The Best Way To Contain Running Bamboo | The Barefooted Gardener
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- čas přidán 10. 11. 2017
- Have you ever wanted to grow running bamboo, but was afraid to because of its tendency to spread? If so, I'll show you the way that I contain my running bamboo. There are other methods of containment, but this is the best and probably the easiest, based on how the Japanese have done it for centuries.
The best source for hardy bamboos is Bamboo Garden Nursery, in Oregon, USA.
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Leave questions & such down in the comments and share this with a friend! Thanks for watching.
Good stuff my friend!
Epic Gardening Thank you!
Thanks for the excellent and informative review of running bamboo. 🤘🏻
Clear, concise, and straight to the point, Thank you.
I am just starting to create my own personal tropical garden/farm on a half acre in the rainforest on the side of our Islands highest mountain here in the Caribbean. Your site is going to be my best friend!
new fan! 🤘
Hey Kenny,
That sounds amazing!!
Good video. I wish I would have kept up with that over the years. I’m playing catch up now, in all directions!
Thank you! Spreading bamboo is vigorous for sure. I think you could have it managed by next year though. I’m experimenting with other containment methods but that one is most effective so far.
The Barefooted Gardener yeah. Also just planting them in a contained space. Using metal or cement barriers.
Thanks, helpful.
I really enjoyed this video this will be my next plant purchase for sure
Thank you! When you get some, make a video, I’d like to see it!
I sure will Thanks
Make sure you don't get the running kind. I have been trying to kill a forest in my backyard for 8 years. I bought the house with it. It's taken over a yard next to mine that sat empty for a year. I will leave for work and come home and see a stalk that has grown 2 feet in less than 12 hours.
vista7 The whole purpose of the video is to show to control running bamboo, that’s one of the coolest parts is seeing the shoots grow that fast! Make no mistake, this is a plant for a gardener, who is willing to maintain it twice a year. (How many times do you mow lawn a season, and what does that give you?) Not just something to plunk in the ground and forget about, unless one would want a big grove.
Agreed. Mine started getting out of control this year. The root system had grown out as much 50 feet from the main growth. I'm going to build a bamboo barrier now. It does look good and provides some privacy.
Interested in suggestion for a species of bamboo to plant along my road frontage, which is 400 feet long. I'd like it to grow 20+ feet tall, and grow to be dense and thick for privacy and less road noise. Summers are usually 90ºF and 75% humidity. Winter it very rarely gets below 20ºF but once every few years we'll get a cold snap that can get as low as 0F. Thanks in advance.
You have a lot of options, and bamboo is perfect for that. You might be able to try a tropical clumping bamboo, like Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’, so long as it gets decent sun. Running bamboo like Phyllostachys requires maintenance 2, maybe 3 times/ season to keep underground runners controlled. Phyllostachys nigra, (Black stem bamboo), your climate is totally warm enough for it to grow bigger too. Probably stay away from most Fargesia: they’re colder climate bamboo. If it were me, I’d go with Black bamboo. It’s reliable, will require some maintenance, but will be spectacular. The tropical clumping bamboo probably would die to the ground during those really cold winters, ideally, the dead growth would get cleared away before it regrows in spring. I like your channel name too. :)
Just bought Red Margin Bamboo - Phyllostachys rubromarginata and living in zone 6a high desert NM. Hope it survives the non stop wind and sun plus lack of rain and very poor dirt.
It’ll take a long time to get established. I’d amend the surrounding soil with plenty of compost, and mulch. I don’t know how it would do in an exposed area in zone 6. Probably wouldn’t be evergreen. High wind and drought is really really tough on most leafy evergreen plants. I gave my rubromargínata to a friend down south because I was tired of it completely dying back during winter, not all that harsh winters either.
Amazing! You're so knowledgeable, what did you study?
Hi Nadia,
Thank you! I have an associates degree in horticulture, but I do a fair amount of research during winter.
You've got to be absolutely out of your mind to willingly plant this stuff!
Not if you know how to properly contain it! 😉
My neighbor planted 3stalks of bamboo and it’s turned into a forest of bamboo
Yeah... thanks dad RIP you were a great guy but your horticulture choices were questionable.
Hi. My Gardener Let My Bamboo Getting Totally Out Of Control. I Should Have Been More Proactive With My Yard But that is Why I Paid Him. Anyhow, it Got So Bad, It Caused My Retaining Wall to lean Over 7-9 Inches. I’ve Pick Axed Almost All The Bamboo Out besides a 7 Foot Length Wall Of Bamboo I wanna Keep. Anyhow, Isn’t It a Good Idea to Trench Around the Area to Make Finding And Cutting the Shoots Easier? I Figured a Foot Wide And Maybe a Foot And a Half Deep Should Suffice. What Do You Say? Being a Gym Rat, I Enjoyed The HIIT Workout You Get From Digging Out Bamboo, But It Will Really Tap Your Strength! I Slept 12 Hours Last Night After a Pick Ax Encounter Of an Hour or So.
Sorry to hear about your gardener. Yes, running Bamboo does definitely require proactive maintenance. Although a trench would definitely make it easier to spot rhizomes, I don’t have a trench around my bamboo, because it will dry out the soil around the edge of the trench. It is definitely a bit of a work out to do rhizome maintenance! Bamboo rhizomes should all be within the top few inches of the soil, as they like rich compost. The rhizomes generally don’t dive down unless they’re constrained somehow (not through manual rhizome maintenance)
Great tips to gain control. So, it looks as though a hedger would not be the appropriate tool to use?
Hi Cindy,
I’m not sure exactly what you mean by hedger; if you’re referring to an edging tool, probably not because you want to be able to drive it into the ground about 1’ to make sure the rhizomes are cut. Edging tools only are a few inches.
The Barefooted Gardener I mean the tool that you would use for bushes and you trim the tops and the sides...but I think I know what you mean...
Hi Cindy, bypass hand pruners/ snips are what I use to prune my bamboo branches.
The Barefooted Gardener Got it, thank you❣️
Will this type of bamboo spread everywhere in clay soil eventually?
Tray How
Yes it will spread, slower, but the stems will be very small. I’d recommend making the soil rich and a good amount of compost mixed in where you want it, and 1’ from the rhizome pruning boundary is where you’d leave the clay.
The Barefooted Gardener
I took them out from my backyard, the root didn’t run to far away from the main trees yet. Lucky me
I built planter for them using treated wood 2*6*8. The container size is 12” wide, 12” high, and 8’ long, then I lay 12 inch square concrete tile as the base. Then lay wood box on top on concrete base without screwing it together. Will this method block root from running out from my wood box, you think?
Tray How
Be sure you got it all out if that’s what you want to do. How cold does it get in your area? Bamboo in containers is much less hardy. I live in zone 6 and Bamboo does best in the ground. It should work for a few years, but you’d have to keep an eye on it. They may work their way out after a couple years.
Great I have some cuttings will it grow
Hey Dev,
It depends on the part of bamboo that was cut, & genus. Most Bambusa & tropical bamboo will grow from stem cuttings. Fargesia might also, maybe. Phyllostachys has never rooted from a stem cutting but other genera of runners might. All bamboo should grow from divisions, where there’s some rhizome, stem & leaf.
Im about to start a bamboo privacy fence, should i put in a metal barier so they dont go to my neighboors side?
That’s awesome! Personally, I would get the bamboo barrier that’s made specially for Bamboo. It’s expensive but it’s a sure fire way to make sure that the rhizomes in the ground don’t spread into their yard. I recommend installing it in a C-shape, then leave decent sized opening wherever it’s convenient to chop out the runners with a spade. That will keep the plant from getting rootbound. Also leave enough space to go around on the other side of the clump to clip any potential rhizomes that will attempt to jump over the lip - you’re supposed to leave about 2 inches out of the ground to catch the jumpers.
