Growing Bamboo From Scratch
- Bamboo is not normally grown from seeds. In fact, bamboo seeds are extremely hard to find. This is due to two reasons: Many varieties of bamboo do not produce seeds, and those that do produce seeds only do so once in a great while. Some varieties of bamboo only flower once every hundred years.
Therefore, when growing bamboo from scratch, most gardeners simply purchase a young bamboo plant in a pot. These plants are most often procured by simply dividing and digging up new shoots from established bamboo plants. Because bamboo plants grow and spread rapidly, there is never a shortage of plants. - There are two types of bamboos: Clumping and Running. Clumping bamboos do not spread as rapidly as running bamboos. Both like warm climates, but not too hot. They do not tolerate temperatures below around 10 degrees F. Bamboos also do not do well in high wind areas, and should be sheltered from high winds.
Bamboo should be planted in well-drained but moist soil. It should be planted in partial shade, although it can grow well in full sun if it has enough water. Generally, the more sun bamboo is exposed to, the faster it will grow, and some species can grow up to a foot per day. Rocks should be removed from the soil before planting. The pH level of the soil should be 5 to 6 for bamboo to thrive. Plant clumps of bamboo around 2 feet apart. - Caring for bamboo is fairly easy. In hot areas, the soil needs to be kept moist, with no water pooling. Tall bamboo that is leaning over should be trimmed from the top. Fertilize bamboo lightly in February or March, before new shoots appear.
The biggest difficulty in caring for bamboo is controlling the spread of it. This is especially true with running bamboo. The taller the species, the faster it will spread and grow. The best way to control growth is to establish a concrete barrier around the bamboo. This should extend 3 feet below the ground for the largest species.
The second way to control growth is to mow down any new shoots of bamboos. Running bamboos can travel underground up to 30 feet.
Finally, simply digging up and removing undesirable culms (vertical shoots) can limit growth as well. This should be done two times per year. In the winter, remove old culms, thinning out the grove. Any culms five years old or older should be removed. These will be woody and thick. In the spring, dig up new shoots and remove them. Continue doing this throughout the growing season.
