Bamboo Planting Guide

A guide to looking after your new Bamboo plants

 Bamboo is a very versatile plant and most species can survive in most garden soil conditions. However, to get the best from your Bamboo plants they prefer fertile, slightly acidic and well drained but moist soil.  Bamboo should be given ample water, fertilizer (organic rotted animal manure does particularly well), and be kept free from competitive weeds to establish quickly.  some initial protection may be required, depending on the site, enabling your plant to get off to the best possible start.  (eg. in an exposed position, drying winter winds can do some damage until the plant is established.

 

Planting Bamboos

Bamboos are happiest in a well-drained soil.  If your existing garden soil is heavy, you should add some good quality organic material into the soil where the bamboo is to be planted and spread 2 or more inches of the area immediately around the plant where you want it to grow. Dig a hole that is twice as wide as the root ball on your Bamboo.  Set the Bamboo in the hole and gently backfill the hole, packing down the soil as you go.  Water thoroughly to help fill any air pockets.

 

Watering

Newly planted Bamboos require quite a lot of water when initially planted.  If it is particularly hot or windy then daily watering would be advantageous for the first few weeks.  It is recommended to water at least once a week in the first year of planting.  Once a Bamboo is established, it can survive with much less watering and will eventually require very little at all.  well established Bamboos are rather tolerant of flooding (for a short time) but newly planted Bamboos can suffer from too much as well as too little water so ensure water is draining away and not ponding.

 

Mulching & Feeding

Bamboo is naturally mulched in the wild by its own falling leaves so it is best not to rake or sweep up the Bamboo leaves from under the plant as they keep the soil well nourished and suppress week growth.  In addition, almost any organic material makes a good mulch.  We personally use well rotted animal manure.  A good layer or bark mulch or chipped tree branches could be used instead.  In addition to mulching, we recommend feeding your Bamboos in the first year.  Bamboo respond well to a high nitrogen fertilizer such as liquid seaweed or lawn feed.

 

Thinning & Pruning

Once a Bamboo establishes, after 2-3 years, you can cut out any of the thinner canes which are not required in the clump, keeping only the stronger, thicker canes.  In addition to show off the beauty of their colourful canes, you can trim off the lower side branches to expose the bare cane.  Tis is best done when the side branches have newly emerged as the growth will still be soft.

 

Winter Protection

Bamboo should be planted outdoors early enough to become established in their new position to survive their first winter.  if the Bamboo is planted late in the year, a good layer of mulch should be laid to provide extra protection from frosts and keep the soil nice and moist.  Putting up a physical screen/barrier around the Bamboo, such as windbreak fabric, is a good idea if the Bamboo is planted in a position exposed to cold winter winds.

 

Yellowing & falling leaves

From Autumn through Winter and into early spring there may be considerable yellowing of the leaves followed by leaf drop.  This is natural and should not cause concern, as Bamboos are evergreen andnaturally renew their leaves in the Spring.  They should lose their leaves graduall as fresh new ones replace them.  In the Spring, a healthy bamboo should have a mixture of green leaves, yellow leaves and newly unfurling leaves.  remember, any leaf drop acts as an ideal, natural mulch and should be left around the plant.

 

Controlling Bamboo Growth

Fargesia varieties of Bamboo are clump forming and will not require a barrier to control any spread.  Most other Bamboo however have a spreading nature (some more vigorous than others!)  Depending on their planting location they may require methods to control their growth and spread.  Bamboo spread can be maintained manually by digging around the perimeter of the plant (down to a depth of around 60cm) cutting and removing any travelling rhizomes.  For a tighter control it is best to install a physical barrier around the area of the plant with a rhizome barrier material at the time of planting.

 

Planting a hedge or Screen

Most bamboo can be used to plant a hedge or screen, using low growing varieties to edge a pathway, medium height Bamboo to screen a fence or wall, or taller growing varieties to screen an obscure building.  to plant a solid screen or hedge we recommend spacing plants approximately 1 metre (3-4ft) apart.  To create a more natural, informal screen you can just plant 2-3m (6-9ft) apart allowing for a natural gap between them as they mature.

 

Keeping Bamboo in decorative containers

Bamboo can be successfully grown in containers, but this does required little more care and attention than those grown in the open ground.  Choose a large container ideally 60cm diameter or larger and ensure it has drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.  the larger the container, the larger the Bamboo will be allowed to grow as all new growth establishes from the roots.  a Bamboo will not mature to its full potential in a container as its growth will always be confined by the size of the container.  Bamboos in containers are more sensitive to environmental stress - they are more sensitive to heat and cold and strong winds, and the restricted root space allows them to dehydrate quickly.  We recommend watering a Bamboo in a container at least 3-5 times per week.  Bamboo in containers also not as hardy as those grown in the ground and are more susceptible to frost damage.  Bamboo will not thrive indefinitely in a container and will require to be re-potted or divided every 3-5 years.