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Any bamboo experts?

lb191lb191 Posts: 80
in Plants

Hi,

I want to provide some extra wind protection for my high fence but there is only about 20cm in which to do it.

Would it be possible to lengthen out a clump by gently unrolling it as I planted it?

Is it possible to strip the leaves off the length of bamboo and them not grow back so it's essentially living bamboo sticks with leaves on top?

Why can I either buy seeds or really expensive 100cm+ plants? Why are there no seedlings for sale?

Could you suggest a type that would suit my aim and is also shade tolerant and will grow to 3-4m?

Thanks

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    There are lots of threads here about bamboo,  lb - many of them quite negative I'm afraid! If you put bamboo into the search box at the top of the page, you should find some.

    I'm not sure what you mean about 'unrolling' it though?  image

    You can remove upper foliage to leave stems bare lower down - that's quite standard practice as it shows the stems off. You can also remove stems completely every now and again to let some thicken up and give a more tropical look. It really depends what look you want.

    In my experience you can buy fairly standard sized potted  plants, but they can be quite expensive. It largely depends on the variety you want, as with any plant. The readily available, cheaper ones are often the most invasive. 100cm is fairly typical in size for a potted plant. If it's substantial in circumference, it'll probably be dearer, as it's more mature. 

    Again, like lots of plants, your conditions will dictate the ultimate height of them. They need a lot of water, so your narrow strip of ground may not be ideal. Many of them are happy enough in shade.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • lb191lb191 Posts: 80

    Hi,

    Thanks for the replies.

    By "unrolling" I was thinking of instead of pulling the clump apart I was teasing it into a line rather than a circle.

    What it is, is that I have had a fence put up for essential privacy (neighbour is a **** <insert any rude four letter word and all are correct>) and half of the boundary is a retaining wall/planter about 50cm wide.

    The fence divides the "planter" and I don't really like bamboo so I was going to push all the bamboo to grow up the far side of the fence.

    The aim really is to break up the 80mph winds as much as possible but the fence itself is designed to allow wind through so doesn't block all neighbour intrusions so additional screening desirable.

    I can't attach anything further to the posts because they are already holding a heavyduty fence plus I'm scared of creating sails.

  • BobFlannigonBobFlannigon Posts: 619

    This is what I know about bamboo: ARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHH!

    "Would it be possible to lengthen out a clump by gently unrolling it as I planted it?"

    If the clumps is not so thick and tough that you actually can chop it in half it's pretty likely to survive.  Bamboo is nuclear-proof.

    "there is only about 20cm in which to do it."

    Bamboo is invasive and it spreads in all directions.  If you only have a depth of 20cm you'll be forever trying to contain it in that space.  Not to mention it's far to thin to give you any real wind protection.

    "Is it possible to strip the leaves off the length of bamboo and them not grow back so it's essentially living bamboo sticks with leaves on top?"

    You'd need some leaves or it'll die!  You might get away with stripping several but the wind protection will decrease and, I imagine, it'll look terrible.

  • lb191lb191 Posts: 80

    Miscanthus grass looks promising but perennial?

    Does it hold its structure in winter even if it's all brown?

    Thanks

    Last edited: 01 March 2017 09:41:08

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