The Bamboo Thread

[LouisvillePalmer]

Bamboo is that one plant that immediately invokes feelings of the tropics, while being evergreen, fast, and an easy to grow plant. Given that there are over 1000 species of bamboo,  and their native ranges can go to very cold hardy zones, I wanted to see in what all ways everyone on here is using bamboo in their landscapes or even in what ways you have seen bamboo used elsewhere. I have seen tastefully done landscaping using bamboo in rectangular boxes, along with creating privacy screens or even just focus points for a yard.

Please post any pictures along with species name and hardiness zone to share with others to get inspiration on new ways to incorporate this great plant!

For fun, here is a map I found of the native ranges of bamboo!

[KDubU]

Love bamboo and have several varieties planted at our new place over the last couple months. 
 

Bambusa Textilus gracilis is up front in a row to help block view to the road. 
Bambusa lako is standalone in a shaded area.

Bambusa chungii is placed at two front corners of the house.

Bambusa eutuldoides is standalone in a nice sunny area and helps hide the well pump.

A couple Bambusa vulgaris wamin are placed near the drive and front path.

Also recently planted six NBG bamboo from Ocoee Bamboo Farm. It’s their own hybrid and am using it to fill the side yard that I cleaned up and happens to be where our closest neighbour is. Unfortunately the cleanup really opened the are up so planted the bamboo as well as three Livistona chinensis and two Arenga to help fill in.

Edited January 27, 2021 by KDubU

[Austinpalm]

Interesting topic and map.  I was thinking the map was a little off as Arundo and Phragmites are common in these parts.  However, after a little research I learned that neither is a true bamboo.  It is good to learn something new everyday; right!   

In regard to Bambusa lako mentioned above, are you trialing it in sand near the beach?  If so, please let me know how it performs. I like the look of it but am not sure it can handle our sand, salt, and wind.

 

Thanks,

Clay

Edited January 27, 2021 by Austinpalm

[Merlyn]

I am using Dendrocalamus Latiflorus, Maroochy and Bambusa Maligensis in the Se cornere as a backdrop and noise break.  On the S center I have B. Tuldoides "swollen internode," Guangxiensis, Vulgaris Wamin Striata, Chungii and Lako, and Gigantochloa Bali White Stripe.  They are for noise blocking and to block the neighbor's 2nd story windows.  On the SW side I have a D. Minor Amoenus for the ghosty culms.  On the East side I have a B. Eutoldoides Viridi-Vittata and up front a D. Maximuslamina and Hamiltonii for the looks and shade.

[Scott W]

I'm currently growing the following in the ground:

Bambusa lako

Bambusa textilis gracilis

Bambusa textilis mutabilis

Bambusa chungii Barbellata

Bambusa ventricosa kimmei

Bambusa emiensis viridiflavus

Bambusa pervariabilis virdistriata

Triple hybrid Dendrocalamus latiflorus x D.daii x B.textilis

Also just ordered Bambusa guangxiensis as it should be a much smaller hedge type bamboo.

Dendrocalamus Validus is by far my favorite still with shoots that are approaching five inches diameter and 60 feet tall!

 

 

 

 

[Will]

Wow your Dendrocalamus looks amazing! 

I wish I could grow some Dendrocalamus or Bambusa varieties here 

I got this still small Phyllostachys edulis which k planted outside this spring. The other one I kept in a growing Box which seemd to boost the growth a little bit but the leafs already get burnt. Gonna have to plant it outside too.

[Merlyn]

I've added a couple of species this spring, bought from Tropical Bamboo mail-order.

Bambusa Cornigera "Ox Horn" - 35' 3" culms, an open clumper for my SW corner that is supposed to bow outwards at the base.  Hardy to around 20F and a medium grower.

Bambusa Pervariabilis x Dendrocalamus Daii #3 - 35' with 2" culms, a tight clumper with vertical culms (not spreading at the top), with dark green culms and about 2x7" leaves

Bambusa Oldhamii "Shoot Production" - 30' and 4-5" diameter a kinda-dwarf version of Oldhamii, maybe with no leaves or branching below 15'.  Also very vertical with short, bushy branches.

