BAMBOO
The
various species of bamboo belong to the grass family
(Poaceae), just as do maize,
wheat, and the common grasses of lawns and meadows.
Botanists consider the bamboos to be primitive “basal
grasses” and place them in a unique subfamily,
the Bambusoideae. With 100
distinct genera and over 1000 species, the bamboos include
the tallest and fastest growing grasses in the world.
They differ from most other grasses in having specialized
woody stems called “culms”. Because many
bamboos are evergreen, they make versatile landscape
subjects, valued for use as natural screens, privacy
hedges, or as dramatic specimens. Bamboos also give
excellent service as soil stabilizers for erosion control
on steep banks or stream edges, and they provide ideal
noise baffles for abating urban traffic. Several varieties
produce tender edible shoots, which may be harvested
as they emerge from the ground and steamed for the table,
and the larger bamboos provide a ready supply of sturdy
canes invaluable for staking and light construction.
Because
the bamboos offer unusually rapid growth, garden designers
often use them to create instant landscape effects.
Bamboo culms generally emerge and grow to their full
height and thickness in only four to eight weeks. (According
to David Farrelly in The Book of Bamboo some
tropical species of bamboo have been observed growing
as fast as 47.5" in a 24-hour period!) Initially
the culms may be soft and fragile and will take up to
a year to fully harden. New plantings generally increase
only a few feet the first season, but the following
year will often see new emerging culms as much as double
in height and girth. The full size of each individual
cane will be achieved the first year it emerges.
For
practical horticultural purposes bamboos are classified
into two main divisions: “running” and “clumping”.
In the running bamboos (i.e. Arundinaria,
Phyllostachys, Pleioblastus,
Pseudosasa, Sasa,
Semiarundinaria, etc.) the
underground stems may grow rapidly to reach varying
distances from the parent plants before sending up new
vertical shoots or stems (“culms”). In the
clumping bamboos (i.e. Bambusa,
Otatea) the rhizomes generally
creep only a short distance before sending up new shoots.
Water
provides a natural barrier to the spread of the more
aggressive running bamboos, as they will not grow beyond
the edge of a pond or stream. Physical barriers such
as 80-mil to 120-mil plastic also provide an effective
means of control when correctly installed around the
clumps. Simply cutting off new shoots as they emerge
or regular mowing in a 25' band around the bamboo will
generally contain running varieties as well.
Most bamboos respond readily to the addition of abundant
water and fertilizers, especially those high in nitrogen.
These may be offered through the spring and summer months,
as long as the clumps are actively growing. Another
element important for bamboo is silica, which helps
to provide much of the strength in the bamboo's stems.
This can be beneficially supplied through specific fertilizers,
such as Dyna-Gro Pro-Tekt 0-0-3.
Below is some of our bamboo. Call for current inventory / price.
BAMBUSA MULTIPEX
Common name: Hedge bamboo
Description: max. height 30' width 8-10' clumping bamboo,
each node bears a large number of branches
down to the clum base, making a dense hedge
Conditions: full sun hardy down to 12 degrees F. with
medium water needs
BAMBUSA MULTIPLEX ' ALPHONSE KARR
Common name: Alphonse Karr
Description: max. height 30' width 8-10' clupming bamboo
similar to the species, but the clums and branches are bright
yellow with irregular longitudinal narrrow dark green stripes
Conditions: full sun hardy down to 12 degrees F. with
medium water needs
BAMBUSA TULDOIDES "VENTRICOSA"
Common name: Buddha's belly
Description: max.height 40-55' with 2" clums
of green bamboo with swollen internodes when grown
in pots under dry conditions. In the ground it reverts to
a giant with zizag clums and brances. Clumping bamboo.
Conditions: full sun, hardy to 21 degrees F. with
medium water needs
BAMBUSA TULDOIDES "VENTRICOSA KIMMEI"
Common name: Striped Buddha's belly
Description: max. height 40-55' with" clums, yellow
striped with green. Clumping bamboo.
Conditions: full sun, hardy to 21 degrees F. with
medium water needs
BAMBUSA VULGARIS "VITTATA"
Common name: painted bamboo
Description: max. height 30-50' with 4" wide
golden clums with green stripe, that arch over
toward the tips. Clumping bamboo.
Conditions: full sun, hardy to 27 degrees F.
with medium water needs
PHYLLOSTACHYS NIGRA
Common name: Black
Description: max. height 20-35' with 2" diameter
green clums that turn black after 1 year. Running bamboo.
Conditions: full sun hardy to 0 degrees F.
with medium water needs
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