Please talk me out of planting bamboo

I believe the underground barrier is a super thick plastic that has to be put 24"-36" in the ground. It will stop the underground runners that you cannot see. You will still have to stop the ones above the ground. Bamboo is very cool and can get 30' easily... But,,, it is a little work. Plan now and work less later.

If you plant bamboo at the property line, would you have to maintain your neighbors side to keep it from invading HIS space? LAws may vary from place to place.

Also, HAve you tried talking to your extension agent? They sell all SORTS of trees and such for VERY small amounts.

Terri, I'm not going to plant at the property line. I've debated with myself about it, but the incline is steep enough that any privacy hedge, unless it were about 30-40', would be fairly useless.

And since the clumping varieties are noninvasive, that's a nonissue.

I've also found clumping varieties with thorns. ! Meaning critter control. Take that, ^%$#@@ bunnies and armadillos!

Essentially, what I'm going to do is plant outside the perimeter of my yard fencing, which is a different fence than the fencing along my property. That way, I can have privacy in my backyard (and my future backporch). I mean, my neighbors are very nice and everything, but my awareness of their presence certainly inhibits my activities --- which are pretty lame, but I'm very aware of how amusing they find me trying to dig holes in the nearly pure rock which is my backyard and primary gardening area. Etc.

With a privacy screen, however, I will feel free t run out back with my sharpshooter shovel, a hammer and a long stake, and spend entire afternoons merrily trying to dig holes for ... well, for whatever.

I understand perfectly. I have OFTEN been gratefull for the forsythia hedge between our yard and the street.

Planted it at my old suburb house. Right on the property lines on the 2 key spots where the neighbors could look right into my yard.

Glad I did it. I then had great privacy. In addition to blocking the view of my yard, it also stopped the neighbor baseballs, basketballs and kids coming over the the fence, it aslo muffled the neighbors barking dogs, firecrackers, horn blows and general racket. They are all so inconsiderate, I didn't care if I grew some Bamboo to give me a little peace & quiet.

But to control the Bamboo from spreading, be careful to simply break off the tender shoots in the spring. Then eat them. They are very good, especially the Golden Bamboo.

There is an old saying when you plant bamboo, the first year sleeps, the second year creeps (sends out runners) and the third year leaps. & it is true!

Like a lot of homesteaders, I never had any business living in the suburbs to begin with. Thats why I bouight my 250 acres & cabin. Now thats living!

I started about 3 shoots of the running kind this past spring they haven't done much since then, but I am expecting big things this spring. My plan is to feed it to my goats through the winter(and screen the ratty house to the north) I posted on it under bamboo fodder. I figured on the north side it would also make a good windbreak for the house. I only fed the goats one cane last winter and the seemed to like it, but I am going to feed them some more this winter to make sure before I plant more this spring. My control plan is that I will just feed what ever I don't want to goats in the summer. I also loved playing with the canes and in the groves as a kid, so maybe my kids will enjoy. There are 1 million things you can use the canes for, but if nothing else I will use them for kindling to fire up the wood stove, it pops when it burns but has a real strong greasy flame. There are stories of bamboo exploding when burned, so I just break each cell. There are groves all over the place here, and I have never heard of any major invasion problems like kudzoo.

Talk you out of bamboo!?!? No way, I LOVE bamboo!!!!!!! I have clumping bamboo and I have timber bamboo.

Fast growing privacy screen and windbreaks, shoots to eat, fishing poles, curtain rods, plant stakes...unbelievable how many ways you can use bamboo canes.

Invasive is not a problem if you have any livestock. They love to munch all the new shoots and leave the mature canes for you.

I know all about clumping bamboo. Still wouldn't touch it. It just doesn't fit well in my landscape.

If you must, put some in a pot and set the pots around your deck for privacy.

There was a fellow in town that planted bamboo near his cows. Well, he doesn't have cows now. Plus he is older. He can't contain it with the efforts he takes. Believe me, eradication is not easy. You better be willing to live with it or sell the place.

Aren't hemlock trees and brambles, various willows, and dwarf trees for fruit to your liking at all?