Bambusa Vulgaris Vittata "Hawaiian Gold" - 50' and 4" diameter, classic yellow culms and a super-rapid grower with full maturity in 3-5 years.  Full lower branching with 1x8" leaves.  Not cold hardy at maybe 27F

Dendrocalamus Bambusoides "Zen Grey" - 50' 2-3" culms, with neat grey culms and black nodes.  This is possibly 27F cold hardy, but I couldn't find any info.

Dendrocalamus Brandisii "Black" - 40-60' 5" diameter with 2x12" leaves and chalky black culms.  Supposed to be the hardiest black version at around 23-26F.  Some report 100' tall, but Tropical Bamboo says that theirs maxes out at around 40' in full sun.

I've also done a couple of culm transplants:

Bambusa Eutuldoides Viridi-Vittata (Asian Lemon)

• In March I cut off about 10 culms using a reciprocating saw to slice them off underground.  I cut them at about 6' tall and transplanted individual culms one by one into 2 clumps directly into the ground.  Half the culms died, but both clumps ended up with new shoots by July.
• In May I cut off a single cluster of 2 shooting culms + 2 older culms, keeping as many roots intact as possible.  I took all 4 together and stuck them in the ground, and they just kept growing like nothing had happened.

Bambusa Tuldoides "Swollen Internode" - I cut a single clump of ~8 culms more or less in half in March.  I took 3 culms and transplanted them...and promptly forgot to put water on them from my dripline setup.  Within 3-4 days all the leaves fell off, but the culms stayed green.  Around mid-July they all started putting out random leaves, so they will probably survive and start shooting this fall.  Failure to water was the problem here...

[tinman10101]

i just started gettting into bamboo and really love the photos.  Thank you for starting this thread.  I wanted to ask the bamboo experts here how they control running bamboo.  I currently only want clumping but of course, there are so many cool runners as well.  Thank you for any input.  Cheers

 

Tin

[Merlyn]

Whups, I forgot one!  I bought the Bambusa Suberecta "Jesse Durko" variegated one for the front yard.  It is supposed to be around 20-25' tall and 1" culms with variegated white leaves.  I couldn't find any solid references to hardiness, except for a report saying that it may die to the ground in the mid 20s and grow back. 

For runners, I've read of people putting down a rhizome barrier at least 18" deep.  But I don't have any experience and wouldn't grow a runner here in FL.

[tinman10101]

2 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

Whups, I forgot one!  I bought the Bambusa Suberecta "Jesse Durko" variegated one for the front yard.  It is supposed to be around 20-25' tall and 1" culms with variegated white leaves.  I couldn't find any solid references to hardiness, except for a report saying that it may die to the ground in the mid 20s and grow back. 

For runners, I've read of people putting down a rhizome barrier at least 18" deep.  But I don't have any experience and wouldn't grow a runner here in FL.

Thanks @Merlyn  Yeah  ... In Los Angeles there are rules about growing runners and their invasiveness into your neighbor's yard.  I will leave that alone then.  Could you tell me where some good online bamboo retailers are since it seems most are in Florida.  Thanks.   

[Scott W]

15 minutes ago, tinman10101 said:

i just started gettting into bamboo and really love the photos.  Thank you for starting this thread.  I wanted to ask the bamboo experts here how they control running bamboo.  I currently only want clumping but of course, there are so many cool runners as well.  Thank you for any input.  Cheers

Tin

Yeah, rhizome barrier is a must to contain runners.  I've had a few planted here in Florida that happily tried to spread and only recently got rid of most of it.  I always refer people to Lewis Bamboo in Alabama for more info on rhizome barrier, as they sell a lot of runners and sell rhizome barrier made for containing them.

[Scott W]

9 minutes ago, tinman10101 said:

Thanks @Merlyn Could you tell me where some good online bamboo retailers are since it seems most are in Florida.  Thanks.   

Robert Saporito is a very reputable online vendor, owns Tropical Bamboo in south Florida  I ordered from him this morning and it's already shipped.

[tinman10101]

In the spirit of sharing, here are a couple of photos I took when my family and I were at the LA Arboretum.  I'll leave the species name to the experts.  Like most botanical garden bamboo, people love carving their names on the bamboo unfortunately.

