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#1
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bamboo rookie....
I want to entertain the idea of bamboo as a screen in my back yard. I would
like something that gets 12 to 15 feet tall rather quickly and either stays there or is easy to maintain at that height. I am in Houston, usda zone 9a, so i need a hot and direct sun-tolerant variety. I need this to do well in a line about 95' long, and hopefully just about 2' wide. So is bamboo a viable option? also: how big is a 2-gallon vs. a 5-gallon plant, and does that mean there is just one shoot or several? So - if i buy 2 gal or 5 gal, how far apart is the optimal spacing, or in other words, how many would I need for 95'? I am sure that has something to do with how fast i want a dense screen, so a range of numbers is what I am looking for. Thanks in advance for your help. David |
#3
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bamboo rookie....
Check out Maas nursery in Seabrook - URL below. They have a large selection of bamboo and I am sure there is someone there who can answer your questions. It is a fantastic nursery - you can spend a whold day just looking around there. I now live in Maryland but when I visit my daughter in Dickinson, TX I like to go there and look around. http://www.maasnursery.com/ "Surfgeotwo" wrote in message ... I want to entertain the idea of bamboo as a screen in my back yard. I would like something that gets 12 to 15 feet tall rather quickly and either stays there or is easy to maintain at that height. I am in Houston, usda zone 9a, so i need a hot and direct sun-tolerant variety. I need this to do well in a line about 95' long, and hopefully just about 2' wide. So is bamboo a viable option? also: how big is a 2-gallon vs. a 5-gallon plant, and does that mean there is just one shoot or several? So - if i buy 2 gal or 5 gal, how far apart is the optimal spacing, or in other words, how many would I need for 95'? I am sure that has something to do with how fast i want a dense screen, so a range of numbers is what I am looking for. Thanks in advance for your help. David |
#4
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bamboo rookie....
Subject: bamboo rookie....
From: (Chris) snipped Good luck with the BOO! Chris Chino,CA thanks for the help - from what i read i need a clumper. we get an average of 48" of rain a year here, so i am worried about runners. about how tall will a 5-gal of the two clumpers you mentioned be? and will it be a big clump or a few culms? can it be split? if i dont split it, i am guessing that planting the clumps in single file will result in a screen about 2' thick in 3 or 4 years?? seeing as i am on a limited budget and need about 100 feet, thats 20 or so plants at 5' centers, so cost is a factor. |
#5
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bamboo rookie....
(Surfgeotwo) wrote in message ...
about how tall will a 5-gal of the two clumpers you mentioned be? and will it be a big clump or a few culms? can it be split? if i dont split it, i am guessing that planting the clumps in single file will result in a screen about 2' thick in 3 or 4 years?? seeing as i am on a limited budget and need about 100 feet, thats 20 or so plants at 5' centers, so cost is a factor. When buying bamboo, you are buying the "rhizome" more than the canes. The canes are almost completely disposable. When you get the plants home, make sure you cut the pots off of the plant carefully, don't yank them out of the pots. I use a linoleum knife, it is perfect for cutting pots. Once they are in the ground, soak them thoroughly, and (if you are lazy like me) use a drip irrigation system to keep the area damp, mulch helps quite a bit. No standing water on either of the clumpers below. They like moist soil, but they don't have gills. The plants may be a little shocky, sometimes they even look thoroughly dead.. they almost always come back. Hold off fertilizing for about 6 months, then regular old time release lawn fertilizer is good. It is hard to over fertilize bamboo, but I hear it can be done, if you use time release you should be ok. After one year, my 5 gal Bambusa Oldhamii is about 7" tall with a few canes about 3/4" in diameter. It is still weak. When I got it, there were 3 or 4 spindly canes about 3' tall. After 8 months, my 15 gal starts have shoots about 18' tall and 1" to 2" in diameter. Only use these plants if you want tall thick screen. Follow the link below and look at "Long Beach" 1998-2001. http://www.endangeredspecies.com/tex...ambusa/BO.html I bought a 7 gal Alphonse Karr, it is 7' tall (topped, it should be taller, but it came that way) with a few canes the largest being about 3/4", about max culm diameter. Alphonse Karr is probably closer to what you want for your hedge. What you could do, is get what you can afford and plant on 10' centers, and then as budget permits fill in a gap. It will take some time for these plants to build a decent hedge, especially from small starts, but bigger starts will cut time off of the job. It is a balance of time vs. money, I bought 5 gal Phylostachys Bambusoides (Giant Timber Bamboo) for a section of my yard between a wall and concrete deck, and I really wish I had gotten bigger plants. The ones I have now, are good, but my buddy bought larger plants at the same time and his performance is twice what mine have done. Hope it helps! Chris Chino,CA |
#6
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bamboo rookie....
thanks again, a big help. i saw the long beach photos yesterday and thats
really what i want, if the alphonso karr is a little less tall then it might be better. time to visit a couple of bamboo dealers around here and see whats available and works best in this area. we have a very hot, humid summer to 100+, drought possible but watering is not a problem. dropped to low to mid 20's this winter a couple of times. darn, i sure wish i had an extra $1000 to splurge on bamboo! |
#7
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bamboo rookie....
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#8
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bamboo rookie....
Alphons Karr doesn't like cold weather. I live in south seattle and mine
dies back every winter. so far it has come back in the spring but I think it's right on the line here. Surfgeotwo wrote: thanks again, a big help. i saw the long beach photos yesterday and thats really what i want, if the alphonso karr is a little less tall then it might be better. time to visit a couple of bamboo dealers around here and see whats available and works best in this area. we have a very hot, humid summer to 100+, drought possible but watering is not a problem. dropped to low to mid 20's this winter a couple of times. darn, i sure wish i had an extra $1000 to splurge on bamboo! |
#9
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bamboo rookie....
It seems to me that planting a runner on the property line is the perfect
way to make a good neighbor INTO a 'pain in the butt neighbor', rather than not planting because he/she is one. John , but if you are planting it on the edge of a pain in the butt neighbor, you might want to stick with clumpers. |
#10
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bamboo rookie....
Bri wrote in message ...
Alphons Karr doesn't like cold weather. I live in south seattle and mine dies back every winter. so far it has come back in the spring but I think it's right on the line here. From Endangered Species website-- Alphonse Karr Loses leaves around 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Loses canes around 0 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Rhizomes die around -10 to -5 degrees Fahrenheit. From ABS sourcelist-- B. Multiplex 'Alphonse Karr' Min Temp 12F According to Weather.com, Houston has had an all time low of 9F, but average low of 45F. Once established, it can take a bit of cold without too much damage, but unless it get colder than it ever has before, it should come back. How cold does it get in your area? Chris |
#11
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bamboo rookie....
Chris wrote:
I bought 5 gal Phylostachys Bambusoides (Giant Timber Bamboo) for a section of my yard between a wall and concrete deck, and I really wish I had gotten bigger plants. The ones I have now, are good, but my buddy bought larger plants at the same time and his performance is twice what mine have done. Chris, did he use 15 gal. plants? I want to plant 2 clumps of Oldhamii and I'm debating between buying 15 gal. or 24" boxes. The difference in price is significant - approx. $200 vs. $450. Will I see a that much difference in growth to justify the extra cost? |
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