Thread: Starting a Patch of Bamboo?

If I were you I would try to find some "clumping" bamboo. Bamboo falls into one of two categories; spreading or clumping. Most people have run into the spreading varieties that spread like wildfire and take over a yard in a hurry. The clumping varieties are supposed to stay in one area and not spread as bad.

Unfortunately, I have the spreading kind....lots of work to keep contained.

The clumping variety is the Dwarf Bamboo or Switch Cane, max height is 12' and it's pretty spindly. Won't last very long in the water.

It still spreads, but not as vigorous as the other varieties.

You should invite all the board members near you that are interested in making condos over to your place in the spring of every year for a Boo cutting party AH! That would be one way of keeping it knocked back.

I've been researching this myself as our native cane around here grows to about 16 ft max with a base diameter of 1 inch or less. I've settled on "yellow groove" bamboo. Grows to about 30-35 ft and has a 2 inch diameter stem or "culm' as it's called. This seems to do pretty well in our area which is zone 6b or 7 depending on the source. Most of the cold hardy bamboos are the "timber" variety which grow to be pretty large. Note though that it takes a number of years for the canes to grow this large. You won't plant it this year and have 2" dia. canes to cut this fall. I think if you can bushhog at least a 50 ft perimeter around the grove twice a year you can keep it pretty well contained. Most of the clumping varieties don't do well any colder than zone 8.