 

 

[Merlyn]

I've bought ~16 boos from Tropical Bamboo online.  They ship quickly in 3g pots with very good root systems.  All have started shooting within about 3 weeks of planting, two started shooting a few days after the box arrived.  I also bought B. Lako and B. Eutuldoides Viridi-Vittata from Bamboo Plants Online.  They had good prices and reasonable shipping, and the plants have grown well.  I only ordered once from them just because they didn't have a wide variety in stock.  Otherwise I've bought from Bountiful Earth in New Smyrna Beach (local sales only) and Beautiful Bamboo in Clermont (also local sales only).

[Merlyn]

Here's today's photos from the SE corner and S Center of my backyard.  In the SE I planted (from L to R) B. Lako, D. Latiflorus, D. Maroochy and B. Maligensis around the same time in the spring of 2000.  Seabreeze has grown like mad, but Latiflorus is catching up.  In the front of Maligensis are the two clumps of transplanted Asian Lemon that are just starting to shoot out.  To the right there are two new shoots of Pervariabilis x Daii #3 and Oldhamii Shoot Production, just planted around May.  Maligensis and Latiflorus new shoots are about 30', the others are shorter but closer to the camera.

In the center backyard from L to R is Bambusa Guangxiensis "Chinese Dwarf" that is a massively fast grower too, and extremely bushy.  In the foreground are D. Longliensis on the L (1 shoot newly planted) and Wamin "Buddha Belly" on the R (1 superbushy shoot, recently moved).  In the back center Gigantochloa "Bali White Stripe" didn't grow much the first year but will be a solid 20' soon.  Chungii on the R was a single 3" diameter 2' tall culm with 1 tiny branch last summer, and finally has 3 decent shoots.  Lako on the right was planted the same time as the others in the back, in spring 2000.

[Will]

Wow the Bambusa varieties seem really popular in the US. I haven't found a nursery in europe yet which has them. We mainly have Phyllostachys and Fargesia here. Some exceptions like Borinda, but nothing as massive growing like Bambusa or dendrocalamus I think 

[Scott W]

Yeah, Bambusa and Dendrocalamus are clumping types, so obviously not really invasive (still needs maintenance, no different than any other tree or shrub though).

Oh yeah, forgot about my Bambusa multiplex bonsai experiment...this sat in a one gallon container for at least the last ten years until earlier this year when I scored the old wash basin from my mother in law.

[Merlyn]

7 hours ago, Will said:

Wow the Bambusa varieties seem really popular in the US. I haven't found a nursery in europe yet which has them. We mainly have Phyllostachys and Fargesia here. Some exceptions like Borinda, but nothing as massive growing like Bambusa or dendrocalamus I think 

Most likely the issue is weather.  Very few Bambusa or Gigantochloa or Dendrocalamus are hardy below 20F, and they really need hot and humid and rainy to grow well.  Likewise I can't grow Fargesia, Chusquea or Borinda here in central Florida, due to the oppressive heat and humidity.  Some of the Chusquea like Coronalis are supposed to grow well in coastal Southern CA.  I'd love to grow that one here, but the high humidity apparently kills the entire genus here in FL. 

In general I've read that central FL bamboo growth sizes are less than you'd find in the tropics.  So for example a Dendrocalamus Giganteus might grow to 100-120' in the tropics, but only reach 60-80' in the Orlando area. 

[Will]

Southern europe might be suitable for bambusa and dendrocalamus, but might need a lot of watering. Have been in Southern italy which should be 9b/10a and visited some nurseries but none seem to have Bambusa or Dendrocalamus varieties. Maybe still haven't made it there, that's why I was wondering where to find them in Europe. Does somebody know a specific Bamboo nursery in europe who could have them? Would be interesting to make them more available here 

[KDubU]

My bamboo is doing great for the first year. I am very happy so far with only Phyllostachys negro not showing any growth.

Bambusa chungii 

Bambusa vulgaris Wamin

This is a hybrid I bought named NBG down near Orlando.

Bambusa multiplex Alphonse Karr

 

Bambusa textiles gracilis

Edited August 21, 2021 by KDubU

[Scott W]

Nice collection Kyle @KDubU, hopefully your Nigra is contained.

Im curious about the hybrid, as the only one selling a hybrid I've seen is Tropical Bamboo.  What color are the culms and shoots?

