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castiliana

Large Bamboo for Buffalo, NY?

castiliana
15 years ago

I am curious if it is possible to grow large bamboo (or any bamboo for that matter) in ground in the Buffalo area, the taller the better. Has anyone done it successfully to the point of having a full stand or grove, or know of one up here I could learn more about? Thanks

Cas

Comments (27)

  • kudzu9
    15 years ago

    People do grow bamboo in Zone 5, although it's tough. Since the hardiest of bamboos can only stay alive to about -20F for short periods of time, and have die-off of the leaves and culms before it gets even that cold, it's most likely that any bamboo you could keep alive would only size up slowly and would be coming up fresh each spring if it made it through the winter. Bottomline: you can't expect to grow any timber bamboo in your Zone, and just getting any bamboo to re-grow will take some perseverance.

  • castiliana
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    That is what I was afraid of. I am just not adjusting to this climate after 30 years in Arizona... does the sun NEVER shine in the winter? sheesh

  • castiliana
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Phyllostachys atrovaginata
    It is not large , but think I would have any luck with this one? Everything I am reading says it can take wet feet and temps down to -15.

  • kudzu9
    15 years ago

    castiliana-
    You are correct about the characteristics of Ph. atrovaginata. However, I am still concerned about your winter low temps, and what you expect out of your bamboo. If the root system can survive your winters, will you be ok with the reality that most or all of the aboveground growth may die each year? There are a few people who contribute to this forum who do grow bamboo in your Zone, and know better than I do what to expect. I did a search in this forum for "Zone 5." Click on the link below and read some of the posts to get an idea of what has worked best for them. You may also want to email some of them directly by going to the "My Page" link after that person's name and seeing if they have an email contact listed. Good luck.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Zone 5 bamboo posts

  • Smivies (Ontario - 5b)
    15 years ago

    Just 'north' of you in Niagara Falls, Canada, P. aureosulcata, Fargesia nitida & murielae all easily remain evergreen. Similarly hardy species P. nuda and bissetti should also be fine.

  • castiliana
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Many thanks =)

  • treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
    15 years ago

    Hey castiliana,

    Where in the Buffalo area are you? You may be a zone warmer than you think, especially if you're in the city itslef. I'm growing the following species in Lancaster, just a few miles east of the airport, where we're a zone 6a:
    P. rubromarginata
    P. atrovaginata
    P. nuda
    P. aureosulcata 'spectabilis'
    P. aureosulcata
    P. nigra 'henon'
    Because my bamboo are in a wide open area they are exposed to nasty winter winds. All are semi-evergreen for me except the P. nigra 'henon'. They lose half of their leaves and a couple canes, but the remaining ones leaf out the following summer. The P. nigra 'henon' dies to the snowline for me each year. Anything below the snowline stays evergreen and thrives the following year. So far mine have only reached 7 feet tall due to the winter damage from their exposed location. I saw a very small grove of P. aureosulcata in somone's back yard in the city during Gardenwalk this past summer. The canes were about 15 feet tall and about an inch in diameter. The owner said his is completely evergreen. What it comes down to is how much protection you can provide the bamboo with, i.e. planting it in an area that is sheltered from the wind in winter. I would recommend P. atrovaginata, aureosulcata, or P. nuda. Those three have done the best for me so far.

  • colldp68
    15 years ago

    Treeguy,

    I am from Niagara Falls and am interested in growing bamboo. I know your varieties are runners but are they invasive in our climate? I would like to plant some near my house do you think the roots will penetrate the foundation?

  • treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
    15 years ago

    Hi colldp68,

    I would be wary about planting next to the house. The running species have pretty invasive roots. If you want it against the house's foundation, I would suggest investing the time, money, and effort to buy and put in a rhizome barrier. I've planted mine in the middle of my property, with a 30 foot wide area of mowed grass all around them. If I mow down or stir fry any young shoots that develop in this area or beyond, the bamboo will not have enough energy to extend its roots beyond that buffer zone. That was my solution for containing it. However, because I am getting sub-standard growth due to an exposed planting site and frequent winter die-back, mine have spread very slowly. I started out with two gallon plants with two 18-24 inch canes each for most of these. The largest is now a clump about 6 feet in diameter with about a dozen 6 foot canes (the P. nuda). The P. rubro has produced the most canes, total of about two dozen 6 foot canes at this point, but has only spread to form a clump about 4 feet in diameter. Keep in mind that this is after four growing seasons. I'm experimenting with winter protection now. This winter I tried fencing in each clump and then wire-tying thick opaque plastic to the fences as a wind break. I found that if you don't use a very heavy duty stake pounded at least 18-24 inches into the ground, the winter wind will kindly remove cage and plastic together and toss it elsewhere on the property! Next year I think I'm going to use plywood as a windbreak, making a V that points to the west, with the bamboo clump in the crotch of the V. I'm also going to try using an anti-desiccant like wilt-pruf to cut down on winter leaf loss.

  • treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
    15 years ago

    Castiliana,

    For reference, I bought my P. aureosulcata from a roadside nursery in Cattaraugus county. The owner had a decent size grove that he was selling divisions from. The grove was about 10 to 15 feet tall with 3/4 inch diameter canes. They are colder down there, and I would expect divisions from that grove to reach slightly larger sizes up here by the city in a protected planting site.

  • colldp68
    15 years ago

    Treeguy,

    Thanks for the heads up. I wasn't sure if our winters were enough to discourage the spreading. I think I will be sticking with clumping bamboo!!

  • kudzu9
    15 years ago

    Treeguy-
    I know that bamboo can be invasive, but I don't think it's going to do anything to a foundation, unless the foundation has a bunch of cracks in it where the rhizomes can infiltrate. I have a poured concrete perimeter foundation, and I've had runners of many bamboo species planted all around my house for years with no problem. They don't infiltrate intact concrete and the base of the foundation is a couple of feet underground -- as deep as any barrier you would install -- and they're not going to dive under it.

  • treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
    15 years ago

    Very good point kudzu. I didn't plant mine against my foundation because it is an old limestone house, no poured concrete here. Sorry for the confusion. No cracks in the foundation = ok for bamboo foundation planting.

  • kudzu9
    15 years ago

    Treeguy-
    With that additional piece of info, I think you made the prudent choice for your situation. I have seen it go into cracks, and I did get some raised bumps from it going under my asphalt driveway!

  • treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
    15 years ago

    Yeah, the house is circa mid to late 1800's. We've had to paint the basement walls a couple times with water-proofing sealant paint to keep out the humidity. We haven't had any actual leaks, but the moisture just seeps in if it isn't sealed like that. I've been very cautious what I plant too closely to the house! I had no clue it would raise black top like that. Do you think the raised bumps were from new shoots trying to expand or rhizomes?

  • amls
    15 years ago

    I've had a clumping bamboo in Tonawanda, NY for several years planted about a foot from the house near a small fish pond. It did not die back but did get large enough for me to split and share it. The second clump continues to grow in 6a zone. Both were about 5 to 6 feet tall.

  • kudzu9
    15 years ago

    treeguy-
    The way runners work is that they send out rhizomes and at some point they send up new shoots. In my case, I noticed a long fairly straight bump one day from the edge of the driveway to about 2' out, and knew it was a runner. I dug down about 4" into the dirt at the edge of the driveway and there was a 3/4" thick rhizome that was snaking out under the asphalt, I chopped it off, which killed it, but it was so locked into the soil and rock underlayment of the driveway that I couldn't get the chopped-off end out. I still have the lump, which sticks up about an inch.

  • treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
    15 years ago

    I'm familiar with how bamboo grows, I was asking if it was a long bump from a rhizome (as you described) or single focal bumps that might have corresponded to a deep rhizome trying to send up culms under your asphalt. Do you think expanding culms would have enough force to make raised bumps under cured asphalt? I guess it would depend on how thick the asphalt is.

  • kudzu9
    15 years ago

    treeguy-
    Sorry I misunderstood...thanks for the clarification. As I mentioned, I had one, continuous, 2'-long bump; I have not had any situations where I have seen only a single bump where a shoot is trying to come up. I am of the opinion that the shoots themselves could break through a couple of inches of asphalt, but I suspect you would see other evidence, like I did, as well. I just think I got to this problem before the rhizome tried to send up a shoot.

  • treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
    15 years ago

    It's too bad it was your driveway, that would have been an interesting experiment to see if the expanding culms would have broken through the asphalt!

  • nonyaz
    15 years ago

    I'm trying to grow some timber bamboo in NY also, but I live closer to the Syracuse area. I have a 1 Year old Phyllostachys atrovaginata that survived this winter, and I plan on planting some Phyllostachys vivax 'Huangwenzhu Inversa' and Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis' this spring. I'm aware the odds are against me, but thats half the fun.

  • treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
    15 years ago

    Hi nonyaz,

    I was warned against growing P. vivax due to its weak wood. It is reported to break very easily under snow or ice loads. I don't know if your area near Syracuse gets a lot of snow, but our lake effect here in the Buffalo area made me decide against growing it.

    Has anyone else had experience with vivax in relation to snow or ice damage?

  • knock_on_wood
    13 years ago

    bamboo through asphalt? = good mythbusters episode?

  • kentuck_8b
    13 years ago

    No myth. It will grow through asphalt, but usually only on the outer edges where the asphalt isn't packed as tightly.

    Kt

  • stevelau1911
    13 years ago

    Hi, I'm in Rochester, only about 50 minutes away from Buffalo and I've had success with most of my timber bamboos however I'm close enough to the bay/lake so that it almost never dips below 0F so it might be the same for you.

    I've had success with henon, parvifolia, dulcis, atrovaginata, rubromarginata, yellow groove and even moso although I cover that one up.

    It is definitely possible to grow timber bamboos around here. If you are really that close to where I live, I don't even mind if you drive over here. Most of my bamboos are not that well established yet, but my email is

    lau1922@yahoo.com if you need some local bamboo.

  • knock_on_wood
    13 years ago

    What bamboo in WNY can grow to be the largest in about 5 years? I want the biggest I can find.

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