Choose the right type of bamboo so it wo n’t take over your yard .
Bamboo evokes the image of snack pandas or sereneAsian garden — or it becomes a nightmare when this fast and sharply grow plant takes over your curtilage . Carefully choosing the bamboo variety show you plant is key to love the charming and useful side of bamboo without its downsides .
teach about the departure between running and clumping bamboo and get summit for caring for bamboo and containing the plants as well as for develop bamboo indoors .
Credit: Erica George
What Is Bamboo?
Bamboo is a large radical of tall , slurred treelike grasses carry more than 1,400 different mintage . Most are woody - stem evergreen plant perennial . Bamboo is one of the fastest - grow plant in the world ; some types grow up to one foot per sidereal day . This makes bamboo an extremely sustainable resourcefulness . There are many eco - friendly products made of bamboo , including utensils , toothbrush , and home goods .
bamboo come in size from just 4 - 6 inch to 130 feet tall . Within that broad range of a function , you ’ll well find a variety that turn in your landscape . But be measured : Some grow so quickly and obtusely that they ’ll herd out other plant .
Running vs. Clumping Bamboo
All bamboos grow rhizomes , or fore - like extensions that sprout roots and run underground . How these underground rootstalk grow makes a freehanded difference for the gardener . The two major types of bamboo are bamboo with a persist rhizome body structure and bamboo with a clumping social organization .
Running Bamboo
Running bamboo has long rhizomes that propagate horizontally . These bamboo types demand a big area to spread and should be controlled with annual root pruning . Otherwise , they ’ll rapidly take over your landscape painting .
One of the most democratic and notoriously incursive running bamboo types isgolden bamboo . These are the classic marvellous , cane bamboo plants that grow up to 70 feet with bow as big as 6 inches wide . They are potent and tight - produce with varyingdegrees of hardinessin Zones 5 - 10 .
While well live for their yellow chromaticity , golden bamboos fare in all kinds of ghost ; greens , dark Bolshevik , and even striking blacks . They make tight - growing privacy screen with a tropical feel .
Credit: William Wright
How to Control Running Bamboo
Because break away bamboo spreads so apace , these plants need regular maintenance to keep their rootstalk under control . Consider set up a plastic , alloy , or concrete barrier to keep them in bounds , or found them in a raised bed . This provides a healthy growing zone , while also making it easier to check any rogue rhizomes .
To discourage deep rhizome growth , tightly compact the soil in the bottom of the planting mess . police the circumference of your bamboo regularly in early summer to agree for escapees . Check again when rhizome growth ceases , which will vary , depending on where you subsist . At this microscope stage , any novel growth outside the barriers is relatively soft and has n’t yet rout to the ground , so it is easy to take out .
Clumping Bamboo
Clumping bamboos have shorter rhizomes that do n’t stray far from their origin . The plant acquire outward from a key plant and imprint tight clusters of shoot at a much milder gait of 2 - 12 column inch per year .
Clumping bamboos come in a wide range of colors and sizes . There are several type of clumping bamboo to choose from : Bambusa(which thrives in hot , southerly climates ) andChusquea , Borinda , andHimalayacalamus(which prefer nerveless , mild climates).Fargesiaare the most cold - unfearing clip-clop bamboo , surviving as far magnetic north as Zone 5 .
Pruning Clumping Bamboo
you could prune clop bamboo into any shape without hurting the plant . If the ball grows too wide , but lean or remove the outer canes by dress them at ground level .
Cut dwarf or ground cover bamboo back to the ground each spring to keep the industrial plant in tip - top shape — a lopperis a great tool for this . The raw growth comes in deep and short .
Tips for Growing Bamboo
Bamboo is easy to grow if its basic requirements are suffer .
Light
Theamount of sunlightvaries according to the bamboo type . gold bamboo brandish with at least six hours of unmediated sunlight each day .
Water
All bamboos appreciate unconstipated lachrymation . However , do n’t let them stand in weewee . fresh plants need watering once a day until they ’re established .
To retain soil moisture , add a 2- to 3 - inch layer of compost , mulch , or other constituent matter around the base of the plant .
Fertilizer
To help fuel the quick outgrowth , bamboo uses a lot of nutrients . Use aslow - release , organic fertilizerthat ishigh in atomic number 7 , such as 10 - 5 - 5 . Apply the fertiliser fit in to software system directions just before new development starts in the spring and once again in summertime .
Growing Indoor Bamboo Plants
Most bamboos opt the outdoors to indoors , so you ’ll need to give your plant a lot of aid . Like otherpotted plants , indoor bamboos postulate good drainage , regular watering , and fertilizing . endeavor to simulate outdoor conditions as closely as possible .
Due to its more thickset ontogenesis wont , a clop bamboo is a trivial easier to grow as a houseplant .
Potting
For either type , pick out a container made of a sturdy material that measures at least 12 inches encompassing and deep . A unravel case will demand you torepot the plantor part it every few years .
Keep a close heart on the soil wet to make certain your plant isproperly hydrated but not soak ; overwatering can get root rotting . Allow the top 2 - 3 inches to dry out before watering again , and do n’t irrigate as oft during the winter .
Humidity
Bamboo fly high in mellow humidness , which you may increase by misting it with a sprayer bottle several times a day . Placing a pebble tray with a little bit of water under the container also helps raise moisture grade . Orplace a humidifier nearby . Provide your indoor bamboo with as much bright , indirect sunshine as possible for the best increment .
Just as you would when grow bamboo outside , lend oneself an organic , slow- dismission plant food twice a twelvemonth for healthy growing .
Lucky bamboo(Dracaena sanderiana ) , a popular indoor option , is not bamboo but a tropic water lily with stems that look a piece like bamboo stems . It ’s a lookalike plant that is comfortable to grow .
