Talkback: Growing bamboo - Talkback

13/04/2011 at 12:25

I have succesfully grown Bamboos for the past eight years both in pots and in the ground, Originally started with two good plants last year had fourteen plants. But with the winter we have just had have lost (I think) ten of them only the planted (P.Nigra) survived and one sheltered (P.vivax) Do you think the damaged could be revived?

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14/04/2011 at 20:30

thanks that was very helpful,my son told me bamboo would invade the foundations of my house.A bit of an exageration obviously!

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15/04/2011 at 14:42

I have to say I'm not much of a fan of bamboo, but then the ones in my garden were planted by the previous owners and are now spreading and popping up all over the lawn. I know it'll be back-breaking to dig up the huge root balls, but does anyone know of an efficient way of getting rid of the runners without digging up my entire garden once I've done this?

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16/04/2011 at 00:02

Thanks James, this is a really useful post. I have experienced an invasive bamboo before in one of my previous gardens which went mad and started to invade just about every corner of the garden! In the end I had to dig it all out which was a hell of a job. Since this experience I have always planted bamboos in a dustbin or large pot buried in the ground to restrict their spread! this does actually work quite well but it's now nice to have this list so that I can be a little more 'selective' when choosing bamboos. I am planning a tropical/jungle area in my garden and bamboos will feature so I shall keep this list for reference! Many thanks Higgy http://higgysgardenproject.blogspot.com/

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16/04/2011 at 20:55

... more importantly, how do i kill it?! it's taking over the patch designated for it (my dad didn't really think it through when he was planting it) it's already made it's way to my neighbours' garden and i want to get rid of it completely without breaking my back and digging it all up. any suggestions?

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18/04/2011 at 08:32

I have the same problem. We thought we had got rid of it a few years ago by backbreaking digging which took about a week. Sometimes take plants for free at your peril! It's come back, how can I kill it please, because the ground was dug over it's proceeding at a rapid rate

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18/04/2011 at 16:55

Maybe you could try adopting a panda like the adverts on the tele suggest? :)

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18/04/2011 at 22:35

It's possible to kill bamboos by constant cutting or mowing. Like any plant, it will eventually die if you stop it photosynthesising. Glyphosate will work too, but you'll need sveral applications. Kev in the windy garden: the roots may well have survived so just cut the dean canes and watch out for new growth. Fargesia nitida varieties are well-behaved and very graceful. It flowered recently so there should soon be lots of new variations on the market. I have 75 seedlings from mine, (and a fairly small garden!) and even at a few inches high they are showing different characteristics. Should be interesting if I can find somewhere to put them. Most of the Fargesias do well in pots too.

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18/04/2011 at 22:36

Kev in the windy garden: I meant cut the dead canes, not dean canes!

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20/04/2011 at 19:38

Thanks, yes I will cut the DEAN canes OK the dead canes, and hope the roots will bring forth new canes as I need the hight, I have them planted in large tubs over my septic tank, to disguise it. I too have used large plastic bins buried in the ground to stop them spreading and yes this works but a word of warning as it is difficult when you want to split them.

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22/04/2011 at 21:47

i would never grow bamboo ever again, it does not like being in the wind. i had a bamboo plant and after 10 years i wanted to replace it with an other plant but i had to hire a mini digger to get it out!

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24/04/2011 at 20:42

I saw some bamboo being grown in apple crates in a pub garden, used as a screen. It looked lovely with the sun shining through it. What type would it have been?

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23/07/2011 at 19:03

After last winter's deep freeze my black bamboo (6' tall in a tub) seemed ok but this spring lost all its leaves apart from some dried up sprigs.I have left it at full height and a couple of tiny shoots are coming out of the soil. I don't know what to do, cut down the whole plant to regenerate? I am reluctant to massacre the canes unless this will work!

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28/11/2011 at 18:43

It's absolutely right and proper to wander from the straight and narrow. I remember moaning about paying a tenner for three "sticks" in a pot (P. nigra) many moons ago (times was hard, guv). But now have three beautiful clumps about the garden thanks to those three sticks - plants for free! One clump is exposed to the wind and so I think doesn't do as well as its siblings but impressive all the same.

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