Bamboo

terriermama

Yeaaaahhhhh! My bamboos are growing. I have been enthralled with bamboos for a couple of years and bought several of the non-invasive ones last few years. A few died, but the ones I planted last year are now caught and new shoots have grown with the good weather. One new shoot is over 8 ft tall! My black bamboo which was so sad is his pot is also springing out new shoots.

This has made my day. Small things make me happy.

Galtizz

:T yey, where did you get your bamboo from? I've wanted some for a while now but the local garden centre don't sell it. Did you get it from a specialist nursery?

terriermama

I bought from The Palm Centre - https://www.thepalmcentre.co.uk - fantastic site, lots of info. Better to go to their nursery though. It's in Ham, Richmond. You can see large specimens of different bamboos being grown in the ground, and pick your own plant, plus sometimes clear out bargains as well.
And, https://www.crocus.co.uk - bought my black bamboo from here.

Plus lots of nurseries offer bamboo as a regular item now as it's been so popular.

alanobrien

terriermama wrote:

Yeaaaahhhhh! My bamboos are growing. I have been enthralled with bamboos for a couple of years and bought several of the non-invasive ones last few years. A few died, but the ones I planted last year are now caught and new shoots have grown with the good weather. One new shoot is over 8 ft tall! My black bamboo which was so sad is his pot is also springing out new shoots.

This has made my day. Small things make me happy.

I just inherited some in my new place and they to have gone mad with bamboo shoots way above fence height. I had no idea they did this

Probably a daft question but what happens to the shoots ?
Do they support new growth or what. Its just that an 8ft bamboo this year and a possible 16ft one next year scares me a bit

Galtizz

Don't know if you can chop them??

All I know is there are different types of Bamboo, even dwarf bamboo is about 8 foot tall :eek: , don't mean to scare you but some varieties can grow upto 30 foot tall :eek:

Have a look though the 2 sites terriermama gave above and see if you can identify yours to find out how high it can grow. You also need to make sure the one you've got is clump forming, if it isn't it might spread sideways as quickly as it's spreading upwards (unless it's in a pot). Non-clump forming bamboo is a bit like mint.

RHS also has some info on pruning different varieties as well as more pictures to help you identify.

HTH

Webbie_2

You can almost treat bamboo like a lawn or a grass. If it gets too big cut it back. Its worth cutting out old growth to promote new growth. I think you would be hard pressed to kill it.

terriermama

Yep, bamboo is a grass. Once established, cutting it and thinning out actually keeps it healthy and promotes lateral growth. I won't be cutting mine just yet.

A lot of people fear bamboos running rampant all over their garden, and if you choose ones with a spreading root system, they will. However a safe bet is the 'Phyllostachys' family as these are mainly clump forming and won't cause you grief - they do grow tall though (can't wait).

I love the sound of the wind through big bamboo, and it not only looks great but is a relatively quick and cheap way of screening out the neighbours (but not light) during winter when the trees go bare.