amethyst butterfly Wrote:
> I am new to bamboo and I would love to tall (70-80?) bamboo. I think I
> have
> a spot for it. <CUT>
Hi Wendy,
I am surprised no one has mentioned Ph. Edulis (Common Name "Moso").
This is the tallest variety in the world, and I believe it would like
the conditions you describe.
The quickest to reach the heights you descrie would be Ph. Vivax. Vivax
is also one of the most beautiful. It's drawback is that it is fairly
thin-walled and weak. So strong winds will snap the culms off making a
bit of a mess to clean up.
Ph. Bambusoides is one of the strongest and straightest growing
bamboos. It will take longer to establish though. It should do
beautifully in your climate.
Back to Ph. Edulis (Moso), This is potentially taller than anything
else (growing a reacord 155 ft. with a 16" round base in China, but
maxing out at around 70 to 90 ft. under the best conditions in the U.S.
This is a srtong bamboo that does well in wind. It was the bamboo you
probably noticed in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
My tastes favor the look of Ph. Bambusoides (Especially the smaller
'Castillonis' variety... By smaller, I mean 40+ ft. vs. 60+ ft. for
regular Ph. Bambusoides) But Moso is nice too, especially in a well
groomed grove. And it will get bigger.
NOTE: This will be a pain to hear, but it is something to be aware
of... For best health and vigor, a bamboo needs about as big of
diameter to grow in as it has height. This doesn't mean that you need a
60' round area to grow a 60' high bamboo. But this is the optimal
thing.
And, just like weeds take nutrients from plants around them, so will
two or more bamboos planted together. Most people want an area filled
in quick, so they plant several bamboos 5' or so apart. This works, but
it slows their ability to achieve height, as each of the individual
plants is fighting for the same nutrients.
If you want a really tall bamboo, buy the biggest single plant you can
afford. Then till the area it is to go in with compost (composted steer
manure is good) and peat moss... Churn it into a big thick bed of plant
happiness with very light fertilizer. (With fertilizer, less is
definitely more, especially for bamboo).
Then, plant your big single plant right in the middle and plant a weak
ground cover that the bamboo can take over as it grows... I think Irish
Moss or Creeping Thyme would be great for this.
In 3 or 4 years, you will have a real focal point in the area... in 10
years, you might have a few culms up there in the 50-60 ft. range. In
15 years, you should have a small forest.
As for containment, bamboo is strong but not magic... I didn't quite
understand what you described, but I can say this... Asphalt will be
cracked up by the bamboo rhizomes. It is flexible and is easily broken
over the course of a few years.
Thin or unreinforced concrete can eventually be broken up, but is much
more difficult for the bamboo to get through. People used to use
concrete as a bamboo barrier. But usually due to poor construction, a
high percentage of these barriers failed (Though it usually took 20+
years in the cases I read about).
Concrete cracks. So, if it is not reinforced, it is possible to wedge
something in the crack and pry the two parts apart. Or, if a slab is
small, like a sidewalk, it is not too hard to pry up on it and lift the
slab.
Cheers!
--
HumanJHawkins
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