Bambusa textilis mutabilis/Kanapaha in container

[Alicehunter2000]

Is it possible to keep Royal Bamboo (Wong Chuk) in a pot? A friend gave me some and I am afraid to put it in the ground. Even though it is a clumper...its huge! My yard is only 20 ft. wide and don't want it to spread more than 4 ft. diameter. The bamboo that he had was beautiful.

I liked the diameter of the bamboo, but the height might present a problem as well. His looked to be around 30 ft. or more. I am needing something more like 20 ft. or less with large diameter culms. Should I just trade my Wong Chuk for something more suitable? Or will the Royal Bamboo he gave me stay shorter if grown in a pot?

[The Silent Seed]

GORGEOUS!

My honest opinion is that it would just bust out of the pot - but would do well, until then. Don't forget also, that just because it's in a pot, doesn't mean it won't act ugly. (For example, it WILL grow out of the pot holes, and hug the ground like nothing else.

I would suggest a ceramic pot (which will break over time, but it will look pretty until then, unlike a plastic pot) - sitting on top of a flat/thin cement block or something, to keep the bottom hole off of the ground. I don't see why not. I've seen enormous, potted Bamboo here since all the really nice ones are not cold hardy, and must be pot grown.

As for height - it should stay manageable, yes.

[Zeeth]

You could also bury a plastic divider (at least 4 feet deep) to keep the bamboo in a managed spot.

[The Silent Seed]

In my experience from observation, the plastic dividers don't work.

[Gonzer]

Textilis eats plastic for a snack, concrete's the way.

[Umbrae]

if its a clumper, just be vigilant and when a shoot comes up n an undesired spot lay the sharp shooter shovel into it and you are done

[WestCoastGal]

David, if you can live with smaller diameter culms, take a look at Bambusa textilis v. gracillis (slender Weaver's). Here in the SF Bay area textilis grows to about 40 feet with 2 inch culms; textilis v. gracillis grows to 16-20 feet and it's culms are around 1-1/4. It might also make a nicer planter filler. Growers in your area can probably give you a better idea of what to expect in your particular area. FloridaBamboo.com has both varieties on their website (so at least it's sold down there, kind of hard to find here in the bay area), although they are not currently selling at this time but you can see their descriptions of both varities there.

Last fall we installed I believe 8 v. gracillis plants in a bed behind our fireplace to screen out the 2-story neighbor's windows. Figure it will take 3 years to fill in. I wanted something pretty straight, clumping and not above 2-stories. Figure the thinner culms will be easier to cut and keep the way we want.

[WestCoastGal]

The Common Questions and Answers section at the above website has some very interesting info on growing habits that I hadn't known. Didn't realize all the growth height for the year happened within a 6-8 week period each year, which for us has started already. Specifically mentions the growth of textilis (Royal). From their site: "Fifty foot Wong Chuk, or Royal Bamboo, when planted from a three gallon pot, might take four or five years to reach full size from planting out a three gallon pot, but only two years after planting a twenty five gallon potted plant." When mature it sends out 50-ft culms like torpedos within 8 weeks...personally I can't see growing this species as a container plant for any length of time. The section also mentions containers--although more about dividing and planting out, and 2-ft thick concrete barriers on running bamboo in the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens.

[Alicehunter2000]

Thanks, I'll check that website out. I seed Budda Belly bamboo being grown in containers around here sometime. To be honest, I've always been scared to plant any bamboo, clumper or not. I don't care much for the look of the really skinny types...they always look weedy to me. The big diameter stuff is cool looking, but usually huge (clumpwise).

I would think keeping any bamboo in a container would make it very easy to separate it when the time comes. Just take out a reciprocal saw and hack away after pulling it out of the pot. Even having a container with a dozen poles would be nice. Wouldn't think it would take too huge of a container for something like that...would it?

Going to check out your website now.

[WestCoastGal]

From what I read on that site, maybe under care section, the rizhomes need to be properly cut or the plant could die. Didn't sound like separating them was necessarily a simple matter. Wonder if it's like working with canna?

How are you planning on using the bamboo. i.e, for shade/wind protection/privacy? We had considered planting a container of some bamboo to get vertical height on each side of our french doors (we have a 2-story). Decided to go with something else there. We'll have a nice length of it back by the fireplace/fence area. Not much to look at yet. Still kind of sparse but I've seen lots of new shoots. Should be interesting to see it in two months. Reminds me I should grab a photo now to compare to later in the summer.

[WestCoastGal]

One last site to mention. Great photos/some videos of bamboo planting, trimming clumping varieties, separating, and control methods. Also planter containers. http://www.bamboogarden.com/care.htm

[cycadjungle]

I have a couple of Wong Chuks that have been in 25s for about 12 years, and even though they have some roots in the ground, they are staying within the container area. For future, the only way to go is pour a concrete ring the size you want your clump to be. As for size, these are way too tall for you. I was thinking these go 80 feet. Mine in pots are already at least 40-50 feet tall. Tom

[mnorell]

I have three clumps of the bamboo sold as 'mutabilis' at my garden in Natchez and can testify from personal experience that this plant is very cold hardy--defoliates below 20f...which for me was 2010 and 2014. Culms refoliate in spring after upper teens and a multi-day freeze. It is extremely beautiful and perhaps gets more local comments than any other plant at my place. After a few years my 7gal plants were huge. They now have about an 8-foot diameter at base and perhaps 40 feet tall at present. The downside is that I of course underestimated and put two clumps too close to a fence and a house wall. Sawzalls are useless in chopping the dense woody rhizomes. We have cut back the offensive portions to the ground and cut every culm that starts shooting. Nevertheless I now must call in the big guys with chainsaws.

