo in check.
DON’t PLANT THE BAMBOO!. My neighbor did, and his entire yard filled with it. He tried to get rid of it for three years, he did the pulling, he had the entire yard rototilled, and tried chemical warfare. He passed away, and his garden went an entire summer without any care. The bamboo came into my yard. The new owner curses my poor old friend. She has been trying to get rid of it for two years without much sucess. Although the drought we have had this summer in the midwest has seemed to help. FInd other interesting plants!
I’ve been thinking of growing some Miscanthus Giganteus? any thoughts? bad experiences?
I haven’t grown it, but I thought I read that it was sterile. It does spread by rhizomes, though. And a large plant like that can spread pretty quickly and needs a lot of space. If you’re not fond of dividing grasses every few years, it might not be for you.
I grow Bamboo. The neighbors added a 2nd story to their house eliminating any privacy I have inside AND outside my house. I have a 2 foot deep bed right next to the fence about 30 feet long. I have 10 plants planted apx. 3 feet apart.
I use a clumping bamboo called Bambusa Textilis Gracilis or Graceful Weavers Bamboo. It grows 25 feet tall and is extremely easy to contain. The new culms grow right next to each other and grows fairly quickly.
Water requirements and minimum to moderate–when I fist planted it I watered it daily. It was just 2 little culms. 1 and 1/2 years later it is 15 feet tall
Whenever a new culm emerges where I don’t want it I merely grab it and break it off.
i have bamboo in my front and back yard…clumping in front and running in back. the running variety is easily contained by mowing it regularly. as soon as a shoot starts it can be mowed and never seen again. i have a stand of about 6′ wide and 60′ long that stays in the area i want simply by mowing it weekly with my regular grass. it makes a nice barrier to my neighbors side of the yard. it is about 20′ tall and makes a nice privacy fence.
my neighbor never complains because he mows his yard regularly and stops any invasion in his yard.
Bamboo can be controlled. I currently have five running bamboos planted in the ground controlled with a barrier. I believe it is the fault of some, where it is left uncontrolled for some time, that give the running type a bad name. If not controlled it will spread outside your property. “Clumping” doesn’t spread, but “running” will. If one wants to grow bamboo on their property they should either plant in above ground beds OR use .60 mil HDPE barrier. Read about it here: http://www.bamboogarden.com/barrier.htm