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Bamboo
Sallie Freemantle
Posts: 1
I've been given some black bamboo to hid a eye sore from my neighbours garden.
I was going to grow this in a large pot, I seem to remember watching a gardening programme a long time ago and put something between the soil and the pot, so the plant didnt grow any further!
Does anyone know what this was and where I buy it from?
Thank you very much for your help, it's much appricatied
0
Posts
Unless you have lots of space you might be better off with one of the dwarf bamboos, like Fargesia nitida or Hybanobambusa tranquillans "Shiroshima" (it's gorgeous). These are much easier to control in the garden than the big ones, and also more amenable to be grown in pots.
Our black bamboo is in the soil and hasn't spread more than 2foot in diameter over 15years. We have two others in pots (the spreading type) one a 2' x 18" plastic pot and a wood one I made, lined with plastic. All doing well over 15years.
Phyllostachys nigra is normally well behaved but if planting in a border you'd be well advised to put in a root barrier just in case. Dig a trench around the planting area and drop in a butyl or very heavy duty black PVC liner to a depth of 60cm. All the way around. Overlap the liner where you have a join.
Only plant it if you are absolutely sure you want it there as I suspect it's pretty indestructible once established.
If planting in a pot just use the largest possible pot with soil based compost - I would have thought that would be safe enough but if you are concerned about roots escaping through the bottom of the pot, you could just place it on a slab. If the pot is porous you can line it with plastic to help prevent the compost drying out.
For hiding an eyesore, a small tree (birch, amelanchier etc) may be better, giving more height, more quickly.
The pots for bamaoos have to be wider rather than deep, I have a couple in wooden half barrels and they send up fresh shoots every year, I wouldn't trust them in the ground.
You cannot lump ALL bamboos together as invasive... there are plenty of clump formers which do not spread, as well as the madly spreading and impossible to eradicate sorts. Phyllostachys nigra sits somewhere in the middle, and IMO is good enough and unique enough to still want to plant (e.g. as a screen in predominantly hard landscaped urban garden)... with necessary precautions taken (e.g. root barrier).
I had P. Nigra in my last garden and it was there for almost 10 years. I sold that house 4 years ago and it's been sold again since then. I'm now sitting in the house next door and the bamboo has gone.
The new owners have basically removed all the plants and replaced it with decking and gravel. They're " desperate" to show me round.
I'm not sure I can be that diplomatic if they ask what I think of it.
Sallie, lovely as it is ,and I say this because I fell in love with it and foolishly planted some in my garden.if you must /want bamboo then buy a large ceramic pot,put a paving slab underneath, feed once a year and sit back and enjoy. At the moment I am trying everything to remove my blunder and even bought a gas weed burner ,which seems to be having some results.
Good luck.
I have over a dozen types of Bamboo and the spreaders spread slowly in my heavy soil. Raspberry is by far the most invaisive thing I have: they spread metres at a time and come up all over the place. Black Bamboo tends to behave itself and if you really want to hide an eye sore then it will work for some years but will eventually thin out and grow large thick canes.