Bamboo: Facts, myths and general information

[cannaisseur]

Wow! I didn't expect bamboo to get its own little forum, so this is a nice surprise. I figured I would start with the basics of bamboo to explain a little bit about this fascinating plant, and explain the myths and truths about it.

Fact #1 Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet.

Bamboo has been shown to grow upwards as much as four feet in one day, during its shooting period. I believe the one that holds the record, is Bambusa Oldhamii, which is a beautiful tropical clumper, that is a timber type. Timber types generally grow at least a four inch diameter culm, which is the size of a small tree trunk. Bamboo has shown to grow upwards of twelve inches in diameter, which is quite large. What is so amazing about this plant, is that it can grow this tree trunk like culm to a height of up to more than 100 feet tall in the right conditions, during ONE growing season, which is about four months. It can achieve in four months, what a tree does in thirty years or more. At first they are mostly water, but over the course of about three to four years, they harden up.

[lavandulagirl]

I am so interested in a timber variety that'd survive a 6B/7 winter... I think Johno would say the same. You posted some pics of a black cultivar over at idig that I am dying to own, but it won't live here... any suggestions (besides painting a hardier variety)?

[johno]

I Would really love to get my hands on some timber bamboo. I need a hardy variety, even though, as best as I can tell, they are all running types. They really are amazing and incredibly useful, not to mention beautiful, plants.

[houseodessey]

Ugh. I still need to take pictures of mine. It spreads underground, from what I can tell, if that's important. I'll take pictures tomorrow and try to get them posted here. Hopefully, C. can ID the type and let you know if you can use it in your zones/climates.

[johno]

You are in a warmer zone, but if it is large diameter and also a running type, that points toward hardy timber bamboo. Hopefully Canna'isseur can tell from pics. I'm hopeful!

[tomc]

Lavandulagirl www.bamboo.com/ I think is a link to a where I shop for bamboo. For zone 4/5

[cannaisseur]

I'll be honest. Bamboo does not do well in climate zones lower than yours, L.Girl. It can survive, but most is top killed every year, and either never sizes up, or takes forever. You are about at the line where it might do well, but it will still take some time.
Here is one I'd recommend the most since you like the black types. Its called Phyllostachys nigra 'Daikokuchiku' which is a larger version of the P. nigra which is a black hardy bamboo. It is hardy to about 0 degrees F. It is very beautiful and gets fairly large. It is gonna be the largest black bamboo that is a temperate type. Here are some pics.
www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2330&cat=651
davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/128973/

For some more facts:There are three general types of bamboos. Runners(temperate) which is what have given it a bad name. These vary in their ability to spread. Some are very aggressive, while others are not. The next one is a clumper(mostly tropical), which is a much more confined type of bamboo. For the most part it is well behaved, but there are some types that can grow a clump 15 to 20 feet across. The clumpers grow the fastest, and size up quickest as well. Probably because they tend to focus their energy more on putting up culms, instead of gaining new ground like the runners. The runners can tend to take quite a while to get any real size to them, so patience is a virtue. I forget the exact name of the third type, but it is basically a combination of both. There are not many known out there that are these types, however.

[lavandulagirl]

Wow! That is really pretty, thanks Cannaisseur! I'll have to look into getting some, after I finalize a site for it. Any tips on soil modification to get a place ready? I will be starting out with good old VA red clay. I have neutral pH, and pretty even distribution of nutrients.

There are some bamboos that grow wild here, by the way, but they're the skinny kind. If I had to settle for them, I guess I would, but those black ones are hard to resist.

[cannaisseur]

From what I know this type likes a soil that is a bit acidic. It also likes rich soil, so get the compost ready! If you can stick with mostly organic ferts, it will do fine. The red clay is great to mix with, but you will have to mix in some compost, and if you can maybe some sand to prevent water logging.
I will help you check around for the best price, and reputable dealer. I must let you know though, its not cheap to find a decent sized one. From your climate though, you should get as largest as you can afford, so it will be more cold hardy, and get larger faster. I will do some digging, cause I know a few bamboo people, and I might be able to get one of them to give you a decent sized one for a great price. I don't want to promise, but I will try. I mostly keep in contact with the tropical guys(and a few girls) but with bamboo, there are a lot of the temperate people out there as well.

[cannaisseur]

Here is a picture that shows the difference between runners ans clumpers
www.booshootgardens.com/species.html

and a second illustration showing the difference
www.americanbamboo.org/GeneralInfoPages/RunnersAndClumpers.html

[johno]

I have some questions.

Containment:
I just can't afford the good type of barrier, especially if I want to give it a large enough area to thrive. Will mowing around it (in other words, placing it in the middle of the lawn) keep it from spreading too much? If not, would this, in combination with the maintenance pruning method work?

Feeding and placement:
Where I would like to place it happens to be over part of the leach field. This is good in that the lawn would otherwise get too dry in the summer. But will the roots go deep enough to enter and clog the septic lines? Also, will an organic 3-3-3 fertilizer be sufficient for running timber bamboo? Is tilling in extra organic matter essential? The soil type is a sandy silt/loam.

[houseodessey]

I dunno about the second question but mowing contains this stuff just fine.

[cannaisseur]

JohnO, runners stay mostly in the top two, to three feet of soil. I doubt you would have any problem with it clogging any lines. Your soil type is actually quite good. If you can, go ahead and give it some organic matter. The 333 is not bad, and probably will be sufficient, if you do till in some organic matter, especially if its some compost. It does tend to like a little higher amounts of nitrogen, but you could always top it with some composted manure of some kind if you wanted. Bamboo is notorious for handling poor soils, so it will do fine. Its just if you want it to flourish, and get as big as possible, as soon as possible, then you will want to do the little extras. It sounds like you are doing the right things so it will most likely grow well.

[cannaisseur]

Another couple of unique facts about bamboo.
1) Bamboo is truly a renewable resource. It has more than a 1000 uses, incl. construction, food, just to name a few. Bamboo culms for construction can be harvested every year once maturity is reached, with the large size culms coming back each year to replace the ones taken. It is the perfect alternate to wood, because wood is not renewable in the same manner. Bamboo also can, and should be used in the experimentation of bio fuels, as it is a far superior alternative than food crops. It uses for pulp is another of its strong points, along with its uses for fiber. Its amazing how this bamboo can give you linens and shirts softer than Egyptian cotton, yet provide timber that is known to be stronger than steel per square inch.
Want to be amazed at what is being built entirely out of bamboo? Here is a link to a gallery of construction made mostly out of Guadua, which is a large tropical clumping timber type in South America.
www.koolbamboo.com/gallery.htm
This second one has some amazing pics of large structures
www.koolbamboo.com/large_structures.htm
Check out this amazing structure.
www.koolbamboo.com/Treatment.htm
Some more amazing facts
www.koolbamboo.com/aboutbamboo1.htm