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las_palmas_norte

Shooting Timber Bamboo

Las_Palmas_Norte
18 years ago

Here's what will happen to your city sized lot when you plant running bamboo (this one's P. bambusoides) without a root barrier. No telling what's on the neighbors side of the fence. Now my step daughter is calling me for advise.

Cheers, Barrie.

{{gwi:410481}}

Comments (38)

  • kudzu9
    18 years ago

    Send it to me! If that's not possible, then:

    1. Root prune at the point you want the running to stop. Break off the new shoots immediately at ground level. Water and break off any new shoots that come up until the runner is exhausted.
    2. Root prune twice a year in the future to prevent this.

  • koniferkid_nj
    18 years ago

    Gee whiz, that's paradise......

  • Thuja
    18 years ago

    Man, that'd be something if I woke up and saw that in my neighbor's yard. Oops! Too much lawn fertilizer? Sorry about that. Forgot to practice safe sowing.

  • Las_Palmas_Norte
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    kudzu9,
    You and I both know what to do with this bamboo, but my step daughter has her hands full with a toddler and a full time job. Gardening has taken a back seat to child care.

  • kudzu9
    18 years ago

    Las Palmas Norte-
    I understand...I took a 25-year break from a lot of stuff when I was raising my kids. Where is this runaway occurring? It looks more tropical than I associate with your neck of the woods.

  • Bernard_Bruxelles
    18 years ago

    2 solutions:

    - eat them... I love them.

    - lets them grow until they start making leaves.... & cut them at ground level: you will exaust the boo quickly.

  • Las_Palmas_Norte
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    kudzu9,

    This Japanese timber bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides) is growing in South Delta, British columbia. Just north of Point Roberts, WA. It was taken from a mature stand in North Vancouver BC that stood 50' tall and the culms where 5" diameter. It was quite something to walk in and amongst the bamboo. I hear now it was all removed and a new development stands where the big bamboo once did.

    Cheers, Barrie.

  • kudzu9
    18 years ago

    Barrie-
    I'm impressed. I'd love to see it sometime. My daughter attends SFU, so I get up there frequently.

  • Las_Palmas_Norte
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Kudzu9,

    I'd be glad to show you this bamboo. The question remains as to whether or not they'll keep this in it's present form, or root prune and remove shoots to keep it in check. I live on Vancouver Island and I get to the mainland regularly. Scheduling a meet is all that we have to do.

    As a side note they also have P. nigra 'Bory' doing much the same thing.

    Cheers, Barrie.

  • tcstoehr
    18 years ago

    In the short term, cut the shoots in the lawn, or anywhere else you don't want them, down to the ground as suggested. Then follow the line of shoots back to where the rhizome crossed into the forbidden areas and dig up the rhizome and sever it.
    For a more permanent fix, you may want to hire someone to come out and root-prune your large bamboos. That is, dig around the bamboo's permitted perimenter and sever any stray rhizomes. This would have to be done yearly in the absence of a rhizome barrier, which would be a more permanent but money and work intensive solution.
    If it's any consolation... your bamboos are way cool!

  • kkaren_marie
    18 years ago

    Barrie, I was so impressed with your picture of the bamboo that I've been showing it to all my friends. Sorry for laughing sooo loud!Just wondering if you have a follow-up?I have quite a few different bamboo and have been living in fear of my timber bamboo doing the same. Thanks for the great picture,Karen

  • unautre
    18 years ago

    can we see the same picture updated to today?

  • wildbillgt
    18 years ago

    Man, you guys are as bad as pervs in a peep show!!! LOL!!

  • albem
    18 years ago

    There's one advantage! At least you know where NOT to place your garden chairs. ;-))

  • Las_Palmas_Norte
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    I'll see if my step daughter will e-mail a recent pic and post it here.

    Cheers, Barrie.

  • eric_in_west_seattle
    18 years ago

    It'll be really nice once the bamboo has filled in the entire space and that nasty lawn is gone.

  • kstanwick
    18 years ago

    Wow...i hope that will happen to me...and i do know how gardening(or anything) can take a back seat as my kids are three and four and one in the bucket. As far as i can see everyone has given some great advice. Kudzu i think it ultimately up to you to rescue those stray dogs in the field before a hungry lawnmower gets to them. yes it would be great to see an updated pic. I got some yellow groove for a buddy of mine. he had a shoot coming up about an inch in dia. he decided to measure its growth with a ruler. he stopped after two days....he was like its amost fifteen feet tall. he was in shock.

    good luck with everything


    Kurt

  • albem
    18 years ago

    Found a good link...
    Try:
    http://www.bambooworld.com.au/Download/Running%20bamboo%20Control.pdf

    Sorry for the earlier reply about the garden chairs... ;-))

    good luck mr. terminator

    I'll be back

    Here is a link that might be useful: Eradication of running bamboo

  • hoe_hoe_hoe
    18 years ago

    Cool! Is that Gunnera at the top left? Looks like a happy, huge specimen.