@@TheBarefootedGardener what do you mean with a c-shape? Everything else I got and i got a 2 foot deep 60thiq plastic barrier that ill install all around it, good tip with giving it space to cut any runners out on the back side of the fence, will do
Awesome! What I mean by a C-shape is that the bamboo is mostly enclosed in the barrier, on three sides; but you are intentionally leaving an open spot to prevent the plant from getting root bound. Then, you rhizome prune the side of the privacy planting where are you don’t have barrier as described in the video.
Bad idea bro
Your gonna look back on that decision as a bad one when it becomes uncontrollable. You will spend far less money building a fence and maintaining it in the long run . Trust me you can't get rid of bamboo and it will spread like crazy popping up everywhere and growing further and further away from the privacy barrier until you have a full grow ever encroaching bamboo forest. The only wat to get rid of it is to either hand dig it up or hire a backhoe operator to dig it up. The other option is to poison it and that doesn't always work. Good luck and happy digging.
I really want to find a small bamboo i can pot
You’d definitely want a clumping bamboo for a container, but it’d have to be a huge pot for longevity’s sake. Keep in mind too, the most cold bamboo is hardy to zone 5 (maybe 4) in the ground, with container plants you want them to be at least one maybe 2 zones hardier than where you’re located. If you can plant bamboo in the ground, it’ll be easier on you in the long run.
Help😱😱😂. My bamboo has grown over 11ft. It is leaning and growing around my BAY window, I tried taking it out side however it is extremely long and the roots are strong but it’s so long it will not stand up tall alone, 🤷🏼♀️😊😂 it’s curving all over like an “IVY” I have had over 10years starting with 3 stalks, it sits by the window drinks plenty of water burst out of the original planter( lol) which included a small amount of gravels and water. PLEASE HELP😱🤷🏼♀️what should I do? continue to allow it to grow all around the bay window and walls or start cutting,🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️? I’m lost. I have the stalks tied together with thread and plastic clothes pins[rain bow color] to add some ZEN, I am totally in love with my 11ft bamboo but it will not stand straight.THANKS in advance, I reached out to you before about my ELEPHANT EARS.
Try repotting it and take it outside for the summer and put it in shade. That will solve the tipping problem. You can cut the stems, but don’t cut them back too much. That will make it more upright. If your bamboo is hardy enough for your climate, you could plant it in outside too. The new growth is what will be more straight in proper sun.
I'm a stickler for proper English but even for me Barefooted is excessive. Barefoot is perfectly acceptible.
Good info!
Thanks for the tip, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
how's ya bamboo I need help ? wants the best veriety
It’s doing great! Depends what you’re trying to do. Shady areas (in colder climates) dictate clumping bamboo, running bamboo generally need sunny areas. Where are you looking to plant it?
I thought clumping bamboo didn’t spread?
Clumping bamboos, fargesia in particular do not spread aggressively. Fargesia will expand about 2-6” per year, depending on species. Tropical clumping bamboo occupies much more space and is another topic; the video is intended to towards the best way to control running bamboo, and getting thicker bamboo stems in a cool climate.
How can I kill running bamboo
Just sell the property. My mother planted it 20 years ago and it has not only spread all over her property but the neighbors as well. It is a nightmare.
Okay, before you kill it- is it on a hill where it’s preventing erosion, or providing a service like windbreak or privacy? If that’s the case, control is better than removal. If not, the only good way is to dig it out. It’s shallow, so please don’t go down some ridiculous depth…
DO NOT plant this stuff, and yes we have clay and it has spread everywhere. It loves clay soil, and it will send out runners from about thirty feet from the clump you already have.
Sherri NC
You’re right. They’ll spread in clay if that’s what the first foot of soil is composed of. They prefer a compost rich soil. Between the 2 times I pruned the rhizome, it would’ve spread about 4 feet! I’ll make a follow up video soon showing how well this system works. If you live in climate zones 8b or warmer at the end, I recommend planting tropical clumping bamboo.
