Bamboo
Forum Archives
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Feb-19-2005 at 3:46pm
I searched but did not find anything........Do any of you have much experience with bamboo? A friend is renting a place with bamboo, it is clumping and there are a few errant clumps coming up. We dug some up but I have no idea what requirements it has. tia
~BakingBarb
DebbieTT
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Feb-19-2005 at 5:59pm
Hi Barb, I grow some clumping bamboo. It doesn't have any wandering clumps though. I grow mine in full sun in one spot, and afternoon sun in another. Well drained soil is a must.
Watch pruning it. I had someone offer to help me weed my garden one year and when she was done, she had pruned it halfway to the ground. It is about 4 years later and it is still recovering from the haircut. I am hoping this year it will snap out of it and grow to its beautiful graceful fountain form. I am not sure what made her prune it, I was a bit taken back by it. Although her help was appreciated as far as weeding, the hackpruning job was not!
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Feb-21-2005 at 1:39pm
I haven't grown any bamboo yet but I know who to ask if or when I do. We have a great local expert, Ned Jaquith, in the Portland area, which I know is too far for you but you might find some useful information on his nursery's website:
The Bamboo Garden
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Feb-23-2005 at 7:02pm
Thank you Debbie and Lisa. It would be nice to have enough bamboo to be able to harvest some here and there. The friend that
I got this from, the bamboo is in a place where it has to be kept trimmed so she was able to harvest some very nice ones. Your friend reminds me, no matter how I shape my garden beds, people have always walked in the beds. I always used to make raised beds and always friends walked right on them! Now there is grass bordering them and same thing. BTW grass bordering a garden is BAD BAD BAD. That has got to change!
~BakingBarb
Red Hare
Location: Oregon coast
Posted: Feb-25-2005 at 11:02am
They walk on your raised beds, and you still refer to them as friends? How generous! I hope these 'friends' aren't gardeners - I would expect fellow gardeners to have more respect. Makes you want to edge your beds with yucca or barberries....
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Feb-25-2005 at 11:55am
I agree with Red Hare! Anything that is raised should clue in most people that this is not a path! LOL. Good luck, Barb, with the grass too!
Jeanne
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Feb-26-2005 at 11:29am
Well no they are not gardeners. One was my neighbor in Mi and since I don't live there HA. I think non gardners just don't see the dirt the same way as we do! But my paths here are going to be very well marked this summer. I am going to make raised beds (slowly) but for now I am going to put up borders and fill the paths with mulch. At Home Depot you can get ripped bags, they wrap 10 bags togethor for $10.00. They try to keep the mulch togehtor or soils or rock, or whaterever they have 10 bags of. What I am trying to say is they don't mix it up too much. I think now people will be able to tell for sure where to walk!
~BakingBarb
KLittleWolf
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Apr-10-2005 at 8:46pm
Hi,
I've just started growing bamboo, and traded some of my Sum and Substance hosta for two nice size clumps of black bamboo, at about 8 feet high or so. Since the leaders have been cut that is the tallest those will grow, but any new ones will grow to their full potential. Bamboo is pretty hardy, and clumpers are a good kind to start with. Some say squirrels like to eat the new culms, but so far has not touched my new culms. I think that a long as they are not starving and looking for new food they don't know how good bamboo tastes as there is not a lot around this area. Here is a url to another forum where all they talk about is bamboo, lots of experts there. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/bamboo/
KLW
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Apr-11-2005 at 7:22pm
I'm jealous, black bamboo is such pretty stuff. I have a timber bamboo with a barrier around it and I have been a little surprised about how much I like it. I tend to go for flowers but in the winter when the wind blows it it is something. I don't give it enough fertilizer, it is always a little yellow, they are heavy feeders.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton