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Least Dangerous Bamboo Privacy Screen?

jaxo
10 years ago

There is a link to an article that flat out says bamboo is to be avoided.
Bottom line of the article:
"Bamboo may seem like an attractive garden option, but it poses serious problems. Stick to a lucky bamboo in a small indoor pot, or avoid growing bamboo altogether "

There are also videos on youtube of bamboo nightmares.
This guy said he planted a few bamboo plants and fast forward 10 years and now he has an out of control forest that has destroyed his property.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUZ6TMYZBCg.

The clumping varieties are supposed to be less dangerous, but the article below says that even clumping varieties can be risky.

So, if I were to still consider planting bamboo, what are the safest varieties that will do what I want or is there a risk in every type of bamboo suitable for a privacy screen?

I need to block the view from the upstairs neighbors windows and will relocate the small emerald green Thujas shown with something else that grow to size much faster.
It needs to fit in a 36 inch deep space, grow upwards to over 12ft feet and grow thick and close enough together to effectively block the view from the neighbors windows without spreading uncontrollably and ending up on the other side of the fence.
Since it is only 3 feet deep space between the fence and the flagstone patio, wouldn't even a "clumping" variety possibly spread and pop up new growth on the other side of the wood fence when in such a narrow area?
I'm in California in borderline zone 8 to zone 9..
Summers are hot and dry, but winters can get below 20 degrees at night for at least the deepest part of the middle of winter.

I'm thinking about Fargesia robusta. Is there a better choice for the area in the photo?

Here is a link that might be useful: Dangerous Risk Of Planting Bamboo

Comments (26)

  • jaxo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    10 feet might be enough as long as it is thick at that height.
    The fence is at 6 ft, so I think another 4 of dense foliage would be enough to block their from that window.
    More height would add some cushion.

  • subtropix
    10 years ago

    Running bamboos in Eastern Zone 7's plus ARE extremely aggressive! Maybe less of a problem in drier climates or cooler, Summer climates. I ended up having to eradicate a grove of Black, Golden, P. vivax and viridis.

    I was lucky, my neighbor is a landscaper who cut down the grove in two days and did not end up suing me! One day for removing the culms and the second day to till the soil to get rid of most of the rhizomes. I will be weeding for at least a few more years of surviving rhizomes. Yes, I do still grow clumpers and do not consider these to be a problem. I am growing Fargesia and some Borinda, maybe a Bambusa multiplex soon (if I can overwinter it). But Fargesia and Borinda are both rather temperamental outside of areas of the Pacific Northwest and a much smaller area of the coastal mid-Atlantic/Northeast zone 7.

    The boo in the photo is Fargesia rufa and Borinda angustisima.

  • mimulus
    10 years ago

    The aggressiveness, spread, and height depends completely on which bamboo you choose. Most of the horror stories are about Golden Bamboo aka Phyllostachys aurea. I have grown and planted many types. I am a landscaper and I have planted and maintained many types for many clients. My advice is to do a little research and find out which type you would like the best and would work for your situation. 12 feet is a very short for a bamboo. If you like a type that may spread more than you want you can contain it with "bamboo barrier". Golden is beautiful, a very fast and full grower and makes a great privacy hedge but it must be kept contained. There are many types of bamboo that you can grow in your zone - both runners and clumpers. Some clumpers are called "open clumpers" because they do form a large and open clump - bigger than you want.

  • subtropix
    10 years ago

    Mimulus, the runners you are growing in Southern Cal. though, may be a problem in the East where the Summer climate is wetter and more humid. I also found Black Bamboo (P. nigra) to be very 'robust' shall we say. And you hear most about Golden because it is so common.

  • kentuck_8b
    10 years ago

    Agreed. Golden is the most common, but there are dozens of other runners that are equally as invasive or even faster spreading, in my area.

    My P. nigra, planted from a 1 gallon pot, popped up a new shoot 15 feet from the 'mother ' plant, 6 months after planting it.

    Aggressiveness has a lot to do with the variety of the bamboo, AND the area and growing conditions that it is growing in. Which bamboo you choose is NOT the only factor involved. Environment, soil fertility, temperature, moisture, amount of sunlight, and a few other factors are the determining factor on how fast an actual bamboo species will spread. The genetics is there for a running bamboo to spread fast, but other factors will actually make the bamboo grow fast.

    Kt

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    10 years ago

    I am looking for a very fast growing privacy bamboo screen as well. The area has part sun and part dappled shade. I am in a zn 9a FL. Would the golden bamboo be a good option for me? How many plants would I need to plant along long 100 ft area?
    ~SJN

  • kentuck_8b
    10 years ago

    SJN, I would go with clumping bamboo in your area. Depending on how high you need the screen to be, there are several bambusas that would serve the purpose.

    Look at some of the Bambusa multiplex varieties. Golden Goddess would do well, and stays relatively short, about 12 to 14 feet in height. It would need to be planted about every 8 feet max and even 6 feet would be better.

    Kt

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    10 years ago

    Hi thank you for your advice! How long do you think it would take for the Green Goddess bamboo to get about 8 ft tall and fill in if I planted them every 6 feet? What size of starter plants should I be looking at (1 gal, 3 gal, etc)

  • kentuck_8b
    10 years ago

    Regarding the 1 gal or 3 gal pots, it depends on how established the plants are in those pots. I've seen some 1 gallon potted bamboos that were much better established and bursting to grow if given room to, and then I've seen some 3 gallon potted bamboos that were not much to speak of, so....

    No matter what kind of bamboo that you plant, running or clumping, they will not do too much the first year in the ground although the clumpers generally put up more shoots sooner than runners. Here in zone 8b, I would get a relatively good screen within three years if they are kept watered well and given some extra fertilizer starting in it's second year.

    There are several bamboo nurseries in Florida that can help you with your decision on plant size. I generally buy the 1 gallon pots and they grow as I mentioned above, but we have a very long growing season here, sometimes from February to November without frost.

    There are several other Bambusa multiplex varieties that you might want to look into, but Golden Goddess is about the height that you will need and is a bit more upright. One other is B. mult. 'Silverstripe' but it leans outward quite a bit, but then you may be able to plant them even father apart to get the same effect, so you may look into prices on each kind.

    Kt

  • botanicalbill
    10 years ago

    sultry_jasmine_night, I live in 9b, just south of you. I have planted both Asian Lemon and B. Gracilis, either of these will make awesome barriers. I prefer the Asian Lemon over the two because it grows straight as an arrow, gets about 20 feet, fills in at the bottom, and fills in very quickly (2 years from single clum transplants).

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    10 years ago

    Thank you both for your advice. Would it hurt to mix different types of bamboos together? I think I would need at least 8 ft. tall just for privacy.
    It doesn't matter if it was taller though because half of the front (350 ft total) already has tall pines and other dense shrubs growing down it closest to the street.
    There is a blank area about 100 ft between the backyard fence and these tall trees going down the side of the front property which is the area that I want to fill in with the bamboo. I don't want to spend a lot on a permanent fence all the 350 ft way to the street since I don't want to stay in this area long term.

  • kentuck_8b
    10 years ago

    I also grow both Asian Lemon and B. Gracilis but they are more expensive bamboos and grow much taller here, but if you do not mind height, they would also do.

    You can mix them without any problem and by doing so, you can see which ones do best in your area. They do great when mixed.

    The Asian lemon is not as cold hardy as the Golden Goddess and the Gracilis, but probably the prettiest of the three.

    Kt

  • ME H
    8 years ago

    This is a great discussion! We have a goat farm in Virginia (zone 6a) on 10 acres. Our neighbor has recently built a large barn behind us and we would like to create a screen between us. Height is no problem. It looks like goats will eat bamboo too so I am not overly concerned about invasive though we will go with clumping (and we don't need to anger our neighbors). I hope some of the experts here will have suggestions for variety. It will be at the top of a ridge and be exposed to a westerly wind. We will protect it from the goats for the suggested time (looks like at least 2 years). We have about 700 ft to screen. Thoughts and suggestions?

  • kudzu9
    8 years ago

    Can you afford it? Since clumping bamboo only expands slowly and doesn't run, they have to be planted close together to make a screen. At a maximum, they should be planted about 4' apart. That means 175 plants at about $40 each, or about $7000. What you can get for that kind of money is plants that are 5'-6' high and will require perhaps 5 years before the screen starts to fill in. I'm not trying to discourage you, but do want to give you a reality check.

  • ME H
    8 years ago

    We can start with 200 feet if we must and we don't need immediate screening. It will just be nice to see it grow in over time. I appreciate your candor though and cost is definitely something we will have to think over.