We have already had two bursts of growth - very early Spring and again after rain. The shoots are about thirty feet or more from the main clump. (These were already planted - I would have never planted anything but the clumping kind.) Tried Roundup directly into the cane - worked for about one year. I cannot dig these things up - some of the new shoots are four inches diameter - grew two feet in one day - and the runners are at least 8 inches down in heavy clay. Heading for neighbor's house. Some videos say just knock down new shoots - which I did - but now they are coming up farther from the main clump.
Yes, clumpers are basically no maintenance, but in colder zones, you don’t get the thick stems. I’m curious what variety you have, maybe Moso? That’s why I like to amend the soil with compost so it’s easier to maintain the edge. Try renting some big machines, and installing rhizome barrier. Kicking the shoots just hides the rhizome, as you found out. Definitely not the way to maintain bamboo! Let me know how you end up managing it.
@@TheBarefootedGardener I just ordered Golden Hawaiian Bamboo, im in zone 10, also got Alphonse Karr, what u suggest for big privacy screen, something dense and can get 25' tall
Those are both great choices, but zone 10 Florida is very different than zone 10 California… Alphonse Karr will be more dense, perfect for what you’re looking for Golden Hawaiian, if were both talking about Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ has more of an open grove like habit. A good green variety fro screening would be Slender Weavers (Bambusa textilis) and the black bamboo (Bambusa lako) will also work, but grows taller than what you’re looking for. Phyllostachys nigra is a running type, but may work, but requires rhizome containment (pruning, barriers,etc.)
it can happen, that after 20 years bamboo will grow through your house foundation, 70 cm bellow the ground.
Hey Andrej,
The running types I’m referring to are the more controllable runners like Phyllostachys or Arundinaria. These genera, while they do run, do so in a more predictable manner, therefore they can be controlled with rhizome pruning. Genera like Semiarundinaria, Sasa, and Pseudosasa (among others) are all very aggressive spreaders and have given Bamboo a bad name. If you grow large clumping bamboo like Borinda species, Fargesia robusta, etc. Give you the look without the maintenance. Unfortunately the large clumpers are not as cold hardy as the smaller ones.
for three years i grow phyllostachys nigra and phylostachys edulis on a 7sqm surface, 5 m from fence, 7 m from house and 5 m from street. i am not sure any more that i can hold both genera under control. they are beautiful plants but ...
Andrej Skrbinek
They are beautiful plants. Absolutely, after the 3 years they really do spread. Give it a try, it’s important to do it 2x a season. And maybe install rhizome barrier on 3 sides. I recommend Kimmei Bamboo as a reference. I will be doing it within the next week or so on my Bamboo. Let me know how it goes!
Get a panda and your bamboo control work will be over!
you said bamboo will not go through clay, sadly that is 100% false. My property is entirely black clay soil and the bamboo has infested the entire lot.
I don’t think I said it wouldn’t go through the clay, it just slows down going through clay. Bamboo is the perfect plant to break up clay. Mix compost in as it gets dug out of the areas you don’t want it in.
thanks. would have been better if you stayed on topic
No problem. I’m re-making this video, because I slightly modified the technique. Let me know how I can improve.
If this is the ONLY best way to contain running bamboo I'd stay away from Bamboo.
Hi Owen,
This is definitely reliable, but not the only You can get bamboo barrier (from a reputable company) and sink that in the ground, leaving an open area to let the rhizomes “escape” and cut those off. It’s only a foot or 2 of cutting roots, and just checking the perimeter around the rest. Apparently if you have it near a lawn, they can be mown and allegedly it’s not an issue… but I haven’t tried it yet. I’ll mention if it works in a future video, because a friend of mine wants to maintain his bamboo with the mowing method…
ur wearing shoes
I don't bother with containing bamboo. I just hire a backhoe and dig it up roots and all. I don't want anything to do with bamboo.. The county will fine me up to $3K if it spreads onto my neighbor's lawn.