Bamboobobblog

TYPES OF BAMBOO

bamboobobblog — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 23:37:46 +0000

Sasa Palmata

Thrives in the shade
Cold-hardy to -10 degrees
Reaches heights to about 8 feet
Not as invasive as other types of bamboo, so no need for a barrier
Provides privacy and covers a lot of ground in otherwise hard to plant areas

Pseudosasa Japonica

Producing tight clumps of slender culms, forming a dense hedge with large, dark green foliage, having a somewhat tropical appearance.
Considered a medium height bamboo, the Arrow bamboo can reach heights up to 18′.
Tough and versatile bamboo that will thrive in heavy shade but also grows well in full sunlight.
Can be found in many gardens from the coast of Oregon to the Jersey Shore.

Phy. Aureosulcata, Bisetti, & Nuda

These types of “running bamboo” are ideal for privacy hedges. They can reach heights of up to 36 feet, are fast-growing, extremely cold-hardy, evergreen and deer-resistant.
This type can easily be contained/controlled using the proper measures, by either installing a root barrier or simply edging twice a year when new rhizomes are visible. Creating a berm will also help in keeping this bamboo contained. Bamboo does not like standing in water, thereby making it a natural barrier for running bamboos.

BAMBOO FACTS

bamboobobblog — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 23:09:54 +0000

1). Bamboo grows one-third faster than the fastest growing tree. Some species of bamboo can grow up to three feet per day. Sizes can range from miniature to culms of 180 feet. 2). Bamboo is ready for harvesting in 3 to 5 years, compared to the almost 100 years it can take for maple, oak, or cherry. 3). Bamboo generates more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. 4). Bamboo has a tensile strength rating of 28,000/sq. inch, versus 23,000 for steel. 5). Bamboo is adaptable to many environments, and will thrive in climates with anywhere from 30 to 250 inches of annual rainfall. 6). After the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bamboo was the first plant to turn green again. 7). Bamboo has inherent soil-erosion prevention capability. The rhizomes stitch the soil together in fragile areas. 8). Bamboo and the industries it has spawned provide income, food and housing for more than 2.2 billion people worldwide. 9). Bamboo is a high-yield renewable resource. Raw bamboo has long been used as construction material for housing. Ply-bamboo is now being used for walls paneling and flooring. Bamboo pulp is used for making paper, briquettes, and fuel. Raw bamboo can also be used as rebar for reinforced concrete beams. 10). In Limon, Costa Rica, only the bamboo houses from the National Bamboo Project stood after the earthquake of 1992. 11). Bamboo as a species came into being over 200 million years ago. This means that dinosaurs may have very well eaten bamboo. 12). The needle in Alexander Graham Bell’s first telegraph was made of bamboo. 13). In 1882 Thomas Edison used bamboo as filaments in the world’s first light-bulb manufacturing. 14). A suspension bridge over a river in China is 750 ft long, 9 ft wide, and rests entirely on bamboo cables suspended over the water. It doesn’t have a single nail or piece of iron in it. 15). Bamboo root systems can live for hundreds of years, producing new canes each year. 16). It is thought that the flute may have been invented by cave people toying with a hollow bamboo stem. 17). Bamboo is used largely for scaffolding in Asian countries and can reach up to 60 stories. 18). In Bangladesh, 73% of the population lives in bamboo houses. 19). Bamboo shoots are edible and nutritious. 20). Bamboo has one of the highest photosynthesis rates of any plant. 21). Bamboo grows to its full height in a period of six to twelve weeks. 22). A giant panda’s diet is about 99% bamboo. 23). Giant pandas eat anywhere from 20 to 40 pounds of bamboo a day. 24). Not only pandas, but elephants, lemurs, mountain gorillas, and horses eat bamboo too. 25). Bamboo flowers every 20-100 years, and when a given species does, it happens worldwide.

HEDGES WITHOUT BORDERS

bamboobobblog — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 23:07:47 +0000

Most people think that Bamboo is invasive! They believe it’ll take over the whole yard! Not true! The photographs above depict both sides of the same hedge. There is no containment barrier on either side. The home-owner on the left merely mows his lawn, while the guy on the right just breaks off the new shoots every spring. Both processes sever the terminal buds, sending all of the growth back towards the middle. Two other methods that can be employed to control bamboo spread include burming and edging.

The end result? A progressively thicker, fuller hedge. Not only does this yield a privacy hedge up to 36 ft. high, (even in the shade), but it provides an excellent sanctuary for birds in the winter time because it’s evergreen too!

PRIVACY HEDGES

bamboobobblog — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 23:00:47 +0000

Many of Bamboo Bob’s clients are looking to screen out something they would rather not see. For this capacity we tend to recommend P. aureosulcata (Yellow Groove), P. nuda, P. bissetti or P. vivax (the P. stands for Phyllostachys). Of these three, Yellow Groove, bissetti and nuda are the top contenders because they grow to a max. height of about 36ft. and tolerate temperatures between 20-30 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). Bamboo will grow in most types of soil provided it is well drained. However, Bamboo WILL NOT GROW in clay, shale or mud (unless you take certain steps). P. aureasulcata spectablis If you’re considering privacy hedges, there are other considerations. You will want a running variety most likely in the Phyllostachys or Psuedosasa family. Why? These bamboos are the most cold hardy, they will grow in heavy shade, will reach heights of 36ft. They are evergreen and are deer-resistant. If you live near the ocean or in areas where wind is a concern, Psuedosasas are a better bet. P. angusta (Stone bamboo) with Fargesia nitida in the background

BAMBOO LIKES/DISLIKES

bamboobobblog — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 22:55:21 +0000

Bamboo has gotten a bad rap as an invasive species of plants. We prefer to call its growth “prolific”. Like anything else, it will thrive in certain conditions and won’t do well in others. There are two types of bamboo: running and clumping (leptomorph and pachymorph). There are more than 2,400 different species of bamboo, approximately 60 of which will grow in the Northeast (zone 6). Within this group are several distinct families: Phyllostachys, Fargesia, Pleioblastus, Arundinaria, Sasa, Bambusa, Semiarudinaria, Sinobambusa, Thamnocalamus, Indocalamus, Psuedosasa, Shibataea, Sasaella and Yushania Bamboo culms: Reprinted from Bamboos , Recht & Wetterwald, Timber Press, Swavesey, Cambridge, UK 2000 Page 33. Unless you are a collector, you needn’t get bogged down in all that stuff. However, what you need to know is the application, i.e. what do you want the bamboo to do for you? Most likely, the answer falls into two categories: ornamental or privacy hedges. For ornamentals, there is a style and color for any individual taste.