[KDubU]

@Scott W I picked up the hybrid at Ocoee Bamboo Farm. He has a lot of beautiful bamboo growing there and I bought 6 15g of the NBG and they have taken off. Also got my Buddha there as well.

https://www.ocoeebamboofarm.com/index_files/nbg_bamboo.htm

I also checked again and my black bamboo is Bambusa lako 

Forgot to post I also added this Spring:

Bambusa dissimulator - Dragon’s Nest bamboo

Bambusa oldhamii 

 

Forgot my Asian Lemon (forgetting the Latin name)

Edited August 23, 2021 by KDubU

[Merlyn]

1 hour ago, KDubU said:

Bambusa dissimulator - Dragon’s Nest bamboo

I hope you don't plan on walking through that area next year.    I saw Dissimulator at Leu Gardens and at Bountiful Earth in New Smyrna.  It really is an impenetrable mess!  This was at Bountiful Earth back in the NW corner of his lot.  He hadn't cleared out old culms, for obvious reasons.... 

[Will]

3 hours ago, KDubU said:

@Scott W I picked up the hybrid at Ocoee Bamboo Farm. He has a lot of beautiful bamboo growing there and I bought 6 15g of the NBG and they have taken off. Also got my Buddha there as well.

https://www.ocoeebamboofarm.com/index_files/nbg_bamboo.htm

I also checked again and my black bamboo is Bambusa lako 

Forgot to post I also added this Spring:

Bambusa dissimulator - Dragon’s Nest bamboo

Bambusa oldhamii 

 

Forgot my Asian Lemon (forgetting the Latin name)

I think I gotta move somewhere warmer.  Your garden looks amazing!

 

[KDubU]

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

I hope you don't plan on walking through that area next year.    I saw Dissimulator at Leu Gardens and at Bountiful Earth in New Smyrna.  It really is an impenetrable mess!  This was at Bountiful Earth back in the NW corner of his lot.  He hadn't cleared out old culms, for obvious reasons.... 

Nice! Maybe I should have planted more of this on one side where my neighbour is too close. I say bring it on dissimulator!!! 

Edited August 23, 2021 by KDubU

[akaranus]

Nice thread  

I catched bamboo virus about 5yrs ago. Clumping bamboos beside some fargesia are entirely unkwown plants here in Croatia, doing some pioneer job at my garden on the coast, as for lowest minimume its 9a zone, but most winters 9b. Started with all big runners(moso,bambusoides, vivax, dulcis, viridis,nigra..) but now moving them and replacing with clumpers...manage to find and plant(its very difficult to get them in these parts of Europe, luckily some sellers from US do ship over here) dendro giganteus, sinicus, asper, minor,strictus and bambusa chungii, chungii barbellata, kanapaha,ventricosum kimmei, beecheyana, oldhamii...bambusa genus are doing much better than the dendrocalamus,...

 

[Merlyn]

All of my boos survived 27-28F in the front yard and 24-26F in the backyard.  Some took severe damage to complete defoliation, but are mostly leafed out.  Lako, Maximuslamina and Gigantochloa 'Bali White Stripe" were the worst hit, and are still partially leafless.  Surpisingly enough Latiflorus and Maroochy took about 25% leaf damage despite not being really coldhardy.  Bambusoides zen Grey took no damage and is already shooting.

Does anyone have experience with D. Sinicus in Central FL?  I  the tropics it is known as the largest boo on the planet, reaching 100-120 feet tall and 12" culms.  But I also read somewhere about them reaching only 40-60 feet tall here.  I was considering planting one up front, but that is a massive range of expected heights...?

[akaranus]

on guaduabamboo site for sinicus says this:

The biggest and tallest specimens are found in tropical rain forests at altitudes between 500-1200 m above sea level, with a yearly average temperature between 15 - 22°C, a lowest monthly average temperature greater than 13°C, without days of frost all year around, and an annual rain fall between 1200 - 2800 mm. 

Dendrocalamus sinicus can grow at higher altitudes or in colder areas of up to 12 days of -5°C a year, but culm sizes will decrease to 20 m in height and 20 cm in diameter.

[Will]

On 11/3/2021 at 8:06 PM, akaranus said:

Nice thread  

I catched bamboo virus about 5yrs ago. Clumping bamboos beside some fargesia are entirely unkwown plants here in Croatia, doing some pioneer job at my garden on the coast, as for lowest minimume its 9a zone, but most winters 9b. Started with all big runners(moso,bambusoides, vivax, dulcis, viridis,nigra..) but now moving them and replacing with clumpers...manage to find and plant(its very difficult to get them in these parts of Europe, luckily some sellers from US do ship over here) dendro giganteus, sinicus, asper, minor,strictus and bambusa chungii, chungii barbellata, kanapaha,ventricosum kimmei, beecheyana, oldhamii...bambusa genus are doing much better than the dendrocalamus,...

 

Wow that looks amazing! I am trying to find Bambusa maligensis or multiplex to try in eastern Austria but they are impossible to find in Europe i think...

[akaranus]

Maliginensis some guy sels on ebay, try ask will he send you from US..in Europe only Bambuparque in Portugal sells lots of bambusa species but you must organize your own collecting and shiping....

here link for maliginensis

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265597404215?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Dac79cbce8e984e14b8c6672c06a70b78%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D313960896617%26itm%3D265597404215%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3Ae351c7c3-cf0b-11ec-9485-d2c1a5d9456a|parentrq%3Aa551ea121800a77d7a64c256fffbf16a|iid%3A1

[Will]

2 hours ago, akaranus said:

Maliginensis some guy sels on ebay, try ask will he send you from US..in Europe only Bambuparque in Portugal sells lots of bambusa species but you must organize your own collecting and shiping....

here link for maliginensis

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265597404215?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Dac79cbce8e984e14b8c6672c06a70b78%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D313960896617%26itm%3D265597404215%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3Ae351c7c3-cf0b-11ec-9485-d2c1a5d9456a|parentrq%3Aa551ea121800a77d7a64c256fffbf16a|iid%3A1

Amazing thanks! Are you Ante on youtube and insta? 

Do you produce your own bambusa? I heard you can propagate them by small cuttings

[akaranus]

8 hours ago, Will said:

Amazing thanks! Are you Ante on youtube and insta? 

Do you produce your own bambusa? I heard you can propagate them by small cuttings

Yea thats me.... i know, just put some oldhamii to propagate..when other species becomes bigger will try to make more plants...

[Merlyn]

Welp, I cut down my Bambusa Maligensis aka Seabreeze today.  It was getting way too big for that area, and the number of new shoots was unreal.  As I told my wife, "too big, too fast."  Last fall's culms were already 30' tall and 2" diameter, and the new culms sprouting out were even bigger.  Realistically the problem was placement and not so much the bamboo itself.  As a big, dense clump it does awesome.  But I planted it too close to the back fence (mistake #1) and after I planted it I decided that I wanted a pathway around that corner (mistake #2).  I planted this in February 2020 and by late summer 2020 it was pushing 1-1.5" culms.  Today I cut down 40 full grown culms between 20-30' tall, and I counted a whopping 24 new culms already sprouting with sime 2.75" diameter and already 10' tall!  I ended up with two Miata-sized piles of brush and a big stack of poles:

Here's the remains of the clump, a full 6' in diameter from a single culm.  The red line sorta outlines the oblong shape of the cluster, you can see some of the 24 new shoots around the edge.  I cut the bottom left canes to the ground so I could easily step into the center and slice-and-dice without tripping:

I still need to remove the clump, that'll have to wait a couple of days.  Cutting the culms was relatively easy with a battery-powered reciprocating saw and a carbide blade.  I started with my normal Diablo 3TPI pruning blade, but it kept getting stuck and just shaking the culm instead of cutting it.  So I grabbed the Milwaukee 5tpi "AX" carbide blade and it works a lot better.  The "AX" would get loaded up with sand and crud when I was cutting out oak stumps from the ground, but it works better on bamboo.

[Merlyn]

Today I took out the clump with my sawzall and the Diablo 9" 3tpi carbide pruning blade.  It worked better than the 5tpi on the lower culms and underground.  I picked one of the 6' tall culm stumps around the upper right corner of the above picture.  I basically cut out a 9" x 9" pie-shaped slice on each side of the culm, then sliced underneath it.  The 6' culm made a nice pry bar to break loose the few small roots I missed.  Once I had one or two out it was easier to make a 9" rectangular cut, then slice horizontally under it, then pry out.  The only tough ones were near the oak stump towards the fence, because there were a couple of big oak roots still in there.  Individually each culm wasn't that tough to remove, but there were a LOT of them.  My estimate of 24 new culms this spring was probably low, it was likely 30-35 with all the ones just below the surface.  The removal took about 6 hours and left about an 8' diameter hole but only about 1' deep.  I'll still need to dig around with a shovel and make sure there aren't any rhizomes left over, or it'll just resprout later!