  • Las_Palmas_Norte
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Here's a recent pic of the same Japanese Timber bamboo showing the size of the culms. I'm promised another pic showing the overall growth. Word is it's quite impressive.

    Cheers, Barrie.
    {{gwi:410482}}

  • cactusjoe1
    18 years ago

    If she would like to sell her property, I am in the market for an instant bamboo forest.

    (Cactus_Joe, jesting.)

  • Las_Palmas_Norte
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Well, as promised, an updated pic showing the progress on this Timber bamboo. Not overly obvious are the culms reaching to about 30'. The high overcast sky doesn't help show the detail in this pic. The branches are about to leaf out, and perhaps later in the season another pic showing the full canopy is in order.

    Cheers, Barrie.
    {{gwi:410483}}

  • unautre
    18 years ago

    how old is that planting to give such large culms?

  • wlorenz
    18 years ago

    (follow-up to unautre)... and what size did you start with?

  • Las_Palmas_Norte
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    There's no telling just how old this bamboo is really. A clump of about 4 or 5 culms where planted in this spot about 6 years ago. Clumps have been dug from this area in that time as well. I suspect more will have to be dug this fall or winter.

    Cheers, Barrie.

  • hoe_hoe_hoe
    18 years ago

    Nice pic of the giant rhubarb too!

  • mang182
    17 years ago

    I wish the pictures were still available.

  • lkz5ia
    17 years ago

    Mang, here are the photos you were looking for. Saved this whole thread to my computer since it was so interesting.

    {{gwi:410484}}

    {{gwi:410485}}

    {{gwi:410486}}

  • mang182
    17 years ago

    Thank you,
    I have been looking all over the web for these specific pictures. I have never seen such a dramatic display of shoots coming up in an unwanted place.

  • kentuck_8b
    17 years ago

    That gunnera manicata is also very nice. I have seen much larger specimens, but here it won't even get that large...too humid.

    Kt

  • kevip711
    17 years ago

    I would dig now my barrier before it takes your whole yard.. very nice looking boo, wish mine was this big, guess have to wait another year or two..

  • jerez
    16 years ago

    Amazing! Wow! I'd love some of that to spring up in my yard, it might drink up the water from the springs...beautiful shoots, haha
    Thanks for the photos!

  • angelfairy
    16 years ago

    Isn't it ironic that those that would love a yard like that can't have it and those that do don't want it? Oh, by the way...the reason Gunnera won't grow in the deep south is because of the heat....NOT humidity..it loves humidity.

  • kentuck_8b
    16 years ago

    I read that gunnera like heat, but NOT high heat AND high humidity.

    The temps farther north are sometimes hotter than here(but the humidity is much less), and the plant thrives(so it must love heat), but here where the humidity can be in the 90 percent range and the temp up to 100F it will die off slowly, but it starts to die when the humidity rises, but not when the heat rises, unless it gets above 100F, which will certainly kill it.

    Just an observation, and it does seems to hold true from my research.

    Kt

  • jerry_nc
    14 years ago

    Howdy!

    I would love to have a start of this bamboo for I have a great place for it. It is a 15' wide, 20' long and 5' deep old ornamental fish pond. (It has a crack in the very bottom, but that deep, I don't think it can get out. Also, the edge is over a foot high. I can make a new site to grow it if needed....I just want this and BLACK BAMBOO badly!) I don't use is for my koi because of the alkaline nature of concrete. I just use rubber liners.
    So, if you have any of this bamboo...ANYONE that can help me get this great bamboo...I'd love to put this in that area and add to the tropical look of the garden.

    I really look forward to anyone that may be able to help me. I know it grows well here for there is a bamboo farm here, but it is commercial ONLY.

    Please help if you can!
    Thanks so very much...
    Jerry

  • fraser69
    14 years ago

    Hello,

    I am in the process of building a raised garden for bamboo and would be interested in takeing any off your hands

    Email address
    fraserbest@gmail.com

  • pepiopi
    14 years ago

    does anybody know where i can get some bamboo just like the kind in the pictures above? i have been really wanting some and dont know where i can get it?

  • rickinla
    14 years ago

    I received a 3' tall p.bambusoides "Madake" in 1 gal container in a trade last spring and it put 2 shoots this year that are 10' tall. It is a fairly common bamboo and most of the growers have this. Bamboo Plantation has pretty good prices at http://www.bambooplantation.com/files/price_list.php

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