tropical plants for lanscaping...bamboo

Bamboo Plants

Many living in cold climates are now interested in bamboo plants, even though they're more often associated with tropical areas. This FAQ, geared especially to cold-hardy bamboo plants, offers information for novices. Even if you're not planning on growing bamboo plants, you can learn here about eradicating unwanted bamboo plants. I also expose bamboo look-alikes for the imposters that they are!

Question: What Is Bamboo?

Although you might not know it from the larger members of this group of plant, the bamboos are really grasses.

Answer:

Given the height of some bamboos (over 100 feet tall), the answer to the question, What is bamboo? may be somewhat surprising. But the bamboos are, indeed, classified as woody,evergreen, perennial grasses.

Question: What Are the Uses for Bamboo Plants?

The uses for bamboo plants are as diverse as the regions it inhabits....

Answer:

To name just a few uses for bamboo:

• Bamboo has been used in construction (e.g., in bamboo fences).
• Bamboo can be an ingredient in cuisine (e.g., bamboo shoots in Chinese food).
• Humans aren't alone in their consumption of bamboo. Panda bear fans know it as the primary food source for giant pandas.
• In landscaping, uses for bamboo include as a hedge
• 
  
•  Question: How Do You Grow Bamboo?
• The answer to any "how to grow X" question must address the basics, and it's no different for the question of how to grow bamboo. Master the bare essentials first, concerning:

  • Sun (or protection from sun)
  • Soil
  • Nutrients
  • Water
  Answer:

  On the subject of growing requirements for bamboo, the American Bamboo Society states that "most large bamboos grow quicker and do their best in full sun." However, they are also quick to point out that "Fargesias and most Thamnocalamus are happier with some shade during the hottest part of the day." Take note of that, because later in this FAQ series I will be discussing one of the Fargesias.

  Bamboos prefer a soil pH that is slightly acidic (around 6). In terms of soil texture, bamboo plants prefer loam.

  To stimulate growth in bamboo plants, apply a fertilizer high in nitrogen.

  Bamboo plants like a lot of water, but they also need a well-drained soil. While it is necessary to saturate the entire planting area when growing running bamboo plants, you can restrict watering for clumping bamboos to the area around the base ("clump") of the plant.

  Now you know not only how to contain bamboo plants, but also how to grow them. But for those who live in cold climates, there's another key piece to the puzzle yet to be supplied: growing a bamboo suitable for your climate.