And the individual culms and their root mass.  I'll have to slice these up so the yard waste guys can pick them up.

Given how rapidly this one grew, I am going to have to re-evaluate the other plantings.  Anything that's fast growing, 30+ feet, and over about 1.5" is probably going to get removed.  I might feel differently if there weren't nearly 1000 plantings in my yard, but I don't want to spend 90% of my time just maintaining and pruning bamboo clumps.

[Merlyn]

I removed an oak and a pine stump along the fenceline last weekend, and then dug through the dirt around the Maligensis clump.  It's a good thing I did, because I found one big chunk of rhizome with two shooting heads on it.  It was probably a bit over 1 foot x 1 foot with a bunch of roots, so it might have regrown.

On Sunday I also removed a 14 month old clump of Bambusa Pervariabilis x Daii #3.  This was a "jumper" with 0.25" initial culms and 1.5" or so culms last summer...and now it was shooting up 5 new culms in the 3-4" range.  Tropical Bamboo said it was "at least 35' and 2" culms" and I'd wager it is more like 50' and 4".  The leaves were nice and medium-sized and the culms are a nice medium green, but in that area of the yard I can't have anything bigger than about 20-30'. 

I've also bought Dendrocalamus Elegans (15' 0.75") that is supposed to have bare lower culms and nicely cascading leaves.  The only possible downside is that it grows in limestone areas, so it might prefer slightly neutral to basic soil.  I have acidic soil so I'll see how it goes.  At the same time I also ordered Thysanolaena Maxima aka "Tiger Grass."  This is supposed to max out at about 13' and 0.75" culms and grow naturally into about a 3-4 foot diameter clump at the base.  Reports of 25-26F hardiness are encouraging for use in the backyard.

Does anyone have suggestions for a moderately cold-hardy (25ish degrees F) smaller bamboo?  I prefer the bigger leaves so I'm avoiding the Textilis and Multiplex types.  Ideally it would max out around 15-20' tall and 1" culms so it is easy to cut and prune.  Here's a few I've looked at:

• Gigantochloa Luteostriata #4447 (18' 0.75" culms variegated) and #4776 (12' 0.5" diameter variegated) but maybe only 28-29F hardy?
• Bambusa Glaucophylla - 15' 0.75" variegated but super tiny leaves, 25F hardy
• Bambusa Membranacea Variegata or Waterfall, both in the 10-16' 0.5" range but not available from Tropical Bamboo yet
• Bambusa Boniopsis - 20' 1" fast but super-fine leaves, reportedly 27F hardy
• Bambusa Heterostachya - 15' 1" super-fine bushy leaves, 24F hardy at Chuck's place in New Smyrna (Bountiful Earth)
• Gigantochloa Wrayi - 20' 1.5" tight clumper with leaves to the ground, but maybe only 28-30F hardy
• Gigantochloa Hitam Hijau - 16' 1.5" but maybe only 28-30F hardy

I also considered Chungii "Babellata" but read in several spots that it is a "culm producing machine."  I don't want that.  My big boos D. Latiflorus, Maroochy, Brandisii Black, and Hamiltonii are nice (so far) because they are only making 1-2 big culms at a time.  30-35 culms at a time like Maligensis is unmanageable.

[Merlyn]

And today I removed two more clumps, a 1 year old clump of Bambusa Cornigera that was "jumping" to at least 3 inch culms and a 2 year old cluster of Bambusa Lako.  Cornigera had to go because it was an "open clumper" and 35' with 3" culms buried in a corner that's pretty inaccessible.  So pruning culms in the future would be very difficult.  Lako was a bit easier to access, but at 40-50' and 3" culms it was another one getting too big, too fast.  Lako was 100% defoliated at 24-26F, Cornigera was undamaged.  Cornigera was easy to dig out, taking only about 10-15 minutes.  Lako, on the other hand, was a real beast.  I planted the Lako and Maligensis at around the same time, in early 2020.  Maligensis was more or less "1 culm deep" but Lako was pushing culms downwards over 2 feet deep!  That made it really difficult to slice and dice it with the reciprocating saw, and afterwards I had to dig a 6 foot diameter hold 3 feet deep to make sure I got all the culms.  Here's the clump after I cut off the tops.  I used the 4' tall stubs as levers to rip out individual culms:

