Container-grown bamboo

Is there money in growing bamboo?

 Bamboo is one of the most widely-used landscaping plants, which means there is a high demand for good, healthy bamboo plants. You can take advantage of this demand by growing bamboo for profit. ... Container-grown bamboo, on average, sells for $30 each. In a quarter acre, you can fit 2000 plants.

8 Most Profitable Plants To Grow

• Bamboo. Landscapers and homeowners are paying as much as $150 each for potted bamboo plants, and many growers are finding it hard to keep up with the demand. ...
• Flowers. ...
• Ginseng. ...
• Ground Covers. ...
• Herbs. ...
• Landscaping Trees and Shrubs. ...
• Mushrooms. ...
• Ornamental Grasses.

Types of bamboo for landscaping Bamboo

is referred to as one of two types: running or clumping. Knowing the difference can signal the success or failure of your relationship when it comes to planting it! Running bamboo (momopodial or leptomorph) should be taken at face value! They run.

Running Bamboo vs. Clumping Bamboo

 

There are two basic categories of bamboo plants commonly used in home landscapes: running bamboos and clumping bamboos. You may have heard that running bamboo should be avoided, and, for most gardeners, this is good advice. Simply put, running bamboo spreads much wider and faster than clumping bamboo, so much so that it is considered an invasive plant. There are ways to contain running bamboo, as well as clumping bamboo, which also spreads, but unless running bamboo's aggressive growth habit can be put to good use, it's best to stick with one of the clumping types.

The Rhizomes Make the Difference

All bamboos spread via rhizomes, stem-like extensions that run horizontally underground and sprout roots below and new plant shoots above. Running bamboos are monopodial and have long rhizomes that are quick to spread horizontally. Clumping bamboos are sympodial and have shorter rhizomes that stay closer to their point of origin and do not spread so rapidly. While clumping bamboos tend to grow outward from a central plant, running types quickly extend across a lawn or garden and pop up where you may not want them.

With this in mind, it's easy to see why running bamboos are often classified as invasive plants. It's also easy to see why most people new to growing bamboo choose to grow one of the clumping types.

Types of Clumping Bamboo 

There are a few commonly grown types of clumping bamboo plants:

• Fargesia 'Rufa'
• Fargesia nitida 
• Fargesia robusta

F. 'Rufa' Green Panda™ is popular because it stays relatively short (8 to 10 feet high) and is cold-hardy; it can be grown in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. While is it relatively sun-tolerant, it will do best where it receives some shade in the afternoon, especially if you live at the southern end of the zone range.

F. nitida is equally cold-hardy but is taller (12 to 15 feet). F. robusta 'Campbell' also grows to 12 to 15 high, but it is not as hardy; it can be grown in zones 7 through 9.

The best of clumping bamboo

 

 

Types of Running Bamboo

The common species of running bamboo tend to be taller and less cold-hardy than the popular clumping types:

• Phyllostachys nigra is a black bamboo that stands 20 to 35 feet and grows in zones 7 through 10.
• Hibanobambusa tranquillans 'Shiroshima' is a variegated bamboo reaching 16 feet; it grows in zones 7 through 9.
• Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Allgold' grows in zones 7 through 10 and can reach a height of 35 feet. It boasts a yellow culm (the technical term for a bamboo's stalk).

In spite of the common warnings, some people do choose to grow a running bamboo. Their growth habit surely makes them tempting for folks seeking a living privacy fence. You might even grow running bamboo by mistake, not knowing whether the bamboo that you recently planted is a running or a clumping type. In any case, the best way to contain the spread of running bamboo is to erect a bamboo barrier, a heavy plastic shield that you bury into the ground, so it extends about 30 inches into the soil and a couple of inches above the soil. The barrier prevents the spread of the bamboo's rhizomes.

 

Bamboo’s Landscaping Features 

Bamboolends visual interest and a striking design to a landscape given the dramatic height it can reach, as well as variation in leaf size, shape and color.

• Bamboo doesn’t need pesticides or fertilizers to grow and requires very little water as opposed to other plants.
• Bamboo comes in hundreds of varieties, and in varying heights and colors for any number of landscaping applications.
• Bamboo plants grow successfully in a range of climatic conditions.
• Bamboo is easy to grow.
• Bamboo is evergreen.
• Bamboo is self-renewing.

 

How Bamboo is Used in Landscaping

Bamboo’s versatility and fast growth make it a natural for many landscape applications including (but certainly not limited to):

Privacy Screens

Probably the most common application in San Diego’s backyards, natural bamboo screens can be trimmed to desired heights and widths and grow quicker and taller than shrubs and hedges. Popular bamboo species used for this purpose include clumping varieties, Golden Bamboo and Dwarf Malay.
The only drawback for landscape gardeners is that these clumping bamboo don’t grow as tall as the more invasive running bamboo.

Wind Breaks

Although not as necessary in most of Southern California, wind breaks are often constructed using bamboo in many other parts of the world. Because bamboo is a flexible plant that can bend and sway in the strongest of winds, its use as a wind break is common in typhoon-prone areas and tropical locales experiencing heavy winds. However, fun fact: it’s been said that bamboo can offer refuge in the event of an earthquake due its ground-stabilizing root mass and low risk of falling branches.

Hedges

Bamboo also makes pretty hedges where privacy is not an issue. Opt for a more decorative landscaping appearance by maintaining the bamboo as a sheared hedge. Robusta is a good hedge bamboo because it reaches a height of 15 feet and is well suited for medium-high compact hedges. You can also prune this variety to keep it at lower heights if that’s the look you want. For smaller hedges, try Chishima Zasa.

Ground Cover

Several bamboo varieties reach maximum height of a few inches tall and are available in many beautiful colors, making them striking ground cover options. Keep in mind, that in “bamboo language,” ground cover bamboo varieties are those that grow under 10 feet. Ground covers can be used as focal points, for erosion control, or to cover challenging locations such as steep hillsides or banks. Popular ground cover options include Chino Elegant and Indocalamus Solidus.

Containers

If the container is large enough for the bamboo variety you choose, container grown bamboo is another landscaping option, but will usually reach smaller heights than the ratings listed for the species. Containers submerged in the ground, placed on your patio or even grouped around your yard perimeter for a hedge effect. Slender Weavers or Temple Bamboo do quite well in containers.

Alternative Uses

Environmentally friendly and durable bamboos are also used for patio furniture, fencing, edging, water features, and for ornamental areas such as zen gardens.
Clumping bamboo is also ideal for defining areas in a large yard. If you want a wall between the pool and a children’s play area, bamboo is a nice choice and can even cut down on noise.
Bamboo’s strength also lends itself to use as flooring, fencing, paneling, and wind chimes. Pound for pound, some species are as strong as steel, which makes this amazing grass very special indeed.