I'm planting Oldhamii in a side yard for shade. This topic is starting to sound real scary.
I have a slab foundation house - probably with some cracks from earthquakes. Then there's our neighbors about 18' away. If this stuff wrecks their yard, they'll sue.
I thought it was kept (area wise) quite managable. Am I wrong? (I'd die if it started coming up through the floor of the house!
Am I over reacting? Can Rhizomes be cut? IY YI YI YI YI!
Location: Greater Seattle, WA, area; Zone 8. Summers:mainly 60's-70's. Winters are rainy, but above freezing except for a few 15 deg F days; 1-2 days of snow max.
Scott-
You're wigging out! I've got over 60 runners in my yard with no barriers and they haven't eaten my foundation, my cat, or my lunch. So far, I also have not had to situp at night with a shotgun listening for slithering rhizomes on the prowl. Do I occasionally have to spend 2 minutes chopping out a stray rhizome?...yes.
If you want to plant something and not ever take a little time to maintain it, then bamboo is probably not right for you. However, most bamboo horror stories are urban legends. A lot of the bambuseros in this forum are a little crazy, but not so crazy as to love bamboo if it were the plant from hell. I actually worry more about tree roots getting into places I don't want them to rather than my bamboo rhizomes.
Besides, if all you're planting is Oldhamii, it's a clumper and will not require much, if any, maintenance in your lifetime. Clumpers do not send out runners...they just expand outward a bit each year.
kudzu9 wrote:hey haven't eaten my foundation, my cat, or my lunch.
Yeah I guess I am wigging out. I love maintaining my plants, and while I thought I'd done a decent amount of reading about it, I guess those pic from the other topic shocked me.
I love bamboo, and am really looking forward to it. They'll be my first.
Location: Greater Seattle, WA, area; Zone 8. Summers:mainly 60's-70's. Winters are rainy, but above freezing except for a few 15 deg F days; 1-2 days of snow max.
Scott:: "Don't you understand ? ? ? "It's the AMERICAN way to scare folks todeath, about things that don't amount to a "hill of beans" ! !
Kudzu is correct:: plant lot's of those gorgeous Clumpers, and ENJOY them...
ROY:: Why don't you tell them how simple it is to place your 2 inch concrete blocks over the area's where you don't wnat your clumpers to shoot. Or is it 3 inch blocks for the BIG ones ? ?
kinderc wrote:Scott:: "Don't you understand ? ? ? "It's the AMERICAN way to scare folks todeath, about things that don't amount to a "hill of beans" ! !
Yep, I remember the early 1950s. Joe McCarthy had the commies taking over and fear was the name of the game. I guess now 'terrorist' are going to get us all. Or it could be some mutant strain of bamboo.....
Kudzu is correct:: plant lot's of those gorgeous Clumpers, and ENJOY them...
ROY:: Why don't you tell them how simple it is to place your 2 inch concrete blocks over the area's where you don't wnat your clumpers to shoot. Or is it 3 inch blocks for the BIG ones ? ?
I've had good success controlling B. textilis with just 12 inch X 12 inch X 2 inch patio stones placed on top of the ground. I assume larger blocks would do the same with large bamboos but I haven't done the deed.
--------------------------
Roy Rogers
Southern Tampania de la Floridana Universidad (STFU)
STFU Motto: All Bamboos are not Created Equal; @ STFU, the Search Continues
********** ROY'S BAMBOO LIST
Jake told me to ask you Roy about your 'block' method. It looks real simple. And a great idea. Do the Rhizomes stop when they poke up against the surface, or will they continue until they can find an opening?
I'm going this weekend to pick up my oldhamii (or myhammy ).
2" thick blocks aren't going to stop any kind of running bamboo. The above is Bambusa Textilis which is a clumper and does not run. If you're planting clumpers then you don't need to worry about wandering rhizomes. Maybe divide them if they get too big. Running bamboos require like a 36" deep barrier for effective control
tstoehr wrote:2" thick blocks aren't going to stop any kind of running bamboo. The above is Bambusa Textilis which is a clumper and does not run. If you're planting clumpers then you don't need to worry about wandering rhizomes. Maybe divide them if they get too big. Running bamboos require like a 36" deep barrier for effective control
I'm going this weekend to pick up my oldhamii (or myhammy )---Scott.
Tsoehr,
Scott is trying to contain his oldhamii to a certain area, so that does take a different approach than trying to control temperate bamboos.
--------------------------
Roy Rogers
Southern Tampania de la Floridana Universidad (STFU)
STFU Motto: All Bamboos are not Created Equal; @ STFU, the Search Continues
********** ROY'S BAMBOO LIST
ROY'S BAMBOO LIST
).