Help with Running Bamboo Rhizomes
Dan O
8 months ago
last modified: 8 months ago
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Doodieshmoodie McGroodie
8 months agoLyn Nielson
8 months agoRelated Discussions
bamboo rhizomes, will they be kept inbounds by mowing?
Comments (7)As I mentioned above, they will run farther from the grove if given a chance for culms to develop leaves. I know a man who used a shredder only once a year to shred around a grove next to his hayfield, but the shoots kept popping up farther and farther away. Two things...he used a shredder, which left culm stumps that remained there and many grew limbs and leaves from these stumps, giving the bamboo a reason to keep spreading. Secondly, he did this once a year. The new shoots emerged and had a month or so to develop before being cut down. The man I mentioned in an earlier post above, cut around his grove at least once a week and cut as low as he could which gave the newly emerging culms no chance to produce food and spread. Also I agree that if a grove gets too 'thick' with culms, it will produce and store food in it's rhizomes quickly and will spread farther than a 'thinned' grove. The first year that I planted my black bamboo from a 1-gallon pot, it sat dormant till late Summer which it then put up a shoot 15 feet from the original plant. Bamboos will act differently in different soils and different climates, so what I see happen here may or may not happen in other parts of the country, so that needs to be considered. I can only speak from what I have experienced here. Kt...See MoreWhich running bamboo(s) full sun S.TX?
Comments (3)Here in 8b, I would recommend Bambusa textilis. Yes, it is a clumper, and it may be up to 5 years before you can get decent visual screen, but I have gotten a nice screen in as little as 3 years with textilis. It is one of the most, if not 'the' most cold hardy of the Bambusas and makes an impenetrable clump once mature. It grows to 44' here. I wish I would have planted textilis along my whole back(north) fence as a visual and Winter wind barrier. It may take a lot of plants to cover the distance that you need, but I think it is best since you will never have to worry about it getting out of control, which I had with the Phyllostachys runners. The runners really like Texas once they are established. I can get a few dozen divisions from a mature textilis each year, so if you buy only a few plants, you can later take divisions to fill in between the other plants. I never purchased from Lewis Bamboo so I have no comment on their plants or services. Kt...See MoreI got bamboo rhizomes but was expecting seeds, now what?
Comments (14)You ask very good question concerning rhizome pruning, and you are correct that there can be viable buds on the pruned section. If so, they will indeed produce shoots in the spring and that is why pruning must be combined with a visual inspection to look for these shoots. I encourage folks to prune but also to patrol for this very reason. Although there is some variation between species, my bamboo 'teacher' says that rhizome buds mature at different rates. Lets assume for a moment that it is spring and we have a 10 foot long section of rhizome that grew from a bud last summer. He says that in general about 10% of the buds will be mature enough to produce new culms/rhizome in year 1; about 20% more in year 2; about 30% more in year 3; and then 20% more in year 4 with a few more to mature in subsequent years until there are none left. This explains the sleep, creep, leap. Species such as Rubro & Bissetii seem to me to mature buds at a much more rapid rate and thus they produce a screening grove quicker with an earlier flush of culms. So....if someone prunes rhizomes every fall then for the most part they are pruning brand new rhizome that does not have many viable buds - if any, plus the area from the rhizome tip moving back towards the grove usually does not have any viable buds for the first 3 feet or so. Try it for yourself next February if you have a culm that is a bit out of bounds get underneath it and try to walk some of the rhizome out of the ground and then snip off a section that is growing between the culm and the grove and pot it up....See MoreBlack Bamboo Rhizomes! How to grow...
Comments (10)I'm going to remove bamboo that has gone bizarre. Previous owners said it was contained but as fall turned to spring and spring to summer, it's everywhere. A company hired to thin & manage said it was probably the worst they've seen. It's a mix of running & clumping w/the running just out of control. Clumping is contained w/trenches. Planted approximately 15 years ago. So, I would like opinions of how I perceive the plan of attack. I am going to hire someone w/experience (and heavy equipment), however, even among the "professionals" there are discrepancies and I'd like opinions of what "I've" come up w/while talking w/professionals & research I've done: 1. On the west side (50' long -- running), I plan to dig down 2.5 - 3 feet and just scrape and haul away all the soil. I'll leave a 1.5 foot wide stand to act as a screen. Will install a barrier between screen and drainage ditch. 2. On the north (60 x 4 -- hedge screen) and east side (front yard & gravel area for cars), remove all the bamboo and install barrier. Recycle the gravel -- it's granite. 3. On the south side, w/rock stairs & unfriendly, non-communicative neighbor, removal and barrier; need to redo stairs. I will haul in dirt to fill. But what type of barrier? 40mil plastic which most use, but one person said really didn't work or metal (what kind) or pressure treated wood? concrete? I was going to replace the rocks/gravel in the front rock garden, however, since it could take 3 years to eradicate. I'm thinking about seeding for grass instead (in the hedge row as well) as I could easily watch for regrowth and if present, will be easier to remove. Please let me know what you think of the above. I have also posted this on the Pacific Northwest Forum as well....See MoreBeverlyFLADeziner
8 months agoDan O
8 months agoDan O
8 months agoDan O
8 months agoFlo Mangan
8 months agoDan O
8 months agoKendrah
8 months agoDan O
8 months agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 months agoKendrah
8 months agoDoodieshmoodie McGroodie
8 months agoKendrah
8 months agoDoodieshmoodie McGroodie
8 months agoDoodieshmoodie McGroodie
6 months agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
6 months ago
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