Bamboo

[CODIACRCMP]

Can you grow bamboo in Eastern Canada? Also, does anyone have/know where I can get some seeds?

Thanks
Danny

[diane greene]

Bamboo is a horrible invasive and will take over your property no matter what you do to contain it. I have a friend who started with a small pot of bamboo she bought at a plant sale. Within a few years it popped up everywhere on her 2 acres and destroyed all her beautiful gardens. Her next door neighbor threatened to sue her if she didn't keep it out of his vegetable garden that ajoined her land. She hired a backhoe and dug up her whole property, but a few pieces must have remained because she has seen some new sprouts. Even RoundUp doesn't work on this stuff. Unless you are plaining to breed Panda bears, I would say forget the bamboo.

[bgak47]

Why do you want to grow it?

[bergere]

Depends on the type of Bamboo. IF you buy the clumping kind, it will not spread much.
Had some planted at the old farm for 5 years. Wanted it to fill out just a little bit, just did not move out of the clump. Ah well.
btw, I wanted it to screen my nieghbors out!

As for doing well in Canada, I have not idea.
Might check out these folks, they should know the answer to your questions.
http://www.onegreenworld.com/

[caballoviejo]

The clumping kind are non-invasive and fine. I've never heard of bamboo being grown from seed - always vegetative starts like rhizomes. Some species of bamboo only flower once every few decades.

Certainly some bamboos in asia withstand temperatures well below freezing.

[agmantoo]

If you want to control the bamboo from spreading get a plastic 55 gallon barrel and cut it in half crossways. Then remove the end from the barrel and dig a hole large enough to insert the "sleeve" made from the barrel with only an 1 or 2 inches protruding above ground. Plant the bamboo in the modified barrel. It is now captive and will not spread as the roots cannot escape. I have one like this and have had it for atleast 6 years with no problems.

[BCR]

Contain running bamboo........hahahahahahahaha.......madness I say!

Do a search of bamboo here at the site and you can find my saga of the 5 year Bamboo Eradication Project. I don't recommend bamboo anywhere but in a pot on a porch, if you must have it.

If you are looking for something to create a visual screen from a neighbor, then consider a hedgerow. Just within the last two weeks I have been able to re-plant an area that had bamboo (lush, 15 feet tall, evergreen). This is going to be the first year I can actually relax a bit on the twice weekly mowing/trimming regimen to rid the old bamboo I had planted for several hundred feet as a visual barrier. I have picked something non-invasive to fill its place.

Also, consider what native species you might use instead. I am becoming more and more seriously interested in not planting potential specimens non-native to my area.

[Raftercat5]

Speaking of bamboo: if it's such a nuisance and people want to get rid of it, just send it to me! I will be needing about 300-400 pieces of bamboo that are 4-5' long and about 1/2"-3/4" thick. My hubby and I will be building a strawbale house next year and need the bamboo to use as pins to hold the bales securely on top of each other. Let me know if you have any bamboo and you live anywhere in SC or even NC or Ga.
We'll be sharpening our tools!
- Kathy in SC

[bethlaf]

can get you all the free bamboo you want, come over to arkansas, find a ditch , and start picking
make sure to store it up off the ground though, otherwise they will start to set roots !

[Cyngbaeld]

Get ducks if you have a bamboo problem. Read that if you have ducks and want bamboo you have to cage the bamboo or the ducks will eat it. LOL

[CODIACRCMP]

Could someone send me a foot stick of bamboo? I can pay by paypal.

[diane greene]

Bamboo grows faster than ducks, geese or goats can eat.

I see our advice against it is falling on deaf ears. So all I can say is ...we told you so....

By the way, the ornamental clumping bamboo is fine (although expensive), but it is only boarder line hardy in zone 5.

[babetteq]

...there is a special hell invented for poeple who plant bamboo without a pot.... It's the same one that people who plant blackberry and broom go to.......