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bobert18

Bamboo as a screen along fenceline near pool

bobert18
13 years ago

Our in-ground pool is on something of a hill, and we're looking for a bit more privacy than is provided by our 6-ft fence. I was planning to plant some Little Gem Magnolias around the perimeter, but then I heard a little about using bamboo instead.

I'm completely new to bamboo - never had any, never known anyone who has. I'm just looking for something reasonably fast-growing that I can maintain at under 20ft or so, that doesn't make a huge mess that would get into the pool. These plants will be a minimum of 15-20 feet from the pool, so I don't think root size would be a problem. I'd also like to keep as much of my yard as possible, which is one thing that makes the bamboo attractive over the magnolias - the magnolias would take about 10 ft off the perimeters of the yard, whereas I'd guess I could get away with only 3-4 ft thickness of bamboo? (I'm not looking for the ultimate privacy screen, just enough to obstruct the view.)

Budget is also a concern. I don't have just a ton of money to spend, and I hear bamboo is cheaper and spreads out more quickly. I really have no idea what kind of cost I'm looking at with bamboo, though. The linear distance to be covered is about 60 ft.

Also, I wouldn't mind something with a kind of tree-like look to it. Like I said, I'd be the first in my well-established neighborhood with bamboo, so I don't want to rock the boat too much.

If you actually read all that, I appreciate it. If you take the time to give me an answer, thank you even more.

Comments (8)

  • kudzu9
    13 years ago

    What you are talking about is do-able, but it would help to know where you live so you can be given advice on species appropriate to your area, and possible sources. The main issue for you will be how much maintenance you expect. The fastest growing/spreading bamboos are the running kind, and you will ultimately have to deal with keeping them contained with either in-ground barrier, or manual rhizome pruning on an annual basis. On the other hand, if you go with clumping bamboo, you will not need to worry about unwanted spreading to other areas of the yard, but you will need to buy more plants upfront, and it could be pricey for a 60' stretch.

    In your Zone there are species that will keep their foliage year-round and the only leaf issue will be a modest amount of turnover as new leaves replace some of the old.

  • bobert18
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Sorry, I'm in the Memphis, TN area. I'd really prefer to not have to do a lot of maintenance if I can keep from it.

    So the clumping type doesn't spread very much? Sort of like a tree, where the only new plants are from seeds, not expansion?

  • stevelau1911
    13 years ago

    For long screens like 60ft, an aggressive running type would be able to fill it in within 3-4 years only with 1 plant since rhizomes can run like crazy when they're traveling along a rhizome barrier and well fertilized, but it is a pain to put down such a huge rhizome barrier since a 60ft circle is almost like a week of digging. You could also just rhizome prune annually, but 60ft might still take a couple hours to go around the whole thing.

    You might want one of the fargesia or chusquea clumping species for this purpose and plant them about 6ft apart. You could even have multiple plantings since their canopies will fan out to fill in the gaps. Clumpers will grow a lot less aggressive than running types and be easier to maintain since new shoots will only appear a few inches a way each year as opposed to several feet. Bamboos also rarely ever go to seed.

  • kudzu9
    13 years ago

    The clumping type simply gets a little larger in diameter at the base each year; the running type, once established (usually about 3 years) can send out rhizomes anywhere from 1'-10' in a year and new culms will arise from these.

    All the horror stories you hear about bamboo taking over yards are typically from people who planted it, never mainntained it for 5-10 years, and then gripe about the characteristics of the plant.

    As far as seeds, bamboo hardly ever sets seed, so you do not need to worry about small plants springing up from seed with either clumpers or runners.

  • new2zone9a
    13 years ago

    Unless you enjoy often skimming the pool, bamboo might not be your cleanest choice.

  • Embothrium
    13 years ago

    When planting next to any pool that has a filtration system the first consideration is what will not clog the intake. Basically this boils down to choosing kinds with parts too large to get sucked in easily.

  • kudzu9
    13 years ago

    The OP says the plants will be 15-20 feet from the pool. I don't see fallen leaves as an issue unless there are strong winds all the time...

  • firefallster
    3 years ago

    New liner in 2018. Bamboo rom over 10 feet away apparently sent out runners and came up in the middle of my pool. So my pool person said not to cover the pool for the winter as it might damage it further. Now it’s a beautiful dark green and I don’t know what to do!