We have this beautiful clump of bamboo in the lot nextdoor and I would love to bring some over eventually. The problem is controlling it's growth. We had it in a garden when I was a kid but remember my parents cussing at it after a few years. I've read on the internet you can box it in with metal or cement but may have to go a meter deep. Anyone have experience with it?
2 comments:
Scott -- You are about to embark on a real love-hate relationship. We had bamboo in our garden in Portland. Fortunately, I was warned in advance.
What I recall. There are at least two types of bamboo: clumping and creeping. Buy the clumping variety.
You already know the next step: you need a corral. Like most grasses, bamboo spreads with long underground tendrils, called rhizomes. The trick is to try to control the rhizome from reaching out to new territory.
We built a wood barrier wide enough to let the bamboo grow. The wood was implanted about 18 or 20 inches into the soil and about 8 inches above. We did not install a "floor." The top of the wood slanted toward the bamboo. The purpose was to train any rhizomes back into the growth area. The best approach is to cut them off.
I have seen concrete, plastic, and metal used for barriers. Some people put the bamboo into large ceramic containers.
This is a temperate zone solution. I have no idea how it would work in the tropics. I suspect the wood would not be a good idea. Maybe the plastic would be best.
Thanks Steve. Got aways to go before starting a garden so I will look to see what nurseries have around here. I was thinking of digging up some of the bamboo next door and containing it
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