Ground cover for bamboo

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OskieBoy
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Ground cover for bamboo

Post by OskieBoy »

I am looking for an evergreen ground cover that can grow under bamboo. I just started my bamboo this season, henon, spectabilis, and bissetii. I have 18 field dug plantings that were 10 to 15 feet tall with about 12 to 16 inch root balls planted in early April. They are spread evenly over a 150' distance that is about 10 feet wide, so the plants are about 8 feet apart. The planting area is mostly full sun and parts have some partial sun in zone 7. My problem is weeds, the bamboo takes up such a small percentage of the planting area so there is weeds everywhere. I am looking for an evergreen ground cover to combat the weeds that does not inhibit the bamboo growth. Any good suggestions?
GrowingHabit
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Re: Ground cover for bamboo

Post by GrowingHabit »

I've had bamboo going for about 7 years, 5 with a large area covered- and nothing tries to sprout under the groves once established. I get the rare odd weed trying it on, but mostly, nothing. And our property is at the extreme weed phase after massive dirt disturbance to the entire place. The duff a grove creates under itself seems to smother everything. Right at the drip line of the groves' canopies, there're thick battalions of weeds we're fighting, and we can't keep ahead of seeding- but nothing under the groves.

I've planted ground covers around several bamboo plants I've put in, and as the grove grows, the ground covers retreat. I've seen gorgeous photos of open, maintained airy decorator groves with ground covers underneath, but I often think the photos must be staged (ground covers in pots, placed for photo op). Maybe in a small patch, the kind of maintenance it would take to make that work can be done.
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needmore
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Re: Ground cover for bamboo

Post by needmore »

If you'll hand pull/mow/string trim weeds for a couple seasons that will give the bamboo time to build up enough mass to do what growinghabit described.

I have ground cover bamboo planted next to Phyllostachys and over time the ground cover has fully run into the grove so I think those photos aren't always staged! Also had the dreaded periwinkle run amok and seen vining plants swallowing up groves.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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T9D
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Re: Ground cover for bamboo

Post by T9D »

My first thought would have been ground cover bamboo. They make that too! :D

http://www.bamboogarden.com/Smaller%20R ... amboos.htm

You can also go get wood chips for free from tree service companies. That keeps the weeds away and keeps moisture in. Looks pretty good too. Or you're just going to have to mow the entire area. Spray some weed and feed so the big weeds are mostly gone and it's mostly just grasses and such. Will look nicer. Eventually all that bamboo will grow quite fast and shade it all out and drop litter that will smother weeds. I have a load of weeds in some new areas now too. It sucks. But where the bamboo is coming up fast and thick there are like no weeds at all, or any life besides the bamboo.
OskieBoy
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Re: Ground cover for bamboo

Post by OskieBoy »

Thanks for the input. I will add a few pictures below. I hate to have to look at all these weeds for several years waiting on the grove to establish. Needmore, what were your experiences with periwinkle? My idea is to get a vine type plant that grows fast and is good with full sun to partial shade, since the grove with soon fill in and provide shade.
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needmore
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Re: Ground cover for bamboo

Post by needmore »

Periwinkle is a huge pest for me, way worse than bamboo, I never meant to have it, it came on some divisions and I never got rid of it.

Mulch seems obvious there doesn't it?
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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Cooper12
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Re: Ground cover for bamboo

Post by Cooper12 »

i love the look of a variegated ground cover bamboo variety planted under the big green stuff. Or just hand pull the best you can and weed eat when nothing is shooting eventually the bamboo should overtake the weeds
Jason Floyd
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fredgpops
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Re: Ground cover for bamboo

Post by fredgpops »

Floyd is correct if the undercover is in shade. It looks like the area in the photo gets full sun. Bamboo groundcovers like dwarf white stripe, argentreostriatus, etc. don't like sun. Note sure of the zone involved but there are some small bambusas that like sun but won't work in zones that get temps below 20F.
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