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Golden bamboo - height needed

dominic77999uG7Y7KU1dominic77999uG7Y7KU1 Posts: 6
in Problem solving
Hi all
I need some helpful advice. I am trying to grow some golden bamboo in the planter at the rear of the garden. They are two years old. I split the root balls last year to create a more uniform look (4 balls into 8) and to cover the view. They just don't want to grow UP. My lovely neighbours installed a massive trampoline that I need to mask off. This is both for privacy and aesthetics. Please can someone help with ideas to get them higher? I have used compost and composted manure. Tried different feeds etc. They are healthy looking but not tall enough for the purpose I bought them for.
BTW I have approached the neighbours multiple times but they are not prepared to move the b***** trampoline.
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  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    edited August 2023
    Welcome to the Forum
    Patience is the only way. 
    They won't get any taller this year, but next year's shoots should be taller. 

    Devon.
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    If they are only 2 years old, you will need to accept that a bit more time will be needed for them to create the screening effect you need.
  • dominic77999uG7Y7KU1dominic77999uG7Y7KU1 Posts: 6
    The thing that concerns me is that they are pretty much as tall as when I bought them.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    They look very healthy. 
    Keep watering ,and feeding is the best way forward.
    Devon.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    The existing canes won’t get any taller.  As the rootstock matures it will produce new canes which are taller and wider during the six week growing season from May to June each year. The best way to encourage these larger canes is to selectively remove the weakest, smallest and spindly canes.  I do this just after the growing season when I can decide which of the old canes I want to keep and which of the new canes are better. Bamboo roots grow outwards to form clumps and can also be runners, depending on the variety.  Confining them in a raised bed will also reduce the potential to get large, which is often the intention for many gardeners.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    It's as explained nicely above. The new growth will be taller and it's surprising how quickly new culms grow. I have phyllostachys aurea in a container and the new culms tend to grow 2-3ft higher than the older ones but it takes a while before they are thick enough to act as a complete screen. The one thing with containers is getting enough water and nutrition to the plants as it doesn't take long before they fill it with their root system. It's a better idea to go for more surface area than depth because the root system isn't that deep. Yours do look nice and healthy at the moment though.
  • dominic77999uG7Y7KU1dominic77999uG7Y7KU1 Posts: 6
    @thevictorian thank you for the reply. How tall have yours grown to and what age are they? My planter is 3m in length, 36cm front to back and about 40cm depth. What size is your planter?
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Another thing you can do to help @dominic77999uG7Y7KU1 is to remove the leaves and stalks from the bottom third or half of each cane.  As well as being visually appealing, there are less leaves competing for light, water and nutrients and the roots can support the bigger canes more efficiently. This is a clump in my garden last year which I pruned in this way, having removed the smaller weaker canes as well, it now has about twice the number of canes which are all higher and wider:




    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    As it is now:




    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Ours don't look anywhere near as nice as above because they really suffered with last year's drought (we live in one of the driest areas of the country anyway) and being in a container didn't help. The container is 1.2x1x0.6m or something like that. It's made of a couple of old pallets. It holds just one clump bought from a diy store about 5-6 years ago, has roughly the same number of culms as the picture above and is 12ft tall ish (a few culms above this and a few below). 
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