  • mimulus
    8 years ago

    You can greatly increase the growth of bamboo by fertilizing them frequently with nitrogen. Blood meal, manure, or a lawn food without herbicides all work fine. Goat manure would be great. You don't have to age manures, it's very hard to burn bamboo if you are using natural fertilizers.

    In zone 6 you will need to use a more cold hardy variety so be sure to check the minimum temperature rating for types you like. Check out the Fargesias - some are really beautiful. If you are not looking for a fast, total privacy screen you don't need to plant them so close together and if they are arching or vase shaped they will cover a lot more area up higher. You may have to protect them from the goats though. I have heard they really like bamboo and will eat it to the ground. Maybe if you make a fence and only let them eat the ones that expand beyond it?????

  • A J
    8 years ago

    Clumping bamboo slow to put out a screen? 2-3 years for me (sleep/creep/leap). Tight clumps spaced well over 5' apart that creates a "hedge" like appearance. After initial year of light lawn fertilizer and occasional waters during drought, I've done absolutely nothing else.

    Costs can be negligible if you find someone/someplace to do the divisions yourself. You would have to take care of them during the first of of the year but the divisions and fertilizer could be done for ~$1000. Just 100% make sure it is clumping.

  • kudzu9
    8 years ago

    AJ- Although you sound like you know what you're doing, in my experience growing a variety of clumpers I've never seen it leap. I'd be interested to know what species of clumper you have, and see a picture of what the hedge looks like. Thanks.

  • A J
    8 years ago

    Google maps is all that I have for a before shot. Google maps says this is from 2013 so it grew even faster.

    It appears I did a stagged line but that was really unnecessary.



    Doesn't look that impressive at the base but does screen nice:


    I had to top it all off at 8' and also pruned heavily just to be able to get close enough to do it. Tons of shoots were well beyond 8'. No clue about variety. It's likely just some generic Florida clumping variety. This is an exposed North facing site. Bamboo had zero damage from the 19F with 1-3" of ice we had a while back.

  • kudzu9
    8 years ago

    I can't tell for sure, but it could be one of the Bambusa species.

  • A J
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Should I create a new thread for better exposure in IDing the variety? I was curious as to what it is. I can take better/close up pictures if the weather cooperates. I also have 40+ year old clumps that I divided these from.


    http://www.floridabamboo.com/prices.html

    "GREEN MULTIPLEX aka HEDGE BAMBOO (Bambusa multiplex) This is the basic, plain-Jane clumping bamboo for North Florida."

    Is that it?

  • mimulus
    8 years ago

    AJ, how big around are the culms? Look up Golden Goddess and see if you think it fits. Here in So California it gets about 12 feet tall and is a fast grower. It does not for a neat, tight clump and new shoots can come up about 2 feet away. The culms don't get very big around. Not sure if it can take that low of temperatures though.

  • kudzu9
    8 years ago

    AJ-

    A new thread would be a good idea. You might also have good luck if you post to the forums where all the bamboo enthusiasts hang out...they even have a specific forum dedicated to bamboo IDs:

    BambooWeb

  • A J
    8 years ago

    The new shoots I cut were at least 12'. The old clumps nearby are likely 25-30ft. New shoots are inches away. These are very tight clumps and it fans out great.

    http://www.thigpentrailbamboo.com/our-plants/non-invasive-clumping-bamboos/

    I think it's one of the varieties of bambusa multiplex or just the generic hedge variety. I'm not that concerned and will investigate another day. I was just giving an example that clumping bamboo can be fast to create a screen.



  • jaxo
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I had written off bamboo, but I'm considering it again en lieu of installing motorized drop down privacy screens on my patio cover that I have been quoted from $3.5K to $7K to install.

    For much less than $3K should I be able to put some kind of containers against approximately 30 ft of fence pictured at the beginning of this thread that will allow me to plant super-fast growing running bamboo, while also making it physically impossible for them to get out of control?

    I would like something that will be low maintenance and will grow to a height of 15 feet or more and be thick enough to block the view down into my patio from the neighbor's upstairs window within a short period of time.

    I need something that grows pretty much straight up without much of of it hanging down or sticking out into the limited space of the patio.

    Can they be planted in the largest containers to start or do they have to be started in small containers and repeatedly transferred to larger and larger containers as they grow larger?

    I'm thinking of getting beds raised at least 3 feet so it will raise the planting level so that they have a head start to reaching the height required over the 6 ft fence required for the privacy screen effect.


    Container

    This will be in the Sacramento, California area.