Pool Landscaping & Bamboo ~ Can It Work?

[seapine]

Hi Everyone!

I first would like to say thanks for having this great and informative forum! I've been reading through the discussions and am learning much about using bamboo in landscapes!

I thought I would seek your advice about this "idea" I had. We are having a fiberglass inground pool installed and were trying to consider landscaping options. I love the way bamboo looks and think it would provide an interesting alternative as a screen to help conceal a white PVC privacy fence that surrounds the pool.

I was thinking of leaving an 18" to 24" wide bed running the length of the privacy fence to plant bamboo plants. I would want the bamboo to grow a maximum of about 12' to 15'. Adjoining the plant area would be a 4' wide concrete apron that would completely surround the pool and is used as a deck/walkway.

The bamboo would be inside the area of the enclosed pool. Here's my question: Is this do-able? If so, what kind of bamboo varieties would you recommend for Charlotte, North Carolina? I really like the green colored bamboos, but maybe mixing colors would be cool.

Any help you could provide will be gratefully accepted and appreciated!

Thanks so much for your help,

Tom

[needmore]

How solid is the fiberglass pool? Like a hot tub thickness? The rhizomes will without question run under a 4 foot section of concrete and reach the pool.

[seapine]

Hi Needmore ~

The fiberglass pool is very thick, I would estimate at least 3/4 of an inch thick. The pool is designed to hold 17,000 gallons of water and weighs nearly 2-tons empty.

Would the rhizomes spread as much if I used a cluster variety of bamboo?

Thank you!

Tom

[kudzu9]

We have neighbors who used bamboo around their hot tub, but they simply used containers so they didn't have to worry about runners. Now it's true that they will have to divide and replant every few years, but it also gives them better control, especially since the containers can be moved to provide optimal blocking.

[tbradham]

How solid is the fiberglass pool? Like a hot tub thickness? The rhizomes will without question run under a 4 foot section of concrete and reach the pool.

I have a similar set up where there is 5' of concrete between my bamboo and the pool walls. Mine is a vinyl liner in ground pool with steels walls that go down at least 4 feet. If a rhizome barrier is 40 mil thick, you would think a fiberglass pool or a piece of sheet metal would stop it, right?

Once they hit the barrier, be it a sheet metal, fiberglass or a 40 mil piece of plastic, what does the rhizome do then? Just stop, or does it grow around until it finds a way out? How long before it gives up?

[ghmerrill]

Generaly speaking, rhizome barrier will stop them, however, there are numerous cases where the barrier fails, either through poor instalation, or sheer determination by the plant. I have a friend who enclosed several species in a long, narrow area with rhizome barrier. over the last several years all has been fine, with the exception of the occasional rhizome sneaking over the top. last year a shoot from her P. aurea koi went THROUGH the barrier where the top edge had folded over in a corner. There are some great photos in the gallery of boo shooting through, asphalt, buildings, and stumps! I think that given the thickness of the pool fiberglass, there would be very little chance of a puncture in this case, however, the rhizome does not just hit a barrier and then stop- look at a plant that has been potted too long, and you will see rhizome circleing around and around the inside of the pot. I have see some plants burst the pot from the pressure of the rhizome growing in it.

I am NOT certain of how far the rhizome will go before it simply stops... perhaps Brad or one of the other gurus can answer that one!

Gene

[Roy]

Generaly speaking, rhizome barrier will stop them, however, there are numerous cases where the barrier fails, either through poor instalation, or sheer determination by the plant. I have a friend who enclosed several species in a long, narrow area with rhizome barrier. over the last several years all has been fine, with the exception of the occasional rhizome sneaking over the top. last year a shoot from her P. aurea koi went THROUGH the barrier where the top edge had folded over in a corner. There are some great photos in the gallery of boo shooting through, asphalt, buildings, and stumps! I think that given the thickness of the pool fiberglass, there would be very little chance of a puncture in this case, however, the rhizome does not just hit a barrier and then stop- look at a plant that has been potted too long, and you will see rhizome circleing around and around the inside of the pot. I have see some plants burst the pot from the pressure of the rhizome growing in it.

I am NOT certain of how far the rhizome will go before it simply stops... perhaps Brad or one of the other gurus can answer that one!

Gene

Beat you Mantis!

[ghmerrill]

Thanks Roy! as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, or in the case of my wife seeing this photo, about 60 some types of bamboo.... as in when she saw that picture, she would want me to give everything way!

at least she does not have any interest in getting on the forum to see what I am doing every time im in here on the computer!

[needmore]

All right Roy, out of fairness you need to start including photos of clumpers pushing over block or brick walls from now on or at least exploding terra cotta pots!

[Streetman_Buddy]

I don't think the issue should be how far a rhizome will go.
You should remember bamboo is a grass,a big woody grass. Like grass it's roots need to be trimmed. When grass goes where you don't want it, you cut it!
Same here. You could do some type of pea gravel trench about three feet deep, for rhizome pruning, around the area the bamboo will grow in. (Possible new topic? Tropical bamboo pools!)
Just a thought. With a couple of hours of work a year, you could have a great set up!

Bud

[Roy]

All right Roy, out of fairness you need to start including photos of clumpers pushing over block or brick walls from now on or at least exploding terra cotta pots!

I know the tropicals definitely can break pots. From that I could conclude that it could do damage to block or brick walls, but it's just that's I've never seen that or had anyone complain about it. I'm sure it exists somewhere, so if anyone sees any tropical bamboo doing damage to walls/block/structures, then take a picture and post it on Bambooweb.info in the "Other" section of the image gallery.