Hello, My landscaper gave me some roots he had dug up and said it was black clumping bamboo... but I've checked online for the "official" name and there doesn't appear to be a black clumper. I can't really identify it against other clumpers either (I'm new to bamboo). Any help in identifying this plant type would be appreciated! FYI, these plants are 2 seasons old and are in a plot that is on the north side of the fence in Vancouver BC. Trusting the photos have attached... Many thanks for your help!! jm
It is a perfect time to dig a deep protective barrier (60cm deep or more)surrounding the desired expansion or perimeter for these Bamboo plants, just in case they do surge into the neighbouring garden beds and under decking or concrete pavers....or worse!
Can they be that dangerous. I had the intention of planting my bamboos close to my house. Are running bamboos dangerous for the foundation?
Running bamboos are only dangerous if you don't put down rhizome barrier. I purchased some at an arborist supply store here in Vancouver for $3.19 a foot. It's 36" deep and 60 ml thickness - which is the type recommended by most bamboo experts according to the research I have done. You can also order it from "Canada's Bamboo World" on line. Essentially 30" depth is all you need and when you install it make sure it is angled slightly so that you create a flower pot effect around the perimeter of where you want the bamboo to be. This makes the rhizomes (spreading underground roots) of the bamboo plant go over the edge of the barrier rather than under it (into your house foundation or your neighbour's yard). You can thereby easily control it during your annual inspection of the plant: you will see the rhizomes reaching over the barrier and you can cut accordingly, which is easy to do when the rhizome are young (different story when they've aged for a year or longer). Here is a great link discussing how to control bamboo spread. I thought the bamboo in my back alley was a clumping type, which doesn't spread in the same wide-reachiing way that running types do. But with a barrier you can enjoy bamboo close to your house (and I can make sure it doesn't go through my wooden fence and intertwine with my apple tree roots on the other side!). if you don't use a barrier you will live to regret it. As the rhizomes age they get really tough and sharp. EXTREMELY difficult to control and remove. Use the barrier!! It means a little effort at the front end for a life-time of enjoyment. Here's the link http://www.lewisbamboo.com/controlling-bamboo.html
Yes, sadly, I discovered that a few months ago. Any suggestions? I've read that Safer's End-it" is good... three times, every three weeks, beginning in May.
Clinton Bamboo Growers, who have had very good-looking stock at their retail location whenever I have been there use a changing combination of different pesticides each year. You have to deal with the whole life cycle of the mite. You also have to deal with the fact that it has become pervasive here, with a high percentage of plantings being infested - after going through the trouble and expense of cleaning up a planting one may have it re-infested from outside - perhaps not too long afterward.
You made me curious. I found this excellent link about mite control... http://islandbamboo.net/mites3.html This one too! http://www.livingwithbugs.com/PDFiles/bamboo.pdf
Justine, if you had agressive timber bamboo from the Phyllo. banbusoides family, then I would be wary too. The mites? This past freeze/frost should have done them in by now...
Bamboo can invade drainage pipes and will travel for water, likely into any aged pipes or anywhere it can find a drop of water. I had a neighbour's Maple that did this and was warned that bamboo will do the same extensive damage. Grow bamboo with extreme care and caution around your house. I am now trying roundup on some new shoots from a persistent plant that was dug out 2 yrs ago. I caught it last year, just as it was entwining itself into a chain link fence for 4 ft and starting to shoot up through it. I grow some in pots now and make sure the roots never touch the ground in summer. It's a beautiful plant and great for screenery. D
