Planting bamboo

[Paul 8v]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, I've just bought two tubs of Phyllostachys Aureos to use as a screen, they're very high and the pot won't stand up by itself. I'm a bit worried that when I take it out and plant it in the ground it will collapse as it can get quite windy.
Can it be planted with some of the main plant burried in the ground? I'm thinking if I plant about a foot of the "stalk" in the ground it should be a bit firmer. Will this be ok or will it rot it? Losing some height isn't a problem as it's massive anyway!
It's only the start of something I've wanted to do for ages which is filling most of my garden with bamboo!

Many thanks

Paul

[CaroleMeckes]

Hi Paul,
Once you plant the bamboo in the ground - it will probably be more stable and stand up better on its own. It's just "top heavy" in the pot being so tall -

I recommend planting it at the same level deep that it is in the pot and not trying to plant it deeper. If you need to stake it after planting find something to stake it with to keep it more upright.

Carole

[Paul 8v]

Thanks Carole,

Will it all come out in one clump? If so should I break the roots up like with a shrub or leave it as a big lump?
Sorry about all the silly questions it's just it was quite dear and I dont want to muck it up!
I've got a few seeds I'm going to try and germinate soon for the giant bamboo, it's all a bit of a learning curve for me as I've just moved into my first house and I've never done gardening before!

[CaroleMeckes]

Don't break up the roots - try to keep all the dirt about the clump that you can.
Don't try to divide the roots.

Water the plant before you take it out of the pot - that will help the dirt stay together better.

There are lots of small "rootlets" that are like "capillaries" and you don't want to disturb them.

Dig your hole first so that when you take the plant out of the pot - you can set it right into your planting hole.

Carole

[Paul 8v]

Thanks again Carole, nice to find a site where people know about bamboo, most people I speak to don't know too much about it!

[Paul 8v]

I've planted them today, they look great, I'm really looking forward to them turning into a jungle in a few years, just got to make sure I water them enough now

[Paul 8v]

Thought I'd post a pic up, it'll be interesting to see how much they grow in a year!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/pauletherton/DSCF1562.jpg
When I took it out of the pot there was a wierd bit that had curled all the way around the rim, I put it above ground but then read somewhere about rhizomes and wondered if I should plant it underground, it's a wierd pinky colour and it reminds me of one of the worms from dune...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/pauletherton/DSCF1559.jpg

[CaroleMeckes]

The funny thing sticking up out or the ground is an "advancing rhizome". Bury under the ground in the direction that you want the bamboo to travel.

Feel its sharp tip.
Carole

[Paul 8v]

I've noticed a few of the leaves are coming off, is this a product of over/under watering? I've been soaking it every day since I put it in the ground so hopefully it's not because of too little water. I thought maybe I've been watering it too much, i have a high clay content in the soil so it might not be draining

[CaroleMeckes]

Lay off on the watering.
Bamboo does not like to have "wet feet" and it is easy to kill a bamboo plant by over watering. (Sadly - I think I did myself that to one this summer).

The bamboo will tell you when it is thirsty - as it's leaves will fold in when thirsty....

[stevelau1911]

I don't think bamboos really need that much extra water in the fall since the soil doesn't dry up as temperatures drop. After August, in my climate when day time highs only top out at 70F, the growth of bamboo slows down, therefore their need for water decreases.

One thing that might be a concern is that your bamboos are planted kind of close together. If they are the same size divisions as my Aureosulcata which was planted in May, there should be at least 1 rhizome for each culm and their length should be similar to the height of the culms which are over 7ft for me.

May 2008. It will be interesting to see what it can do next spring
http://bambooweb.info/images/bamboo/257/dsc02953.jpg

[Paul 8v]

Yeah, I had to plant them quite close as I needed them to give a screen, I hope they'll be ok. they've been in a few weeks now and I've watered them every day nearly. Hopefully it won't die if I stop now. It's starting to get damp and cold now anyway so hopefully it should be ok :eek:

[stevelau1911]

Heres what I'm talking about as far as looooong rhizome growth. It might surprise you to see how much aureosulcatas can spread in 1 season.
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5154&size=big&cat=&ppuser=1682

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5155&size=big&cat=&ppuser=1682

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5157&size=big&cat=&ppuser=1682

http://bamboo.statedirt.com/index.php?title=Planting_2_Phyllostachys_aureosulcata

[Paul 8v]

blimey that is quite a bit! I'm hoping it will grow thick in there to help stop my neighbours cats from using it as a litter tray! I've got to do another section around the back so I will make sure I spread them out more, I take it that it would be too late to move them?

[stevelau1911]

If they've only been in for a couple months, its still pretty easy to move them since the rhizomes haven't rooted out yet. Its just important not to break up the root ball. If you've had it in since May like my plant, it may take more than one person to move the whole plant without causing too much damage to it.

[Paul 8v]

It's gone very yellow now unfortunately, haven't had a chance to move them yet but I dont think they could have become intertwined yet surely? The leaves are all falling off, I don't want it to die. The only other thing I can think of is it's still getting water from where I'm watering the new grass in front? I've gotta save it, it cost me £80! :(

[stevelau1911]

If leaves are going yellow and falling off, its a clear sign of over-watering since the roots end up rotting when the soil doesn't drain well. It is still possible for them to recover as long as you can keep the soil dry. I don't water any of my in-ground bamboos now because their roots and rhizomes can store water.

If you soil doesn't drain well, it might be better to grow P Atrovaginata, P Heteroclada, or P Parvifolia since those bamboos have air channels in their rhizomes making them more tolerant of wet soils.

[Paul 8v]

Thanks Steve, I'll definitely leave the grass now, it must be that as I haven't watered the bamboo. Hopefully we'll have a few dry weeks and it'll let it recover!