The short answer, David: This is not the bamboo for you! May I suggest you plant B. vulgaris 'Wamin' as it has thick culms and stays relatively small...certainly in the Gulf States. B. vulgaris dies to the ground around 27f and doesn't shoot until summer there so you will only have it half the year. I do this with vulgaris vittata and it is lovely and oh so well behaved. 'Wamin' is more tender and I lost it in 2010 but had it in a cold spot. I would suggest this also because you have few if any alternatives with your size constraints for a large culm.

[Alicehunter2000]

B. vulgaris 'Wamin'.............oooohhh! that is cool looking! ....so it would die back in cold winters then re-emerge basically in the same spot in summers? ..... could I pot plant this one successfully?

[cycadjungle]

I just looked at where you live. Your much warmer than I am, and where the Kanapaha plant was growing. Given your area,AND you like blue, go with either B chungii that gets to 30-35 feet, or go with the chungii Barballata that gets around 20-25 feet. Both get culms close to 2". Cool looking plants and aren't hard to find in your area. I'd dig a trench about four inches wide and about two feet deep, and poor it with concrete, and it will stay in that shape almost forever. Of you want to put a bit of steel in there, it wouldn't hurt if you feel like it. Sounds like a lot of work now, you will love it years later, especially if you have a small area to work with. Tom

[mnorell]

B. vulgaris 'Wamin'.............oooohhh! that is cool looking! ....so it would die back in cold winters then re-emerge basically in the same spot in summers? ..... could I pot plant this one successfully?

It will die back in every winter for you, unless you have a freak high-9b/10a winter. The first 30F frost/freeze or so will toast all leaves, by the time you get to 27/28 you should lose the culms mostly or totally to the ground. Bambusa vulgaris is extremely tropical and cannot stand cold.Luckily temp-wise it is strong at the rhizome if planted in the ground, due to the above-freezing soil temps, and will shoot sometime in the June-July time-frame, perhaps a little earlier if you are lucky. 'Wamin' is even more sensitive than 'vittata' so you will want to give it a warm spot where the sun strikes the soil in winter, and with some drainage during the long cold winter in wet soil. For that reason I wouldn't try growing it in a pot north of Orlando. The roots will just not be able to endure that level of cold. Perhaps someone else can chime in with their experiences as well...

[WestCoastGal]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe you can cut/trim bamboo and restrict it's height. I know I read something a while ago about establishing a hedge height, and recall seeing photos of trimmed bamboo hedges when we were looking into using it for our yard. Our plant lady doesn't really like the sheared look for hedge tops of any kind and encouraged us to go with a naturally lower growing bamboo; but if you don't mind the look, it might be worth looking into for the thicker bamboo you really want. Some of the thicker bamboo culms are really beautiful. Also how much water and fertilizer you give it over it's growing years before maturity will also affect how tall it eventually gets.

If no one here has topped their bamboo hedges, I'm sure a bamboo nursery can tell you if this would work for you. If it were me I would consider trimming over going with a less hardy bamboo and living with months of a non-pleasing look after it defoliates and gets culm damage. Our goal was to have something that would be evergreen year round for privacy and aesthetics. The culms in our case are mostly covered up by the height of our fireplace so it was the leafy green screening look that was our priority.

[Palmdude]

You can absolutely trim the canes to the height you desire, it will just make your bamboo fill out with thicker foliage, in my opinion it looks fine that way. Wamin is not going to look good up there for a good part of the year but it is an excellent bamboo for large pots and you can top it and it makes a beautiful topiary type look.

Also Mutabilis (emerald green) is a different species that is often confused with the Wong chuck, I have both and they look and grow differently. The chuck has a very tight growth habit whereas the Mutabilis has a more open growth habit and the canes stat green for a longer period of time.

If you like the Wong chuck you should grow it in a large pot for a while and enjoy it

You can also control bamboo somewhat by removing up to 1/3 of the canes each year and simply kick over any undesired shoots that pop up

That being said however a four foot diameter space is going to be too small for any tropical clumper other than the Wamin. Anything else and you're going to have a fight on your hands.

One thing I've noticed while researching Bamboo is that there is a total lack of info on the expected footprint of clumping bamboos. Height and culm size are what is discussed. God help anyone who gets the full size Buddha belly without realizing how monsterous their foot print is.

[Alicehunter2000]

Forgot about this old thread....some good info here. Palmdude you are correct..hardly anyone discusses footprint.

How big does the footprint of B. chungii 'barballata' get?

For a clumper .....would it really be necessary to pour a concrete ring? .....guess it would be piece of mind.

West Coast Gal....you were recommending that gracilis way before I knew what that clump I got was....mind reader...lol

[Sandy Loam]

I had heard that concrete was useless against the power of a large clumping bamboo's expansive power (unlike running bamboo) -- and the outside of the rhizome is what grows the new canes, so harming/constraining that outer growth perimeter might not be a good idea. Nonetheless, one of the posters above recommends it and, frankly, I am giving it some serious consideration to one of my clumps. I may only apply a concrete underground wall to the area between the side that will encroach on a neighbour's fence, over time. I probably will not bother with concrete on the sides that grow into my own property.

[Alicehunter2000]

Actually some sites recomend this method....leaving one side open.