[Merlyn]

@Scott W how big is your B. Guangxiensis?  My 2.5 year old clump had some 22' tall culms last year that were just under 2 inches in diameter.  I thought it was supposed to max out around 15 to 18' (per Tropical Bamboo where I bought it).  It just shot up 5 or so culms that are likely to top out at almost 30 feet and well over 2 inches.  I checked other reports, and https://www.bambooland.com.au/bambusa-guangxiensis says 4 to 8m and 4cm culms.  That's up to 26 feet and 1.6 inches, which is a bit closer to my clump.  I'm wondering if I have the right species, or maybe they really do get big if you don't top them at hedge height?

[Josue Diaz]

Has anyone had experience with Dendrocalamus minor amoenus or Dendrocalamus elegans? I'm looking to create a good screen. 

[Merlyn]

1 hour ago, Josue Diaz said:

Has anyone had experience with Dendrocalamus minor amoenus or Dendrocalamus elegans? I'm looking to create a good screen. 

I have both of them, I had D. Minor Amoenus in the ground since April 2020.  It is about 25' tall and very dense, but the culms are bare below about 8 feet.  This *might* be due to the Viburnum hedge just to the West, or due to the neighbor's 75 foot tall oaks.  It *might* have more lower leaves in CA in the sun, I have read that about some other boos.  Some boos just have no lower branches at all, regardless of location, water, or sun.

My D. Elegans is a recent purchase from Tropical Bamboo, it is still in a 3g pot.  Photos and videos here in FL also seemed like they are branchless down low, which would be fine with me.  I'm going to use it to replace an Asian Lemon (B. Eutuldoides Viridi-Vittata) that is right next to a pathway.  The Asian Lemon has tons of low branches, which makes a great dense hedge but is irritating if I'm trying to keep the pathway clear enough to walk through.

[Merlyn]

I removed my clump of Bambusa Chungii over the weekend, I had planted it from a single culm in February 2020 and it grew about 7 or 8 moderate sized 15' tall 1-1.5" culms in 2020.  But it was definitely showing the "open clumper" reputation for Chungii and had expanded to a 6' diameter at ground level with another 12 culms this spring in the almost-3-inch size going upwards of 25 feet.  I just don't have the real estate to dedicate to it, especially since the blueish coloring washed off after one summer's worth of storms.  There were another 15+ new shoots underground, just starting to curve upwards to break the surface.  This one looks like it was maturing to "advertised size" of about 30' tall and 3" diameter.

To replace the ones I have removed, I went shopping for a bunch of smaller boos.  I bought these all from Tropical Bamboo:

• Bambusa Boniopsis - 24F hardiness, 10-20' 1" diameter, fast smaller leaf (0.75 x 6") hedge, some say leaves have silver undersides? Spreading weeping tops, tight clumper, narrow V
• Bambusa "New Guinea Black" - 29F hardiness, 20' 1" diameter like Lako but smaller – brown culms full sun, but green in shade!!!
• Dendrocalamus Dumosus - ? hardiness, 10-15' 0.5-1" diameter, tight clumper, smaller green culm version of D. Elegans, long 1 x 9" leaves
• Dendrocalamus Elegans - ? hardiness, 10-20' 0.75" diameter, narrow 0.5 x 5" draping leaves, silver grey culms like a baby version of Minor Amoenus "GHOST"
• Dendrocalamus Tsiangii - ? hardiness, 20-25' 1.5-1.75" diameter, pale green ghosty culms like D. Minor, 0.75-1.25 6-9" leaves, good mini Ghost?
• Gigantochloa Luteostriata # 4447 - 28-29F, 18' 0.75" diameter, variegated medium+ 1-2" x 5-11" leaves, dense fountain form with spreading top like Buddha Belly
• Gigantochloa "Malaysian Black" - 29F, 20' 1" diameter like Lako but smaller, tight clumper with spreading top
• Thysanolaena Maxima – Tiger Grass - 26F, 8-13' max 0.75" diameter, 3-4 foot diameter clump at ground level with spreading top, huge leaves, extremely rapid grower