Starting a Patch of Bamboo?

I want to start a patch of bamboo in a useless area on my property for use in future condo projects.

Any tips, ideas or warnings?

Also, I searched before posting and did not find anything on this.

Thanks!

Stuff can get out of hand quick. Cane spreads through runners and will straight take over an area if allowed to. I would check a seed/plant company like Gurneys or something for some plants. Somebody here may can get you shoots too. There are different varieties of the ornamental cane. Some gets big and thick others really tall some extra limby leafy.

Like said above, if it likes where it is planted it will spread quickly. My brother planted a patch of ornamental cane in his yard and had shoots coming up 30 ffet away from where he planted it.

Bamboo/Cane likes low lying areas with plenty of water. If you plant some I would suggest keeping a 50' mower border around it to keep it from spreading where you don't want it. If you don't mind it spreading just plant it and let it go, it'll either take off or die.

Here's a place that sells several varieties.

http://springhillnursery.com/search....cd2=1268246972

It's kind of a wet bottom field that I plan to center the patch in and keep bush-hogged around.

Is there a particular species that works better for crappie piles?

I'd say go with the Hardy Evergreen Boo, it sounds like some bada$$ stuff!

Grows to 30' tall and is vigorous!

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.

My bamboo gets to be 30+ feet tall with a 2 inch + diameter.....in less than one month.

I've been told that if you transplant it it won't do much for the first year except make a large root system. Then the second year it starts to spread.

Check out these varieties:

Bambusa ventricosa

Bambusa multiplex

Thamnocalamus tessellatus