Growing bamboo in Arizona

[mikeb]

looking for any info on growing bamboo in the low desert of arizona,any help would be appreciated.
looking forward to any replies
thanks mike

[Matt Finstrom]

Bamboo grows well in Arizona, but the species you can grow depends upon your elevation. We're growing over 130 varieties at the Bamboo Ranch. In the hotter low-desert areas clumping bamboos appreciate the heat more than some of the runners do. Also, in the wild, tropical bamboos experience wet and dry periods so they can handle very dry conditions more gracefully than some of the runners. The main restriction on clumpers here is minimum temperature. Runners don't care about what we call cold but some of them need part shade to look good. In both cases, the "buddy system" works wonders. Protect tender species with hardy ones. Plant thickly so humidity is conserved. In time the microclimate produced by several groves will enhance the growing conditions for all of them. The best way to see what does well here is to visit the Bamboo Ranch in Tucson. Call (520) 743-9879 for an appointment.
Matt Finstrom

[mikeb]

Dear Matt: Thank you for the information will be calling to make a appoinment to visit the ranch. Mike

[AVanSen]

Thanks Matt,

I look forward to an opportunity to visit...

In the meantime, our ranch community is adjacent to Tumacacori National Park with the Santa Cruz River meandering in between...

I would like to know the practicality of introducing bamboo along a section of the Santa Cruz river as part of a beautification project along the river/Anza Trail...? What species grows well at this elevation?

Thanks
AVanSen@gmail.com

PS


Climate
Tumacácori is in the upper regions of the Sonoran Desert. It is warm and dry most of the year. Temperatures will reach the high nineties and low hundreds during some days in the summer months. Temperatures can drop below freezing at night during the winter. The rainy (monsoon) season is from mid-July through most of August. Winter rains and sometimes snow can be expected in January and February.

The elevation is 3278 feet.