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10/15/2007 07:06:06 PM · #1 |
I want to plant bamboo on my fence line. I've done a search and can't really find what I'm looking for. I know there are a ton of species. I'm looking for something that tops out at around 10 to 15 feet. If it got to 20 that would be fine. Are there bamboo seeds or do you have to plant a mature bamboo. I really don't know much more than that. I know there is bound to be a few people that know a bit about this. Any help would be great.
Clint |
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10/15/2007 07:18:25 PM · #2 |
| Not an expert, but I know that it can spread like weeds. Careful where you put it. |
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10/15/2007 07:26:17 PM · #3 |
| Yeah, definitely be careful of the spreading. I think Bamboo is technically a grass so it will spread it's roots outwards and pop up all over the area and quickly take over. |
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10/15/2007 07:30:17 PM · #4 |
There are non-spreading varieties of Bamboo, so ask at your local nursery about these. They do still grow and grow, but I think they tend to split and multiply in the one spot, so they don't take over the world quite as fast as other bamboos.
I think bamboo is best grown from cuttings, because it spreads from one plant better than it seeds.
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10/15/2007 08:02:34 PM · #5 |
| You also have to be careful where you plant it as if it begins to invade your neighbours yard there will be problems. I used to own a nursery and there are indeed less invasive bamboo varieties right down to minature ones. Ask you nursery is the best idea. |
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10/15/2007 08:18:07 PM · #6 |
| Yea I knew about the growing from the roots. So yes a less invasive one would be a must. |
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10/15/2007 09:02:24 PM · #7 |
| Even if you get a spreading type bamboo you can sink a border plate sunk approximately 10 inches deep and it will keep the tubors from spreading outside the barrier. You must completely surround the area though. The only thing that will stop the spreading would be pavement/driveway/road. I don't think it will span a normal sidewalk but I wouldn't swear to it. |
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10/15/2007 09:06:40 PM · #8 |
| I have seen bamboo come up through a driveway. I have also seen some of the smaller bamboo make it 10-`5 feet under a driveway and come up on the other side. |
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10/15/2007 09:20:14 PM · #9 |
| I have some I have been fighting with for years (Japanese knotweed) - If you are SURE you want it then this stuff is the best growing thing I have seen. Grows thru blacktop, several feet of dirt, tarps make no difference. I have resorted to injecting (concentrated undiluted) poison directly into the rootball to try and kill it :-( |
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10/15/2007 09:22:31 PM · #10 |
| I must have a friendlier version of bamboo. It was also in Abilene, TX and I never watered it. It remained very well contained by a 10 inch deep by 6 inch wide concrete garden border. |
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10/15/2007 09:36:48 PM · #11 |
I saw this thread earlier and I just now happen to be ordering seeds for my business. I have two nurseries where I plant almost 100,000 seeds per year. I grow some bamboo, but it comes from other nurseries and I don't know enough about them to recommend a type that fits your requirements. However, I can recommend Banana Tree as a good internet site from which to buy seed. The page that I linked here is the page that has bamboo seeds for sale.
I have placed many orders with them and I only once had a problem. They resolved it immediately once they were made aware of it. |
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10/17/2007 11:47:10 AM · #12 |
| Do the seeds work well...or is it something that I'm going to have to try hard to get to grow? |
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10/17/2007 12:15:24 PM · #13 |
I've researched growing bamboo, and the consensus seems to be that it will take about 3 years for anything to happen, at all. The less invasive species are slow to get started, so if you are looking for something quick, you may be disappointed. There are some beautiful yellow and green variegated species that grow very slowly. If you want an interesting hobby you can train them to grow into square posts and sell them for $1,800.00 each.
Timber Bamboo is my favorite because it gets so huge and doesn't spread very quickly. It still requires maintenance and can be a real pain to clean out (heavy and full of biting ants). We cleaned a patch for someone and built this fence out of what we kept.
 
Edit to add: I don't know about seeds. What I read had to due with root cuttings.
Message edited by author 2007-10-17 12:16:10. |
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10/17/2007 12:20:56 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by rox_rox:
. . If you want an interesting hobby you can train them to grow into square posts and sell them for $1,800.00 each. |
$1,800 each !!
How long do these take to grow and how big are the square posts for that sort of money ? |
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10/17/2007 12:37:01 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by Jedusi:
Originally posted by rox_rox:
. . If you want an interesting hobby you can train them to grow into square posts and sell them for $1,800.00 each. |
$1,800 each !!
How long do these take to grow and how big are the square posts for that sort of money ? |
Here's a link I pulled up real quick. Sorry about the obnoxious ads.
I believe the most valuable are the colorful varieties and timber bamboo. You just place a square form over the shoot and it will grow up through it. Once the plant is established bamboo shoots mature so quickly that you can almost see them grow. I'll browse through my bookmarks and see if I can find a more informative link.
Edit: Here's a good link.
Message edited by author 2007-10-17 12:39:28. |
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10/17/2007 01:06:02 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by rox_rox:
Once the plant is established bamboo shoots mature so quickly that you can almost see them grow. |
When I was taking Biology as a freshman in high school the bamboo next to our house decided to send out a bunch of new shoots -- it was a variety which grew to about 20 feet tall and 1-4 inches in diameter -- and I decided to keep track of the growth progress as a class project. One of those shoots grew over a meter one day while I was at school. If you want to "sit and watch grass grow" this is the stuff.
Another option for containing its spread is to grow it in large pots/containers. |
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10/17/2007 01:13:26 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by rox_rox:
Once the plant is established bamboo shoots mature so quickly that you can almost see them grow. |
When I was taking Biology as a freshman in high school the bamboo next to our house decided to send out a bunch of new shoots -- it was a variety which grew to about 20 feet tall and 1-4 inches in diameter -- and I decided to keep track of the growth progress as a class project. One of those shoots grew over a meter one day while I was at school. If you want to "sit and watch grass grow" this is the stuff.
Another option for containing its spread is to grow it in large pots/containers. |
Great subject for time lapse photography. |
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10/18/2007 01:18:24 PM · #18 |
Hey  rox_rox thanks for the links - that second one particularly is fascinating. |
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10/18/2007 01:43:22 PM · #19 |
usa vendor
I thought the following was interesting. It is a website for a person in Northern England that grows Bamboo and has a lot of good information.
Bamboo in Northern England |
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