__________________
Make Equality A Reality
HRC.com

We had bamboo here in several areas when we bought the place. It wasn't close to our house and because we had so many acres, we didn't care, however, we knew it was a problem we eventually would address. We didn't have to. The Scottish Highland cattle we bought love it. It is green all year and in the winter they eat everything green off of it. It has all but died back in most areas. Now I am wishing I had more of it, because it gives them something to do in the winter. I'd say in another couple of years they will have eradicated it. I bet goats would do the same

BCR, I'm also creating privacy screens with lilacs and forsythia, and am investigating fedges, I believe they're called, where you plant willows directly in the ground and grow them.

And, even though I'm not crazy about them, a couple of Leyland Cypress are going out front.

The bamboo will be for one specific area, for various reasons, in part because it is my favorite part of the yard, but also the most visible.

I've spent some time today investigating the clumping bamboo and it apparently absolutely doesn't spread. The only drawbacks I can find are that it appears to be rather expensive and it isn't terribly frost tolerant. However, given I'm only planning on using it over a specific limited area, the costs are reasonable and I should be able to protect it during frosts relatively easily.

I honestly feel okay about it now.

I drug my clumping bamboo home from the dump, it was only a fraction of what was there but I didn't have my machete with me to break them down into something I could actually lift!

Perhaps you could ask on freecycle if someone has any that you can have or dig yourself. Take very sharp tools!

Oooh! Oooh! Thanks, Laura. Great suggestion!

I planted the running type of bamboo about 5 years ago down on the creek from my house. Each year it grows about 4 or 5ft. taller than the year before. It is about 20ft. tall now. I had to fence off an area around it to keep the goats from eating it. They love the new shoots which come up in the late spring. After they snip them off the don't see to come back. My uncle has had bamboo for over 20 years and just snaps off the young ones that he doesn't want with his foot when they come up. I do notice runners on top of the ground outside the fence, but so far it is not a problem and I just love it. I have been told not to plant it close to the house and told some of the stores that others have already posted. There is a bamboo farm about 12 miles from my house that raises over 60 different different types of bamboo. I think his name is Steve Ray. Not sure of the spelling of his last name. He has a nice website on bamboo. His farm was on Victory Garden at least two times that I know of. I think that the clumping kind is low growing. Hope this will be of some help and good luck.

LOL! All this talk of privacy fencing & windbreak qualities of bamboo have got me thinking if I want to plant it! I have an area on the north side of my duck yard that could use a windbreak/shade creating something...
hmmm...

I might have to look into this further!

It's addicting, isn't it?

In any case, I'm really glad I asked. I'm now on the hunt for it and, if I can find it at a reasonable prce (or free), I may just put it in another area ...

Could you burn it in a wood stove?

Go for it!

Think of what you can do with the canes. There's one type that's used for scafolding in the Hong Kong area... No more t-posts, great for tying up tomatoes, etc. Oh, it's even used instead of wood for flooring now. Not cheap.

I love it. I have Nandina, a smallish clump type out front. It gets white berries, has red leaves in the sun, is very lacy looking. Grows slowly about 8 -10 feet high.

I have had a golden bamboo for over 8 years. It hasn't spread much because I can turn the donkeys loose in the yard and they keep it in check. They love the new growth and the leaves.

There are many species of bamboo. Some are controllable. Most are not. You may find out too late you have the wrong one. Bamboo has been known to grow up through asphalt roads. The Viet Cong used 35 or 40 foot bamboo the hide the "Ho Chi Minh Trails". My neighbor was in the tropics and said., "You could lay in your bunk and watch it grow up past the window sill while you watched". I know people who have planted it and prayed they hadn't. Once it gets a good hold, the best weed killers can't stop it. My best advice is, "Don't Do It" Talk with a nursery in your area and ask about :"Privacy Plantings". They want to help and don't want to sell you something you will be unhappy with and put it on the web. Best, NJ Rich

There is a type of native bamboo that groes here in Tn. (and probably all over the South) that is the clumping kind . Canebreack. It has been growing down on the creekbanks of my pasture since the Indians lived there and probably before.It has sread very little and is usefull for making blowpipes which is what the Indians used it for. It really very pretty and can be used for many things including stakes as mentioned before. I found an easy way, well, I don`t know about easy, But cutting the new growth back three times pretty much kills it .You have to cut all the new growth back competely, whiich isnt easy but did work for me. This wasn`t the canebreak type, but another clumping type. Don`t plant the running kind unless you have aLOT of room.Hope this helps.Annie